Tag: Pro bono

New Delhi, India – New Delhi-based communications agency, ON PURPOSE, has launched the third edition of its ‘The Purpose Project’ – an effort to help not-for-profit organizations to build their communications capabilities via voluntary work – marking 2021 as its fourth year of working to drive social change in the country.

Previously held editions of the initiative were with non-profit organizations HAQ Centre For Child Rights and Azad Foundation. In the first edition, ON PURPOSE helped HAQ Centre For Child Rights by providing content and design support for their website, while in the second edition, the agency assisted Azad Foundation by delivering an integrated communications plan and supporting them with inputs and templates to run their own communications outreach.

The past organization winners have been selected by the whole ON PURPOSE team from various nominations received in a selection process that was facilitated by external jury members. For this year, the agency has curated a panel of industry stalwarts, namely, Shravani Dang, the independent board director at Charities Aid Foundation India, Paarul Chand, the editor in chief and partner at PR Moment, and Hemant Gaule, the dean of School of Communication & Reputation for Post-Graduation.

All non-government organization aspirants are encouraged to nominate themselves or those around them on the ON PURPOSE website. They will only have to answer a few questions regarding their current communications outreach and comply with a few basic pre-conditions. Based on their challenges, the winner will receive expert storytelling coaching and mentoring to build their communication capacity.

ON PURPOSE’s Managing Partner Girish Balachandran commented that as the agency turns 4, they are grateful for all the ‘little blessings’ which saw them through the last year. 

“The pandemic has been hard on all of us, and continuing the Purpose Project is our way of giving back the best way we know-how. By using the power of communications to change the world, one brief at a time. We are glad to be able to continue using our expertise in communications and help another non-profit doing great work on the ground build their outreach capabilities,” said Balachandran.

Singapore – Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency, has announced the launch of Essence Impact, a pro bono initiative that helps non-profit organizations raise greater awareness, attract more donations and recruit new volunteers via their websites to support their causes and effect accelerated change.

Essence Impact was launched in the mid of the COVID-19 pandemic to aid non-profit organizations in their digital transformation, as many historically depended on tentpole physical fundraising events for their operational needs.

Included in the initiative is eligibility for charities for Google Ad Grants which provides up to US$10,000 per month of in-kind search advertising. The agency will also help the organizations in setting up, managing, and optimizing their advertising campaigns to drive traffic to their websites. The Essence team comprises diverse employees who volunteer and contribute to the initiative in roles including business development, client services, marketing, media activation and project management.

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(Left) Matt Holland, Associate Vice President, Client Services, APAC at Essence; (Right) Monica Bhatia, Senior Vice President, Client Partner, APAC and Managing Director, Singapore at Essence

For Monica Bhatia, senior vice President and client partner for APAC and managing director for Singapore at Essence, they believe in using their abilities for social good and that we have a responsibility to make the world a better place, which falls under Essence’s mission to make brands more valuable to the world.

“With Google Ad Grants and Essence Impact, we are delighted to help non-profits transform and accelerate their efforts in the pandemic and beyond, while providing our teams with opportunities to learn new skills and give back to society,” Bhatia stated.

Meanwhile, Matt Holland, associate vice president of client services for APAC at Essence, who leads Essence Impact in the region, said, “It has been challenging times for charities amid COVID-19 and its resulting lockdown restrictions, as the organizations have not been able to carry out their usual fundraising events. Essence Impact is supporting charities to help drive increased awareness, donors and volunteers online, as the organizations pivot their activities to be more digitally-led.”

Essence aims to roll out Essence Impact across APAC and globally via its network of offices.