Dear GSBI,



Below is the draft of FORGE's value proposition.  I look forward to your comments and feedback.



Sincerely,

Kjerstin Erickson

Founder and Executive Director

www.FORGEnow.org





FORGE Value Proposition:



For the 9.1 million people displaced by war in Africa, FORGE provides the opportunity to work toward a better future.  Rather than seeing refugees as a humanitarian problem, FORGE believes that individuals affected by war are a key factor to breaking the cycle of war and poverty in Africa.  Unlike UN agencies, host country governments, or traditional NGOs which focus on providing basic protection and humanitarian relief, FORGE invests in individuals affected by war to pursue their economic, educational, or social entrepreneurship goals.  In this way, FORGE builds economic and leadership capacity in African communities affected by war and lays the foundation for peace, stability, and prosperity.  As opposed to the traditional NGO approach, FORGE allows solutions to arise from within communities rather than imposing solutions upon communities.

Hi Kjerstin,

Thank you for submitting your value proposition. My one suggestion for clarifying what you have written so far would be to describe the value of FORGE to its beneficiaries a little more vividly. You say that FORGE provides its beneficiaries opportunities to “work toward a better future” and “pursue their economic, educational, or social entrepreneurship goals.” The statement would be more powerful if you could express this in a more concrete way. For example, instead of “providing basic protection and humanitarian relief” like traditional NGOs, does FORGE offer affordable training, employment opportunities at respectable wages, financing for new small business ventures, or some other set of services that are important to its beneficiaries?

If you have questions about what I’m suggesting, please ask. You are welcome to submit a revision of the value proposition if you’d like, and you may proceed with Exercise 3, the business model, at any time.

Regards,
Susan

Hi Susan,



Thanks for the feedback. I hope this new version makes the means through which we invest in individuals to pursue their economic, educational, and social entrepreneurship goals.



I didn't change the structure of the paragraph much, so please let me know if you think it needs to be reworked to incorporate this information.



Thank you.



Kjerstin





FORGE Value Proposition:





For the 9.1 million people displaced by war in Africa, FORGE provides the opportunity to work toward a better future.  Rather than seeing refugees as a humanitarian problem, FORGE believes that individuals affected by war are a key factor to breaking the cycle of war and poverty in Africa.  Unlike UN agencies, host country governments, or traditional NGOs which focus on providing basic protection and humanitarian relief, FORGE invests in individuals affected by war to pursue education (through scholarships and skills training), economic self-sufficiency (through microloans and agroloans), and solutions to community problems (through the FORGE Collaborative Project Planning Process).  In this way, FORGE builds economic and leadership capacity in African communities affected by war and lays the foundation for peace, stability, and prosperity.  As opposed to the traditional NGO approach, FORGE allows solutions to arise from within communities rather than imposing solutions upon communities.

Hi Kjerstin,

Thanks for revising your value proposition. What you have added improves my understanding of the importance of your enterprise. Please continue on with Exercise 3. I look forward to receiving your business model.

Regards,
Susan

Hi Kjerstin,

I just wanted to let you know that if you would like to receive comments on Exercise 3, your business model, in time to incorporate them into a revision, your initial version should be posted no later than Friday, February 22.

Regards,
Susan