This is a module created by Enactus Singapore- Fast Forward Committee in order to help our Student Project Teams have better engagement with the VWOs in Singapore. Read our stories at https://medium.com/@enactussingapore Volunteer with us http://www.enactussingapore.org/take-action/#contact-us Enactus is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial action. We provide a platform for teams of outstanding university students to create community development projects that put people’s own ingenuity and talents at the center of improving their livelihoods. Guided by educators and supported by business leaders, our students take the kind of entrepreneurial approach that empowers people to be a part of their own success. Our work transforms both the lives of the people we serve, and in turn, the lives of our students as they develop into more effective, values-driven leaders.

1. Fast Forward Committee
Session with NTU
How can our project team approach VWOs
for help/ partnership?
Enactus Singapore
Year 2015
2015 NTU Sharing Session

2. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Objectives
1
2
3
APPLYthe principles into writing good emails
IDENTIFYthe alternatives to take while waiting for email replies
MAKE DECISIONSon the next course of actions when emails are rejected
RECOGNISEthe broader context which is engagement and selling4

3. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
First things first
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
What do you know about
writing an email? What
elements should it have?
What do you think are the
reasons emails get
rejected? What are the
alternatives to emails?
What do you want to
learn from today’s session
specifically? What are the
specific questions you
would like to be
answered?
On your post it, write down the following points
Put all on the board, and we will track if we have addressed all objectives after 2 hours

4. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Which stage?
Depending on the stage your project is at, your “pitch” in
the email can be adjusted accordingly. You often pitch
about your performance in the previous stage
Initialising operations
Developing prototypes
Start commercial
production &
marketing
Market expansion
Product
Development
?
Rough idea
Prelim target
market
But what to pitch when you only have rough idea of
what to do? How to engage VWOs for help/ partnership
when you have nothing to offer in returns?

5. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Offer Anyway!
You can still pitch by offering something in returns in your
email even at the very early stage. Here are a few simple ways
Offer a service- help to
organize events etc
Offer some insights- in
forms of videos,
infographics, PDFs etc
Ask for a timeslot to
present

6. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Right Message
Is customised to your audience (i.e. VWOs). Visit their websites,
track news on them, and try to understand/ guess….
VWO Org Structure
VWO Activities
VWO KPIs
Online Comments by public
VWO

7. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Right Message
Shows your Interest in the VWOs

8. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Interview with VWO
Speaks of who you are
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement

9. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Accept Rejections
Even good guys get rejected…Oh wells…
Sucky
emails
Word
misintepre
-tation
Wrong
timing
Unnoticeable
subject line
Wrong
assumptions
Want Face-to-
face
interaction
Different
understanding
of “values”

10. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Word Misinterpretation

11. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Wrong Timing
A day in Life..

12. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Subject Line

13. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Assumptions
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Perhaps you made wrong assumptions…

14. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Values

15. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Different Preferences
We are irrational creatures

16. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Face-to-Face
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement

17. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Track to Identify
Track your own emails to identify the reasons for rejections

18. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Move on!
There are other ways for you to learn even when you get a
rejection from the VWO you approach.

19. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Ask Anyone!
No man is an island
unless…you are
Robinson Crusoe
Ask questions regarding society's perceptions of your target beneficiaries, ask them if
they know anyone who belongs to the beneficiary group you’re looking for. In fact, it is
the social pressure and the society that can bring "pains“/ “gain” to the beneficiaries

20. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Do Something!
Create quick and dirty prototype based on your
secondary research, throw it online
& test how people react to it
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement

21. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Online Investigation
Create quick and dirty product based on your
secondary research, throw it online
& test how people react to it
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
There should be a few online community groups for your beneficiaries...Track the
group activities, analyse the comments of the members etc. If there is none...then
you probably have picked an issue (or opportunity) overlooked by the society.

22. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Not The First
Create quick and dirty product based on your
secondary research, throw it online
& test how people react to it
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Someone else most likely would have done something similar to your project.
Remember that you are not the first one to come up with the initiative
Find out who that is/ in what country and track their stories, learn from them

23. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Nevermind…
Create quick and dirty product based on your
secondary research, throw it online
& test how people react to it
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Another VWO - have you exhausted
all similar organisations?

24. NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
Check
NTU Sharing Session- VWO Engagement
What do you know about
writing an email? What
elements should it have?
What do you want to
learn from today’s session
specifically? What are the
specific questions you
would like to be
answered?
What do you think are the
reasons emails get
rejected? What are the
alternatives to emails?

25. Fast Forward Committee
Session with NTU
VWO Engagement
Enactus Singapore
Year 2015
2015 NTU Sharing Session