A Christmas Message 

              Every year people ask - what is the true meaning of Christmas? How should we celebrate Christmas? Why has Christmas become so commercialized? We put up our Christmas trees and our Christmas lights, we rush from one Christmas party to the next, and of course we brave the crowds and the traffic to buy our Christmas gifts. At the end of it we're left breathless. At Gifts and Graces we see how frenzied gift buying can be and how frazzled one can get scrambling to complete the Christmas list. We are not immune ourselves. Having focused on fulfilling orders, we find ourselves rushing, preparing our own gifts at the last minute.

                And so we ask ourselves why? Why do we give gifts? Why are we compelled to do so? I think at the heart of it, beyond the pressure and the trappings and the expectations, the desire to give gifts springs from somewhere pure and joyful deep within us because more than 2000 years ago we received the very special gift of the child Jesus being born to walk among us, love us, and later save us. And so each year we honor and celebrate this gift with gifts of our own, both tangible and intangible, to our loved ones, to the stranger on the street, to the rest of humankind. Gift giving celebrates our humanity, our worthiness, and the good that is in all of us.

               At Gifts and Graces we hear stories all year round of how working on making a product has been a gift to others – the gift of tasting ice cream for the first time, the gift of having money to pay for a grandchild's tuition, the gift of discovering one's worth in honest work. This Christmas, we wish for you to give and receive gifts joyfully and humbly in the true spirit of this blessed season. And may you, all year round, receive gifts that truly lift the spirit.

               In January we wished you success in 2011. To close this year and welcome 2012 we leave you with St. Theresa's beautiful prayer.

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you

are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite

possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received,

and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones,

and allow your soul the freedom to sing,

dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

                     In behalf of the Gifts and Graces Board of Directors and the G&G team, thank you for being with us this year. We look forward to growing with you and touching many more lives with you in 2012. Merry Christmas and have a wonderful, blessed, New Year! Cheers!

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                      Greg

                                                                          

Scented Soy Wax Melts on Twitpic

G&G makes last minute Christmas gifts preparations

These scented soy wax melts come in a boxed set of eight with a burner and one tea light candle. It's our latest product, developed especially to say thanks to our friends, donors, volunteers, and clients.

P495. Now in cinnamon scent. Can also be ordered (next year) in vanilla, lavender, or citronella

Handcrafted teddy bears you'll L♥VE

Teddy bears have been around for more than 100 years. We grow up with lovable bears in literature like Corduroy, Winnie the Pooh, and Paddington bear. I remember laughing out loud with my kids as I read Paddington's misadventures aloud to them. We have a teddy bear whom we fondly call General Bear because he commanded the rest of the stuffed toys. Being both wrestled and cuddled, General Bear was both a toy and a companion.

Of all the popular toys, the teddy bear has endured because it symbolizes love, friendship, and comfort. Teddy bears are probably the only toys that transcend childhood and become beloved to us even as adults. 


The Little Book of Traditional Bears chronicles the different teddy bears throughout the years. In the introduction, Paul and Rosemary Volpp tell us that Peter Bull came to be known as the "father" of the current teddy bear craze by saying "It's alright for grown-ups to like teddy bears." After saying that, he received letters "by the bucketful" from adults who loved teddy bears.  

Gifts and Graces is proud to contribute to the varied designs of teddy bears that have become beloved over the years, with our very own collection of retaso bears. The design of the bears are based on the classic plush design but the retaso gives it a modern appeal that's great for both kids and adults. 


These retaso bears as the name implies are made from upcycled materials and come in two design collections. The bears made from scrap denim each have a unique crochet scarf around its neck. The bears made from scrap upholstery material are artfully assembled from high end fabric that gives the bears a rich texture and contrast. As a result no two bears are exactly the same.

Both collections are beautifully hand-made with love by G&G's partner producers - persons with disabilities and urban poor mothers in Tondo. These bears help you support the art of these producers and you help care for the Earth at the same time.

Give these bears a home this Christmas. They are truly unique and wonderful gifts that lift the spirit that are sure to bring joy to your loved ones, not only this Christmas but all year round. 


Get them now at our Eastwood Mall aparador, the Ayala Museum Shop, the Edsa Shangri-la Lobby Shop, or at the Gifts and Graces office.

Reblogging about Gifts and Graces on Tumblr

Gifts and Graces would like to thank eclair for blogging about Gifts and Graces on her Tumblr blog Tumbling here and there. 

eclair:

One of my friends at work shared the link to Gifts and Graces, a shop where they sell hand-made goods from marginalized groups. They work with non-government offices to help them make a living from creating quality goods that the Gifts and Graces is marketing for them.
Their tea box is reasonably priced at 130 pesos. And they also sell other goods like turmeric tea and Cordillera coffee. JM and I haven’t finished gift buying yet so I might consider these. :) Maybe you know people who would appreciate these gifts this Christmas (or for their birthdays) too.

Thanks eclair!
Check out eclair's blog post by clicking on the link

Fair Trade Shopping

Vote for fair trade products with your wallet

Gifts and Graces would like to thank WFTO Asia for inviting us to their Open House today. Support WFTO Asia's Open House and support fair trade organizations in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and of course the Philippines.  

G&G products: Newspaper bags, newspaper wine caddies, monster dolls, retaso travel pillows, retaso denim bears, bead robot charms, travel sets, retaso cellphone cases, handmade paper gift tags

Fair trade seeks to correct the flaw in trading practices between the North and South; it seeks to correct the imbalances and injustices in this trading system and dared to ask Why not a trading system that protects and benefits the producers who globalization is supposed to benefit? Read about the 10 principles of fair trade in our About Fair Trade page.

The fair trade movement has grown to include many producers to help them gain access to opportunities and develop sustainable livelihoods. Fair trade builds the community's capabilities and incorporates environmental stewardship in production and business practice. To quote from the WFTO Asia website

"In an era of mass consumption, Fair Trade puts forward a big challenge for producers and consumers to seriously think about. The underpaid workers at the far end of the line, the rapidly degrading environment, the fading cultural identity and traditions, the discriminated women, the exploited and overworked children, and the families and communities searching for means to survive."

The fair trade model is not only a social enterprise, it is a social innovation that is a wholistic approach to conducting business in a creative, resourceful, and most of all humane way. Gifts and Graces believes that fair trade is a powerful model to fight poverty because it is an inclusive and empowering model that enables livelihood communities to move from vulnerability to self-sufficiency. 

Gifts and Graces supports WFTO's campaign to encourage consumers to do their part in fighting poverty by making the switch to fair trade products. By buying Gifts and Graces products you buy gifts that lift the spirit because even as a giver, you are blessed by the knowledge that you are buying great products that are aligned with your values. What's more, you are doing your part to support the entrepreneurial efforts of our marginalized partners such as urban poor communities, former prison inmates, former streetchildren, persons with disabilities, special needs individuals, and indigenous groups. 

Sharing below a video from WFTO Asia. Choose with your heart, buy with your conscience, vote with your wallet. Make the switch today.

A Conversation with Colette

This month in Conversations, we talked to Colette Forma one half of the dynamic duo behind Moodies, a marketing company specializing in creating the mood necessary for the audience to be receptive to your message. Colette came to volunteer with G&G through SharePeople. She came to the Philippines for two power weeks and remains in touch with the team. Here we get up close and personal with Colette who gets candid about the best moment of her experience and what she learned about herself.

G&G: Tell us your Name, Age, Nationality, Occupation

CF: My name is Colette Forma. I was born and raised in The Netherlands and this year I reached the age of 40. Together with my business partner, I own and run Moodies: a company specialized in moodmaking. Our work fields are both internal and external communications and brand experiences.

G&G: What made you decide to volunteer?

CF: In April 2011, our company Moodies celebrated its 10th anniversary. A special moment that we wanted to mark in a meaningful way. Around the same time, we met SharePeople, a Dutch organisation that connects social entrepreneurs in developing countries with European professionals in various fields. They suggested we volunteer for Gifts & Graces, who were in need of a retail concept for their fair trade products. The question fitted my experience and after the first contacts with G&G I decided to volunteer at G&G for a period of two weeks. Short but intense!

G&G: As a volunteer how did you use your skills and experiences to help G&G and its advocacy?

CF: The task at hand was helping to develop a G&G fair trade retail concept. We knew very little about the fair trade business in general and had no knowledge of the Filipino market at all, so there was a moment of serious hesitation – were we able to do this? But the organisation and it's purpose were so appealing, we decided to give it a go. Only one of us could actually go to the Philippines, but together, we prepared the case from Holland as well as we could. We read G&G's business plans, talked to fair trade organisations and even worked out a detailed planning and budget format.

a sketch of the G&G store by Marge Obligacion,
based on the brainstorming

Soon after arrival in Manila, it became clear to me that the G&G team had an enormous amount of knowledge and some very good ideas about the future retail store. What I mainly did was facilitating the G&G team to make the right choices, by giving them focus and describing the 'next steps' as clearly as possible. One of the first things we did was a high-pressure, creative energetic brainstorm on the target group with the complete G&G team. It helped the team to imagine their target group as if it was an actual person. This way, they could make clear choices: in which kind of malls should the G&G store be located? What should the store look like? How should the products be presented? And how can we promote the G&G store and everything it stands for? It was the starting point for delivering the description on the personality of our future customer, the design proposal and sketches of the exterior and interior of the shop, and important details like wrapping, music and clothing of staff among many others. In the process, of course I added some of my ideas on retail and communication as well ;-)

Photos from Day 2. Above: Colette with the women of Kapitbahayan Candles.
Below: Colette with the newspaper bag makers of FCED Foundation

G&G: Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?

CF: At the end of each day, I emailed all documents to Holland. Thanks to the time difference, Monique was able to further work on the documents. This way, we could work for G&G around the clock! Towards the end Monique worked on the last changes in the Keynote presentation for the Board of Directors while it was night time in Manila. When checking my email in the early morning, there was no newer version of the Keynote there. Strange, because she knew we needed it in the morning. I couldn't do anything, because in the meantime she was asleep in The Netherlands. Just when I started worrying what happened, an email came in. Fact was that she finished the Keynote late at night, but forgot to mail it to me. She couldn't sleep tough and was wondering why. Until she realized! 

G&G: What are two interesting things about the Philippines that the average person doesn't know?

CF: That 'time' is a very flexible concept and that you can't survive in the Philippines without texting: it's a way of life!

Colette's images around Makati

G&G: What was the best moment of the entire experience?

CF: There where actually lots of good moments, working with the G&G team. The best? Probably presenting to the Board of Directors and realise they were not discussing whether the retail store should be opened, but what location would be best! That was a big compliment for a great team effort.

G&G: What did you learn about yourself?

CF: I guess I learned that with my drive and perseverance I can inspire others to really make things happen. I also learned that I find it hard to speak out my feelings and needs, certainly if this means that I have to confront others. Something to work on!

G&G: Why should other people do volunteer work? What did you gain from it?

CF: Volunteering at G&G gave me the opportunity of working in a different culture (with all the challenges and uncertainties that come with it). Getting to know the team in a very short time, finding out about their roles and personal challenges, facilitating brainstorms in a completely new setting, working together and motivating everyone to deliver their part of the process, seeing the enthusiasm grow. It gave me excitement and satisfaction to be able to do so, far away from my common workspace.  

Colette and Greg at the Legaspi Market
on Colette's first day in Manila

Within just two weeks, the G&G team and Moodies created a store design, a plan of attack, planning, budget and promotional plan. It has been very rewarding for us to add a little to G&G's final goal: giving power to social entrepreneurship and help marginalized individuals to become self-reliant and dignified members of society. We hope the first retail store will open its doors soon! 

Being 'out of your comfort zone' certainly makes you grow as a person! Just do it…

Colette Forma and Monique are the managing directors of Moodies, a Dutch agency that works for large corporate clients. We make sure our client's target groups are receptive to their message. Our moodmaking activities concentrate on internal and external communications, as wel as brand experience and interior design.

To learn more about Colette & Monique's time with G&G, click here. 

Markets and Social Entrepreneurship

Why are markets important for social entrepreneurs? The short and simple answer is because without successfully engaging and catering to a market a social enterprise cannot be sustainable.

Last November 28, at the Social Development Conference of CODE NGO at the Megatrade Hall, Greg Perez made a brief presentation on things to consider to successfully engage the market and she shared G&G's experience and lessons learned. Sharing here a condensed version of the questions a social entrepreneur must ask to increase the probability of a market match.


First off, who is your market? We cannot be everything to everybody. We must choose our market, focus on our market, and get to know that market very well. In an exercise with Colette Forma of Moodies, the G&G team personified our target market by describing it as a person, describing the lifestyle, habits, and preferences, and demographics of our target market. What are your markets needs? aspirations? pain points?

The G&G team imagines Luisa Isabella

Second, know the structure of your market. Who are your competitors? What are the barriers to entry? How big is the market and how fast is it growing? What are the existing substitutes to your product? How well is the market currently being served?


Once you know your market, work on your offer. As mentioned earlier there must an intersection between what markets expect and what sellers offer in terms of the following:

1. Product - is it something the market wants or needs?
2. Price - what is the price of your product vis-a-vis the value you create? what is your unique value proposition? does the market perceive that it gets enough or more value for the price to be paid
3. Production - Is the product readily available, is it by special order? Is the quality good? What is your capacity to meet market demand?
4. Delivery/Distribution Method - Are the products easily accessible? Are they available on retail? will the products be delivered to clients?
5. Relationships - What level of relationship will you have with your customers? Will it be personal or self-service? What customer service will you provide?


There is however, no simple way to engage the market. These are just some basic guidelines and not hard and fast rules. For instance, while we need to focus on a market and get to know that market very well it's also possible to have several markets. In Gifts and Graces' case we cater to corporate, wholesale, and retail markets. Below is a simple illustration of part of our value chain. 

Every social enterprise will learn lessons along the way just as we have. In some cases we change our market, in some cases we change our product. The important thing is we stay in the game. Here are some lessons we've learned:
1. Integrate upwards and downwards the value chain. Engage the market, educate the market to grow it, and build the capabilities of our partners.
2. Just do it. The question of which comes first - the market or the product is a chicken and egg question and can only be answered properly based on the context of the social enterprise. In G&G's case the products came first, but we have since tweaked our products for a more market driven approach so
3. We've made our products skills based not product based. One community who makes fruit tart candles makes our unity candles.
4. Engage corporations where possible to enable producers to enter the value chain. Mainstream products so it's not a CSR project but part of a company's supply chain.


Another important lesson is the story is important but it's not enough. To deliver on our promise and satisfy the market, we should look at our own value chains. In a later blog post we'll talk about looking at our business model and value chain to make sure we are able to deliver our unique value proposition to our markets.