Marketing the impact of GOONJ..- A Study by Berkeley HAAS

© 2013 Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Andrews, Haluck, Ilgen, Sromek
Marketing the Impact of GOONJ
An International Business Development Project by Berkeley Haas

© 2013 Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Andrews, Haluck, Ilgen, Sromek© 2013 Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Andrews, Haluck, Ilgen, Sromek
GOONJ’s
entire
history and
success is
rooted in
cloth.

But, after
talking to
current
employees,
volunteers,
donors and
recipients…

…we found
that cloth is
only the
beginning.

“We once had to
choose between
clothes and
food. We used
to eat the food
that now only
our goats eat.”
- Keshopur Villager

“Now that all
my kids have
good clothes,
they’re not
embarrassed
to go to
school.”
- Gopal, Khilhar

“GOONJ helped
me rebuild my
shop after the
floods so I can
make a living for
my family.”
- Sunita, Govindipur

“When you give
GOONJ one
hand, they give
you another.”
- Arvind, Govindipur

“After working
with GOONJ, our
village has a
sense of unity.”
- Muso Rishidev, Keshopur

GOONJ not only gives cloth.

GOONJ inspires community.

Findings from Impact Stories
Impact stories from GOONJ employees, volunteers, donors and
recipients are centered around a theme of community.
Note: 28 detailed impact stories are included in the Appendix.

Findings from Impact Stories
Note: 28 detailed impact stories are included in the Appendix.
EXAMPLE
Potential
Applications:
•News articles
•Facebook posts
•Emails
•Newsletters
•Website
•Presentations
•Internal Sharing
•Posters
•Pamphlets
•Calendar
•Fundraising Materials

Analytical Summary
• GOONJ’s current communication is more focused on projects than
people.
• Press coverage of GOONJ to date emphasizes the founder’s story.
• Many of the top 100 NGOs are tackling an issue that reduces
poverty, but none focus on clothing.
• Impact stories from GOONJ employees, volunteers, donors and
recipients are centered around a theme of community (more so
than cloth).
• Communication best practices from other non-profits include:
simple messages, consistent stories, strong visuals, and
breakthrough media.

Appendix 1:
28 Impact Stories

GOONJ gives me meaning
I cancelled a pilgrimage with my family so
that I could assist with GOONJ’s flood
relief in Rishikesh. While traveling there,
I saw a train for the first time! Working in
Rishikesh was hard work with very long
days, but people trusted that GOONJ
would be there no matter what, even
when the lines of people needing help
seemed never-ending and the rain was
pouring down.
I feel connected to the cloth and am very
proud of the work I do because I know how
important it is. I have security working
here and GOONJ gives meaning to life, a
direction for helping people.
Name: Sunita
Role: Sorts clothes in
processing center
Time with GOONJ: 4 years

GOONJ gives me respect
Eight years ago, I came from Nepal to
Delhi with my young son. I had nothing
but the clothes on my back and hope for a
better life. Anshu provided clothes,
money, and the chance to work for GOONJ
at the cloth processing facility. My
coworkers are my family, and I would do
anything for them. I get so much respect
here. I am pained by the helplessness of
those in need, but I am inspired to work
hard for them. If I got call in the middle
of the night to come to work, I would
answer it happily. GOONJ gives meaning
to my life. If GOONJ were not in my life, I
would prefer to die.
Name: Ram Kumari
processing center

GOONJ gives me freedom
I grew up in Bihar and moved to Delhi 16
years ago with my husband and two
children. I started working for GOONJ
eight years ago through the generosity of
Anshu. I have done every job in the
processing center, with the exception of
stitching, and I enjoy working here a lot.
As my husband has irregular work, my job
gives me the opportunity to fulfill many
financial responsibilities. I feel so
fortunate to have paid for my daughter’s
wedding with money I earned at GOONJ.
People used to tell me that I dealt in
secondhand goods; now, they see the
benefits of working for this organization
and ask me how they can get involved.
Name: Anita
processing center

GOONJ gives me security
I have been at GOONJ for two years.
Before GOONJ, I worked at a company, but
it was not a steady job, and the pay was
low. In Delhi, I was passing the building
where the sorting was being done, and I
asked a woman about the organization. I
went straight to Anshu Sir and asked for a
job, which I was fortunate to get. The
best part of working at GOONJ is the
family aspect. The day is spent well. I
enjoy cutting the cloth into patterns for
sewing, and the camaraderie. At GOONJ,
women find security - if they need help,
financially or emotionally, they will find it
here.
Name: Jhamila
processing center

GOONJ gives me confidence
I joined GOONJ on June 17th. I researched
GOONJ a lot before and after applying for
the internship. The sanitary napkin
initiative is what most impressed me. I
was very touched that someone even
thought about this - something so basic,
that the people who live in cities don’t
even think about on a daily basis, but
something that is a part of every girl. This
internship is one hell of an experience. I
feel so strongly about the cause that I
would leave my studies to work here. In
the processing center, I have found the
leader I hoped one day to become. Every
day, I find more self-confidence.
Name: Apurva
Role: Summer Volunteer
Time with GOONJ: 1 month

GOONJ gives me perspective
I first became aware of GOONJ through
National Service Scheme (NSS) club fairs.
Every year my chapter runs a fair and sold
local NGO-produced items, such as bags and
key chains from GOONJ. I came to work in
Delhi for a two-week long volunteer effort,
because I think the organization is pretty
awesome and volunteering at GOONJ provides
character building. I really like to see how an
otherwise unusable, torn pair of jeans can be
made into something beautiful that also
reuses the material. GOONJ is a great
initiative and something we need very much
to lift up people in rural India. Working with
GOONJ has been a great experience and has
provided me with a new perspective on life.
Name: Kartavya
Role: Volunteer
Time with GOONJ: 2 weeks

GOONJ gives me fulfillment
I have been working with GOONJ since its
inception, and the experience has
provided me fulfillment as a human being
and education beyond any university. I
identify with the critical need for cloth in
rural India and am proud to support
GOONJ’s unique program of meeting this
basic need. GOONJ motivates communities
in rural India to participate in
development projects, to show them the
path to a better life while learning to live
together for each other. GOONJ is not just
giving materials; they are inspiring faith
in humanity.
Name: Ms. Usha
Role: Summer Volunteer
No Photo Available

GOONJ gives me a
higher standard
Location: Keshopur
Through the Cloth for Work program, 500
people from our village spent a day
building a community gathering spot
around our temple. For the work we did,
GOONJ provided clothes to our families
and tools for farming. GOONJ keeps
coming, year after year, whenever there
is a project need in our community. We
used to eat the food that now only our
goats eat. We are living at a higher
standard through farming and the use of
resources we would have otherwise spent
on clothing our families.

GOONJ gives me pride
Name: Baby Devi
Location: Keshopur
After the death of my husband, I was
unemployed with no way of supporting
my family. I began making sujnis for
GOONJ and saved enough money to open
a small shop in my village. My shop has
been open for one month, and I am
proud to be supporting my two boys and
one girl with my business. We all wear
clothes we received through GOONJ’s
Cloth for Work program.

GOONJ gives me unity
Name: Muso Rishidev
Location: Keshopur
As a laborer, before GOONJ’s Cloth for Work
program, I could not adequately clothe my
family. With GOONJ, we need not worry
about our cloth needs. In addition, the spade
and bucket GOONJ provided have allowed
me to find new work. I am working a lot
more now, and the tools will allow me to
work throughout my life. Our community has
a new sense of unity, and our ability to work
together for each other has increased. We
take care of cleanliness and hygiene more.
With adequate clothing, we can send our
children to school. GOONJ has given us many
things, and we are living a normal life now,
in a better state than before.

GOONJ gives me courage
Name: Sulekha
Location: Keshopur
Before joining the GOONJ center in Keshopur
a year ago, I was a housewife taking care of
my 7 year old daughter. With my sewing
experience, I became a teacher here. I travel
to nearby villages to educate women on the
subject of female health and how to use
GOONJ’s My Pad sanitary napkin packs. The
women I visit are now free to talk about
menstruation, and I feel increases in self-
confidence and courage when I lead these
efforts in other villages. Before GOONJ, I
was tense about the daily problems at home
- like small fights within my collective
family. GOONJ allows me to divert my
energy in a positive way.

GOONJ gives me confidence
Name: Nutan
Location: Keshopur
I live at my sister’s house in Keshopur. I love
to talk and I’m happiest when I can solve
problems. I take sanitary napkins to nearby
villages every 2-3 months and speak to the
women about the benefits of using the
cloths - how good habits lessen the chances
of infection. At first, they are shy about
taking on a new thing to use in their lives.
Now, the women more freely speak about
the subject of menstruation. GOONJ has
given me confidence. The Not Just a Piece of
Cloth initiative gives me the opportunity to
do something to help the women in the
nearby villages.

GOONJ gives me friendship
Name: Pooja
Location: Keshopur
I started learning how to sew at the
GOONJ center in 2010. I love it because
it’s like a social gathering. I can make
friends and sing. I attend school, but
now I have sewing skills as well. I now
have an awareness of GOONJ projects.
Before GOONJ I spoke less at home.
Now, I talk a lot!

GOONJ gives me savings
Names: Bodhi Ram, Kal
Devi, Gaia Ram
Location: Mahmudda Village
Our village took on the Sujni project in
2010. When the project was active, we’d
get raw materials from GOONJ, bags and
bags full of cloth. The men sat next to the
women and we all sewed the sujnis
together, which is uncommon! We were
very happy when the project was running
because we could earn a living. Our
families have greatly changed. We were
able to save money, and now we manage
living in a better way. We are also able to
send our children to school.

GOONJ gives me productivity
Names: Sham Rishidev,
Junkar Rishidev
Location: Karvaganj Village
In 2011, our village was given a motor
that is used to draw water to irrigate our
fields. The villagers gave 2000 Rs of their
own money to help fund the project. Now,
our crop yields are up to 100+ kg per plot.
Before the irrigation system, we only
gathered 30-35 kg per plot. Because of
Cloth for Work, there is no longer a need
to buy cloth for our family. We are more
productive and eat better food. Before we
worked with GOONJ, people would die
from lack of food and warm clothes. Now,
if we earn 200 Rs, we use 100 Rs to live,
and 100 Rs is saved, because we don’t
have to use it for warm clothing.

GOONJ gives me support
Name: Medina Kartun
Earlier, if someone needed help, only 2 or
3 people would show up. Now, after the
Cloth for Work activities, we all know
each other. So, if someone needs help,
the entire village will show up. GOONJ is
like a marriage - whether we get food or
not, we will work for it.
We’d like to build more with the help of
Cloth for Work, especially a village
bandstand and some hand-pumps for
water.

GOONJ gives me independence
Name: Mohammad Islam
After the floods in 2008, GOONJ
provided me with glass bangle bracelets
to start my business. I began by covering
villages within a 5-mile radius on my
bicycle, selling jewelry to families.
Now I have a shop in my village and I
earn enough money for my family to eat
well and manage life properly.

GOONJ gives me legacy
Name: Umesh Chand Char
Location: Singhar Village
I gave land today so that this road can be
built as a Cloth for Work project with
GOONJ
My ancestors have been landowners for the
past 300 years. I feel that the villagers are
my family, and I will do whatever is in my
hands to help them.
The road is the first project that I have
collaborated on with GOONJ. I feel good
about GOONJ because their program helps
the poor, and brings the community together
to work on community development
projects. GOONJ came to our village’s aid
during the floods, and they are the only NGO
who is still involved in our village
development.

GOONJ gives me togetherness
Name: Vinay Kumar Chodr
The biggest impact that GOONJ has had on this
village is when the organization gave Wapsi kits
that included tools. This has helped rebuild the
village and it helps with self-employment. When
a project is planned with the help of GOONJ,
villagers will leave their work to come and work
for GOONJ within an hour!
More villagers will show up for GOONJ
projects than the number that show up for
Chief Minister elections in Patna. Villagers
from the Muslim Tola will work alongside those
from the Musahari Tola. GOONJ has brought our
village together.

GOONJ gives me inspiration
Name: Pulkit Paswan
I received a cycle rickshaw from GOONJ
several years ago. I am able to earn
enough money to feed my children
better food, and we now own a cow. We
were able to build a house under a
government scheme. Generally, our
village needs toilet facilities. We’d also
appreciate solar lights and an irrigation
pump for our fields.

GOONJ gives me access
Names: Ratan Davi, Fulmati
Davi, Rimal Davi
With this new road that GOONJ has helped
us build, we have an easier exit from our
village. After it is finished, we can use it to
travel to the market and to the doctor on a
motorbike. Before the road, we were only
able to walk through this field by foot. We’d
love to see GOONJ help us to construct a
bandstand. We feel there is a shortage of
saris - we want more work so that we can
get more saris.

GOONJ gives me progress
Name: Supash Pawan
Location: Chhrapatti Village
The market in our village was built by
Ashok Sir in 2009, after the 2008 floods. In
2008, the area that the market is
currently in was completely flooded. The
progress of rebuilding was slow, but we
have seen a lot of improvement just
within the last year. I’m happy with my
work. I feel my family is well now - we
now eat rice daily, and we have green
vegetables for dinner. I wouldn’t have
been able to do this on my own; GOONJ is
very good. They enabled me to build my
pakora stand.

GOONJ gives me skills
Location: Burgaon
This sewing center has been open since 2010.
After school, we come here not only to learn
but also to laugh, play, sing songs, and talk
among this supportive group of young
women. 60 women and girls are learning at
this center. If GOONJ didn’t run this sewing
center we would have to take classes from
the village tailor, Alam. He would charge us
each 1000 - 1500 Rs to learn how to sew. Our
parents are happy that we are able to learn
a new skill.

GOONJ gives me leadership
Location: Burgaon
The NJPC initiative is run every Sunday,
when the sewing center is closed. We visit
nearby villages to hold small meetings with
women. We speak about hygiene and how to
make and use the napkins. We give each
woman a 3-month supply. If we visit a
village during working hours, only 15-20
women show up to the meetings. However,
when the day is over and the women return
from the fields, the turnouts are much
higher, with as many as 50-60 women in a
group. The women who come to the
meetings range from 12 to 45 years of age.
Sanitary pads from GOONJ lead to a
healthier lifestyle.

GOONJ gives me options
Name: Manisha Davi
Location: Govindipur Village
I have a husband and three children, though
my husband works in Punjab. After the 2008
floods, I was given a net and clothing. Before
GOONJ came to help, it was difficult to
manage clothing purchases. With three
children, we could only afford to buy one
outfit per year. The two children who didn’t
get clothing felt bad. Now, everyone has
clothing they like and can wear, in fact they
all have 2-3 outfits to choose from. Earlier,
our children were not attending school - they
would instead play or work alongside the
adults. The higher caste children would beat
the children up and chase them away. Now,
the children are more confident with new
clothing and the attend school more regularly.

GOONJ gives me a hand
Name: Arvind Mukia
Location: Govindipur Village
GOONJ projects started in our village after
the 2008 floods. It took 135 stalks of bamboo
to construct the bridge we built with
GOONJ. Most of this bamboo was
contributed by the villagers, who carried it
half a kilometer on their shoulders, because
the bamboo that grows near to the village is
owned by members of a higher caste, and
they did not want to contribute to the
project.
GOONJ promotes its work by saying “If you
give us one hand, we’ll give you another
hand. We’ll stand by you. You must work for
your own development - the cloth is the only
thing that will come from others”.

GOONJ gives me motivation
Name: Gopal Rishidev
Location: Khilhar
Before GOONJ started working with our
village, each child had one set of old
clothes. If it was dirty or damaged, they
were too embarrassed to go to school.
Now, they have a few sets of clothes and
are proud to wear them to school. We can
invest more of our earnings into food and
education. Having worked together through
Cloth for Work, our village has fewer
disputes among families. We have learned
to work together, and GOONJ provides the
motivation, encouragement, and tools to
improve our community.

GOONJ gives me empowerment
Name: Mr. Vinhod
Location: Khilhar
I saw GOONJ Cloth for Work projects in nearby
villages. I met Manoj Sir and asked him about
project work in Khilhar, because it would be a
very progressive project for the village. We
fixed a canal that was broken with the help of
GOONJ. We used mud from the canal area to
fill the holes in another area for a bandstand.
At that time, a government official came and
saw that we were taking the mud, and ordered
us to leave it, because it belonged to the
government. The empowered villagers rallied
around the project, insisting the government
was supposed to fix the canal that was broken,
where was the official when that needed to be
fixed? The official left the village and the
villagers completed the project.

Thank You

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