2) Men on the Side of the Road Project
Submitted: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 5:44
3) Strategy Summary:
The collection, refurbishment, and sale of second hand hand
tools has never been tried before. The unemployed we work
with can also loan tools that fits into our objective of
job creation and they learn about and fix all types of hand
tools.
4) How the Strategy Works:
The MSR project first advertises for the public and
businesses to donate second hand tools. This advertising
creates awareness of the project, and increased profile in
the media. The project then directly collects tools from
peoples homes. We do this as we then receive a name which
we later use on our direct mail database. The tools are
then fixed by the unemployed in a large tools depot. The
tools are loaned by the unemployed who have to be members
of our organisation. Thus more unemployed people join.
Through our skills program the unemployed can use tools to
get new jobs and create their own small businesses. We have
opened up Tools retail outlets called Tools Shacks in the
townships to sell tools to the unemployed on a broader
scale. Through the tools project we have created enormous
awareness of the project and its aims and see it as the
most visible and exciting initiative. Next year we will
start collecting other goods for a service fee. The idea
can be replicated by using a high energy service and
collecting goods which have a synergy with the particular
service or aim of the non profit in question. Anything can
be collected it just depends on the cerativity of the non
profit in question and seeing the market gap.
5) Key Strategy Elements:
i. Mobilizing Citizen Support:
It is vital we mobilise communities of individuals to
donate their old tools. We also mobilise corporates, other
non profits and wholesalers to donate tools on a regular
basis.
ii. Generating Financial and Nonfinancial Resources:
Goods in kind obviously are tools, sewing machines, and
other goods (30 000 tools to date worth R300 000/or $50000.
Financially we have sold tools worth $20000.
iii. Establishing Relationships with Strategic Partnerships:
We have established relationships with Inetrnational tools
donors like Tools for self reliance in the UK and
Geredgereedskap (holland) as well as wholesalers and
retailers who sell tools.
v. Developing Information and Spreading the Message:
We have developed large print media collection campaigns ,
as well as collection materials in-store.
6) Increasing Self-sufficiency and Social Impact:
The organisation is not yet self sufficient by a long ways,
but we are raising our our own income. At the moment the
giving of tools has an exceptional social impact. The
unemployed are trained to fix and refurbish, many
unemployed are using tools to generate their own income,
and we are providing tools at a very low price to a broad
based group of unemployed people who otherwise copuld not
afford tools.
8) Organization Mission and Vision:
To organise the unemployed who stand on the side of the
road and create work and opportunities to increase their
livelihood and dignity.
Organization Size:
Over the next 3 years, fulltime employees should increase
to 20 and part time employees to 400.
Looking Forward to the Next Three Years:
Open up more Tools Shacks and develop more entrepreneurs
who manage the stores, increase collection on a national
and international scale for hand tools, collect other goods
as a paid service and clean doemstic garages.
Charles Maisel
PO Box 8348 Roggebaai, 8012 Cape Town
South Africa
Telephone: 27214484833
Fax: 27214484833
Email: unemploymen@mweb.co.za