Sharing a photo essay on the story behind Gifts and Graces' premium Retazo Collection. These special bags are made by disadvantaged women sewers in Pandacan, Manila, and Boni, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. Special thanks to George Moya who conceptualized the photo essay with us, took the beautiful photos, and helped us with the copy. Hope you enjoy it and support this beautiful collection that changes lives.

Retazo collection photo essay from Love Gregorie

Conversations: Sheree Gotuaco shares her insights

For this Conversation, we catch up with Sheree Gotuaco, CEO of Elite Garments, home of the Freeway, Ensemble, and Solo brands, and one of G&G's newest Directors. This interview was conducted by Lexie Shulze for the Metro Society feature. 

Name: Sheree Roxas-Chua Gotuaco

High School attended: Immaculate Conception Academy (High School)

College attended: University of Southern California (BS Marketing and Management), Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles (Fashion Design)

 

Can you tell us a bit about your childhood? 

My nuclear family was close. We always spent time together (my parents and 2 younger siblings) during holidays or summer breaks, even if we were already studying in the US. My parents both work, but they were almost always around for dinner and weekends. Like many children from private schools, my life was considered sheltered.

 

How did you get involved with Gifts and Graces? 

Marivic (Limcaoco) called me up to ask me if I would like to join and be a Director of Gifts and Graces as Sandy requested. They thought that my experience in retail would help in getting more ideas to improve the marketing and selling aspect of the products. Right now, I help in product development (creating collections for existing products) and giving suggestions and guidelines for retail penetration. I just joined the group this August and have been enjoying my involvement. It feels good to help and be creative at the same time.

Were you always into outreach growing up or did you only recently get into it?

I was part of the Social Action Student Staff in ICA. We visited some less fortunate areas. I remember that there was a time we were asked to go for an overnight in one of the communities, but my parents did not allow me. I cried a lot that night. During college and after, unfortunately, I did not have much opportunity to get involved in outreach programs.

What was your moment of epiphany to devote time to Gifts and Graces?

When Marivic called me up and told me about G & G, it sounded very interesting but I was also concerned about adding more responsibilities to my very full plate. But when she explained that I did not really need to implement the plans, but would just be guiding and working with a full team, it became a lot less daunting and more exciting.

Two main things attracted me to G & G, the first is also to be able to have the chance to expose my children to these communities. My children do not have much exposure to less fortunate communities outside family, friends and school, and through this I can hopefully make them be more aware of the realities outside their sheltered world.

Second, using creativity and ideas through products and helping the communities at the same time sounded very exciting. Working with other directors and the G and G team are also definite pluses.

 

What message would you like to leave the readers about their social responsibility to the less fortunate?

At this early stage, I have not seen the end fruits of my contributions yet, but from my standpoint now, I see the personal benefits like how it feels good to help and be part of the process.

Love in Business

          A few years ago, at a training session for microfinance executives, someone joked that those of us working in microfinance should automatically gain entry to heaven. I took that sentiment and shared it with the social workers in the NGO I was working with at the time. I think they are the real everyday heroes, working in education, health, advocacy to better the lives of the urban poor beneficiaries of the foundation. This would not be possible without love.

          I realize it may sound strange talking about love in business but at the core of it, I believe that's what drives social entrepreneurs and social development workers. And the concept is not limited to social entrepreneurs. Read this great blog post Love-in-Business from Jennifer Ann Gordon on her blog Business to a Different Beat. The title was so appropriate that I borrowed it for this post.


          It is from love that springs the value of treating others the way we want to be treated - to treat our employees with compassion, to listen because we want to be heard; it is because of love that we treat our customers ethically, produce the best product possible, and provide responsive customer service; it is love that fuels our generosity that enables us to give of ourselves as mentors or as supporters in a network. The list goes on.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with us and other examples of love in your workplace.

Ex Libris for some Holiday Reading

This book list is for social entrepreneurs.

Now that the holidays are coming you might have a chance to relax and pick up a book. Sharing a few things on my book shelf or on my laptop. Committed social entrepreneurs that we are, these readings will enrich our knowledge to help us do better at work. We hope you like the list.



The CEO Paradox: The Privilege and Accountability of Leadership 
by Thomas R. Horton

I'm still currently reading this book and so far I find it relevant and refreshing in terms of content and voice. Written as a letter from an outgoing CEO to an incoming one, the tone is conversational and frank. With chapter titles like You've Made it to the Top - Now What? and Those Lonesome CEO blues, the book tackles topics familiar to CEOs ranging from Delegation to Making time for yourself, to passing the torch. This book should find a place in the bookshelves of current and aspiring CEOs.




Making a Living in Crafts: Everything You Need to Know to Build Your Business 
by Donald A. Clark

Throughout this great book, several artisans and craftsmen offer practical advice based on their experience in setting up their workshops, promoting their work in trade fairs, marketing, branding, and even intellectual property. The stories are inspiring, the advice is actionable, and the photos are gorgeous. This book will inspire anyone thinking of setting up a crafts business to go for it.




Priming the Pump: The Case for a Sector Based Approach to Impact Investing
by Matt Bannick and Paula Goldman



Impact Investing is the new buzzword in social development but the space is still amorphous. This paper supports our long held belief that ecosystems should be built to create an enabling environment. While there are gazelle social enterprises, creating and scaling up entire sectors increases the chances of success for individual social enterprises.

The paper discusses three kinds of organizations in a sector: market innovators, market scalers, and market infrastructure all of which will require investment.

This is a great read for anyone wanting to make large scale impact through social entrepreneurship.



Please feel free to share your thoughts on this list as well as share it with others who might be interested.

The Importance of Business Models and Value Chains

To deliver on our promise and satisfy the market, we should look at our own value chains and business models. This can be challenging for social enterprises because the paying customer isn't always the social enterprise's primary customer. Gregory Dees defined the primary customer as the one who benefits from the work of the social enterprise. It is therefore important for social entrepreneurs to have a framework for value creation for its multiple stakeholders. 

One framework we've found useful when talking about business models is the business model canvas developed and promoted by the people behind Business Model Generation www.businessmodelgeneration.com. According to the authors of the book, a business model "describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value."

Below is an illustrated version of the canvas and below it is a blank canvas. By using this tool, social entrepreneurs can think through each of the building blocks of a business model and clearly identify the value proposition for customer segments. Thinking through revenue streams ensures that value is captured for social entrepreneurs to be able to sustainably provide value to its target beneficiaries.

For more information or to purchase the book, please visit the business model generation website.

Once the business model has been thought through, social entrepreneurs must look at their value chains to ensure that the primary activities and the support activities support the value proposition. Value propositions are the unique offering of the social enterprise to its market. Value propositions can include innovative products e.g. appropriate technology for smallholder farmers; speedy and efficient service delivery e.g. treatment at the Aravind Eye Center; or affordably priced products e.g. off-grid lighting solutions. 

The primary activities ensure that there is value-added in the transformation process, that the enterprise finds its market and provides customer service. The support activities on the other hand ensure that operations support the value proposition i.e. does the organization have the correct manpower, is the organization able to leverage IT, does the organization take advantage of the benefits of procuring in bulk.

The Gifts and Graces value chain involves partner identification, capacity building, design, and marketing. Our primary market/beneficiaries are the craftsmen and micro-entrepreneurs we support. Our secondary market that makes our work possible are the corporations and individuals who purchase our fair trade products.

Our business model and value chain has been tweaked over the years. This is expected of social enterprises as well as we have to be flexible so as to provide the most value to our target beneficiaries. 

For more information, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or email us.

What does it take to be a social entrepreneur?

Recently, Gifts and Graces was invited to give a talk to 4th year Assumption students on social entrepreneurship in connection with their Political, Educational Advocacy and Community Extension (P.E.A.C.E.) Work Project launch. 

Part of the talk given by G&G Executive Director Greg Perez was on what it takes to be a social entrepreneur. Here we share a slightly tweaked version of the talk which can also be seen in a feature on G&G in Katha Magazine's 2nd online edition  http://bit.ly/katha-issue02

• Take time to reflect on the big questions: Where do your passions lie? What could you be the best at in the world? What makes you come alive? What value will you provide? The intersection of your Passion + Skill + Opportunity will ensure that you create value and you have fun while doing it

•  Show leadership - be bold, be brave, be innovative, have conviction, be authentic. Believe in yourself.

• Always be learning - ask for help, observe, be intellectually curious 

• Be emotionally, physically, mentally prepared to take on the challenges. You will have a world view that others don't get yet. Social development is a marathon. Take care of yourself, take time to breathe and pause and reconnect

• Build a network, be part of a network - it takes a village to solve today's complex problems. Social entrepreneurship is part of the solution, not the only solution

• Be generous with your knowledge and experience. 

• Never lose the power to empathize - that is what makes us human. The need to be part of the solution comes from a place of empathy - this is what will sustain you

Sharing a great blog post on the role of Social Entrepreneurs in the future we want to create which the author refers to as The Great Turning. Enjoy!

The Role of the Social Entrepreneur in the Great Turning (via 7 Graces of Marketing - Ethical Marketing for Social Entrepr)

Is this the time of the Great Turning? What role will social entrepreneurs play in the next phase of our social evolution? Lynn Serafinn shares her insights Last week four of us from the 7 Graces community attended the OxfordJam, a 3-day fringe event…

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G&G on the six continent adventures blog

A few weeks ago brave and adventurous lady Jennie Siering visited Gifts and Graces to learn more about social entrepreneurship. Jennie and her husband Nelson came to the Philippines from the US as part of their backpacking tour across several countries. The Philippines was the first leg of the tour. Right after visiting the G&G office, the couple went straight to the bus station to catch a bus to Banaue.

One of Jennie's goals for the trip was to learn first-hand about social entrepreneurship models, its challenges, and its opportunities. In Jennie's own words, during their travel and adventures around the world, she wants "to explore existing and up-coming social enterprises, as well as deepen my understanding of global issues, in order to successfully launch my own social enterprise." Jennie learned about Gifts and Graces and Executive Director Greg Perez through their common connection with IE Business School. Jennie will be an incoming student in the fall while Greg will be graduating this June.

Please click here to read Jennie's blog post on Gifts and Graces.

In her post, Jennie reflects about the different options for would-be social entrepreneurs in terms of legal structure: not-for-profit, for-profit, or a hybrid model.

Thanks Jennie for featuring us. We wish you all the best on the rest of your adventure!

Conversations

A Conversation with Ms. Sandy Romualdez

For our next batch of Conversations we bring you chat sessions between Lexi Schulze, Associate Features Editor of Metro Society and several of our board members. These interviews were conducted in line with Shopping for a Cause, Lexi's article about Gifts and Graces which came out in Metro Society's October 2011 issue. 

Here we're proud and happy to share with you the highlights of Lexi's chat with Sandy, G&G's Founder and President.

LS: Were you always into outreach growing up? 

SR: My school Assumption instilled in me a strong sense of social responsibility. We had many outreach programs and immersions The one that had a strong impact in my life was an immersion we had in Baguio....I experienced how a farmer lived. Although it was only for a week it opened my eyes to social realities in a faith experience.

LS: How did you get involved with Gifts and Graces?

SR: The idea of the foundation germinated when I was taking up my Masters in Development Management. I discovered that many foundation put up livelihood programs to help people out of poverty but have difficulty selling and marketing these goods to the public. This is where we thought Gifts and Graces could help.

LS: Why is the organization called Gifts and Graces?

SR: Mariles Gustilo , who's one of the most creative people...she and her team at Lowe helped us develop not only a name but also a branding identity for the foundation. We loved the name Gifts and Graces because it captures what we do in the foundation.... "with every gift purchased you share your graces with those in need

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.











 

G&G at CODE NGO Social Development Celebration

As part of Gifts and Graces' commitment to social development and social entrepreneurship, Gifts and Graces joins CODE NGO in its Social Development Celebration. G&G's booth will exhibit Gifts and Graces' value chain and how we empower our partner communities through product development, market access, and capability building. Visitors to the booth and to the entire exhibit will see the growing role of NGOs and other civil society organizations, individuals, government organizations, and other agencies in ensuring that we are able to address the concerns and needs of the most vulnerable of society. 

Throughout the 3 day celebration there will be fora on different topics on social entrepreneurship. G&G Executive Director Ms. Greg Perez will be a resource person in one of the forums - Seeing Eye to Eye with Buyers and the Marketplace which will be about market matching. Greg will share Gifts and Graces' experience on matching the products of G&G's 20 partner communities with the needs and preferences of the corporate market, wholesale, and retail markets. Do join us. Forum will be at the Megatrade Hall 3 5th level at 10:30AM.

Following is the list of the fora in the series.

Seeing Eye to Eye with Buyers and the Marketplace
Nov 28, 1030am

Social Enterprise in the Cocoir Industry

Nov 28, 2 pm                        

Meet the New Middleman
Nov 28, 2pm                    

Bringing Social Enterprises Online                                

Nov 29, 10:30am                    

Product Design and Packaging for Social Enterprise
Nov 29, 2pm                        

Financing the Social Entrepreneur                                

Nov 30, 1030am                     

Is there space for the youth in Social Enterprise?
Nov 30, 2 pm 

Below is the press release on the event 

Kasali Ka! Sumali Ka!

Social Development Celebration 2011

As it celebrates its 20th year, CODE-NGO is proud to announce its upcoming Social Development Celebration (SDC) 2011 on November 21 to 30, 2011.  The SDC (or Social Development Week, as it was formerly called) has been an important annual event for CODE-NGO, in partnership with the Peace & Equity Foundation (PEF) and the Association of Foundations (AF) in promoting to a wider public the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in national development.  Through the SDCs' series of events, CODE-NGO members and the general public are provided a venue to see the various facets of CSO work as advocates, implementors of development programs and social entrepreneurs. 

The upcoming SDC 2011 will feature a series of public forums on the development issues of the times, a Social Enterprise Exhibit that will showcase the products and services of social entrepreneurs from all over the country and activities for young people that will bring social awareness in a fun and exciting way. 

We hope to see you there!

A Conversation with Jessica Chittaphong

This month in Conversations we have Jessica Chittaphong who was with G&G from June to August 2010 through the Ambassador Corps program of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. When Jessica volunteered she had just completed a double degree B.A. International Relations and Global Studies and B.A. Asian Studies: Japanese Concentration. Today she has completed her Masters of Science (MSc) course at the London School of Economics in Global History with a focus was on globalization and Asia, as well as comparative world history. Whew! 

Here Jessica tells us what surprised her about the Philippines and what her trip to the Philippines and her volunteer experience taught her about herself.

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

JC: Jessica Chittaphong, 28, American, Student

G&G: What made you decide to volunteer?

JC: I decided to volunteer at Gifts & Graces because I wanted to see social entrepreneurship in action and get some real experience. I firmly believe in helping people break free from the poverty trap by using their own ingenuity and keeping their dignity, instead of just inefficiently giving out hand-outs. The latter has proven to be unsustainable and does not provide people with new skills or instill them with a will to work.

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

JC: One, the Philippines has an almost disturbing amount of gigantic shopping malls! Two, One has to be a world class driver to drive on the streets of Manila!

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

Jessica at the G&G booth
at the Franchise Expo 2010

JC: As a volunteer, I used my research skills to estimate G&G's Social Returns on Investment. It was not all that acurate and I still had a lot to learn, but it provided the organization with a place to start. I also used my social skills when presenting and selling items at various expo's and fair trade shows. That was really fun because I got to meet a lot of people and everyone was curious to know what an American was doing selling painted newspaper bags.


G&G: What did you learn about yourself?

JC: During my time with Gifts and Graces I learned a lot about myself. I have a clearer understanding of what my strengths are, but more importantly I recognized what my weaknesses are. Challenging yourself is important, however; it is also advantageous to know one's limits. In the Philippines I also found out how much a person could adapt to any environment. I was in a foreign land, at night I could not get to sleep because it was so hot, and I almost got washed away during a flash flood. But because of the connections I made with the wonderful people I came in contact with and a positive attitude, even after only 3 short months, I thought of this foreign country as home.

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

JC: Other people should volunteer because it definitely adds perspective to your life. Seeing all those people, who didn't really have a lot, working so hard, motivated me to try my best as well. When you are working for something bigger than yourself, you get a sense of satisfaction that you can't get elsewhere...and sometimes you get addicted to it.

Social Enterprise: The Next Business Model

On October 20 and 21, I attended the Social Enterprise Conference organized by the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) together with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP),  Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), League of Corporate Foundation (LCF), and PinoyME Foundation held at the Intercontinental Hotel. 

The Conference brought together social enterprises, NGOs, People's Organizations, Cooperatives, and big business in a two day forum of sharing experiences, dialogue, and determining next steps. It was great to see old faces and meet new practitioners in the field. The social enterprise space is growing and the conference was a great way to start building an ecosystem of support, from the ground level to the "industry" level, to enable social enterprises to continue to grow and flourish.

All the sessions were informative and provided a lot of insight. The forum opened strong with the Keynote address by the father and son team of Ramon Uy Sr. and Ramon Uy Jr. who shared their journey from manufacturing spare parts for sugar mills to putting up RU Foundry that creates appropriate technology machines for smallholder farmers, to creating Fresh Start Organics. 

Thanks to Ms. Gisela Tiongson Executive Director of Jollibee Foundation, for mentioning Gifts and Graces in her presentation on the landscape of social entrepreneurship in the Philippines. Gisela shared Jollibee's inspiring initiative to open their supply chain to farmers in Nueva Ecija.

One of the speakers that made an impact on the audience was Rico Gonzales, Managing Director of X Change. Rico talked about the 5Ms of social entrepreneurship and shared a tool he uses for visually representing our social enterprise models at www.businessmodelgeneration.com. It looks like a great tool to understand, review, and tweak business models to ensure that we are able to deliver value to our clients. Rico also made a very compelling case for scaling up, both for impact and sustainability, and scaling up fast or else risk not being able to achieve the impact we want.

Finally in the last session facilitated by Dan Songco, Executive Director of PinoyME Foundation, PinoyME, PBSP, and PEF shared their initiatives for continuing to encourage social entrepreneurship. Read our blog post about the People Powered Markets initiated by PinoyME in February on the occassion of their 5th year anniversary. Dan then opened the discussion to suggestions from the floor. 

My own suggestion was to look at how we can respond to social enterprises' HR needs and challenges. It is imperative that we build the team right, and as we grow, we need to find the right people for G&G. Ateneo de Manila has several programs to offer social entrepreneurship as an alternative career to undergraduates. Perhaps PinoyME can add a jobstreet for social entrepreneurs portal in its People Powered Markets website. 

For those of us already in an SE I think continued executive education, such as the MAGIS workshop the Ateneo GSB conducted for G&G and our partners, and the Social Enterprise Management Training Program conducted by Fundacion Codespa and the University of Asia and the Pacific will help ensure that SEs are able to build the necessary HR capabilities for growth and scale. 

Overall I learned a lot at the conference and with initiatives like this, it is hoped that social entrepreneurship model will one day become the norm. Kudos to the organizers. I'm looking forward to the next one!

-Greg