| Entrust Enterprise Development, Inc. December 2011 Newsletter |
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Greetings!
On our six-day November visit to Haiti, I sensed a growing trust and openness from the Haitian business owners as they realize we are determined to build long-term friendships and invest significant value in their businesses. We made a focused effort to get to know them personally (as well as professionally) by attending church with them, showing interest in their families and sharing meals.
 A huge thanks to the dozens of people who have invested in Entrust this year as we've launched our programs in Haiti and Honduras! If you believe if what we're doing, please demonstrate it through a small year-end gift to help us involve 40 mentors to create 100 jobs over the next two years. (Please mail donations to: Entrust, 136 S. Sheridan Ave, DeLand FL 32720).
As your thoughts turn toward helping the needy this Christmas - even if you don't do so through Entrust - here are Bob Lupton's questions to help you give with your head as well as your heart:
1. Does the proposed activity strengthen the capacity of the poor to prioritize and address their own issues?
2. Will the proposed activity be wealth-generating or at least self-sustaining for the community?
3. Do the moneys generated for and/or by the local residents remain at work in their community?
4. Does the proposed activity have a timetable for training and transferring ownership to indigenous leadership?
I was pleased to see that Entrust's programs get a "YES" to all four of these questions posed on p.145 of "Toxic Charity", a book I'd recommend.
 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Gratefully,
Evan L. Keller
Founder &
Executive Director
(386) 801-5300
[email protected]
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 An Accounting Mentor in Action!
The Haitian business owners truly appreciated accountant Dale Vernezze's presence and attention to their books. During business visits (above) and a group training session (below), the methods and necessity of bookkeeping were reinforced. Dale was quite impressed with 3 of 9 sets of (recently compiled) books, noting that they were better than some of his clients' books back home. But many of the others had no concept of how to keep good records (or even what to record), making it a steep climb ahead towards leveraging "the numbers" for good decision-making.
Training Needs Assessed:
After visiting these nine businesses in Leogane for the third time and reflecting on their training needs, these are the top six subjects we'll address in seminars during our six 2012 visits:
- Customer service
- Food sanitation
- Branding & packaging
- Innovation & production
- Employee issues
- Lead generation & sales
Can You Connect Us To...?
We need to learn from people in the following industries...
for Haiti: dry cleaners, bakeries, and dairies.
for Honduras: furniture and box manufacturers.
Industry-specific best practices and production advice will be ongoing needs, along with bookkeeping coaching, of course. Thanks for helping us make these connections!
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  Workshop Producing Beautifully Unique Carvings Armed With First-Ever Marketing Materials
My personal highlight of November's Haiti trip was the unfading smile on Jean-Gilles' face when seeing for the first time the promotional materials we designed for his business. The glow on his face recognized the intentionality that went into the concept, editing, translation and design. His face also showed the realization that with his first-ever marketing materials, his artisan-quality carvings could now be shown far and wide, no longer limited to where he could bring his few available (and fragile) samples.
With Jean-Gilles' input, artist Ramay Lewis and I created the above logo to include Haitian design elements and the blue & red of Haiti's flag. Also, he's paying the graphic artist with stone carvings so that there's dignity (not "toxic charity") to both sides of the transaction. After working with Jean-Gilles to identify the three main segments of his target market (souvenir shops, individuals, funeral homes), I created individual fliers for each audience which feature this logo and photos of his work. A local Haitian printer will also gain business when reproducing them. We trust that when integrated into a solid marketing strategy, they will increase his sales, production, and paychecks for his many employees.
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Please Pray for the Following:
- January & April visits to Honduras where many businesses have submitted mentee applications.
- Haiti mentor visits in the even months of 2012 and the right combination of talent in our trios.
- Local mentor programs which are rapidly developing in both Honduras & Haiti.
- Loan program nearing launch in Haiti for equipment such as mixers, motorcycles, block-makers.
- Our partnerships with Global de Empresarios en Pacto and Partners Worldwide in Honduras and potential partnerships with the Rotary Clubs of Tegucigalpa.
- New donors to help realize Entrust's vision of "Thousands of developing-world businesses reducing poverty, restoring dignity and renewing communities".
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"The poor, no matter how destitute, have enormous untapped capacity:
find it, be inspired by it, and build on it."
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