Sponsor our marathon runners... & win prizes

Justin and Jo are in training to run the Paris Marathon this April and with less than two months to go things are starting to ramp up. They are raising money for our current project in Jogen Babu Maath slum, and we're so thankful for their efforts.

To give back to their wonderful donors, they're running a prize giveaway. EVERYONE who donates to their fundraising page before the big day (3rd April) will be in with a chance of winning one of these amazing prizes:

• 1st PRIZE: Regency hamper, jam packed with tasty treats

• 2nd PRIZE: Wine selection, from Spain and Australia

• 3rd PRIZE: Wine and chocolates... a perfect combo

Show your support, by donating via Virgin Money Giving: www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/AzuKo

They'll be picking the winners out of a hat at the finish line... how exciting!

Remember to leave your name when you donate so you can be entered into the draw, or if you'd like to remain anonymous drop us an email.

Workshop success

Last night we held part 2 of our Photoshop and InDesign workshop - 1:1 tutorials. We partnered individuals with Adobe experts to work on specific projects relevant to their work.

When designing this course, we discussed goals at length. What was achievable in a relatively short timeframe (4 hours) for those with little or no software experience? What content would be most appropriate for this user group (young startups)? What activities would keep people engaged?

Feedback is vital to ensure we answer these questions correctly and can continue to improve our services. With this in mind we decided to focus on four measurable outputs / outcomes:

1. CONFIDENCE: It was important for us that participants felt increasingly comfortable using the software, so that at the end of the workshop they would continue to develop their skills. In Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, all participants recorded an increase in confidence, reaching as high as 70%.

2. IMPACT: We wanted to go beyond the theory and ensure participants could put it into practice - using their new found skills for live projects and future work.

“Not only have I learnt tools, tips and tricks to retouch images and create posters, I am re-examining our brand style guide. I’ll be presenting my thoughts back to our team to make things simpler, clearer and more effective.”

— Workshop participant

3. EXPERIENCE: As a relative beginner, learning a new skill can be a little nerve wracking, especially when you're surrounded by experts. We hoped to create an environment where people felt able to ask questions, where they could make mistakes and learn from them. Ultimately we wanted it to be fun... a place to network. In fact, last night one of our lovely facilitators presented her new cereal brand startup, handing out samples and a link to her latest market research study.

4. SATISFACTION: A great indicator to assess how well the course was received, is to calculate your Net Promoter Score (NPS) by asking one simple question. Respondents are grouped into three categories:

• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep coming back and refer others

• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic users

• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy users who could damage brand and growth through negative word of mouth

On a scale of 0-10 we received a whopping average score of 9.5, with the Net Promoter Score calculated at +75. Such great feedback means our workshop responds to real needs within the nonprofit and startup community.

With a waiting list and increased interest from the Echo marketplace, we're hoping to host more workshops, including offering an 'intermediate' course for those wanting to test their skills.

If you're interested in getting to grips with these design tools, and would like us to run a workshop for your organisation or within your community, please drop us a line.

Read about workshop one.

Author: J. Ashbridge

Sharing our skills

We were first introduced to the idea of the 'sharing economy' last year, when I joined the new Echo++ business accelerator on behalf of AzuKo. In exchange for a 6-week bespoke business development course, I was simply required to share my skills. 12 hours' worth, in fact.

“Echo puts a new spin on trading by using time as money... where every hour is worth one Echo.”

— Economy of hours

Sounds perfect, right!?

(Image: Economy of hours)

As a young charity, the idea that we could access such resources at no cost was a no brainer. We are constantly looking to improve what we do and how we do it. So I applied and was accepted, joining a diverse range of fresh and exciting startups.

The sharing economy is a socio-economic ecosystem built around the sharing of human and physical resources. Although the terminology is in its infancy, the concept is age old. Trading what you have for what you need. Although it's not quite that simple...

The first thing I learnt was that trading is tough. It requires that you put yourself out there, which can be uncomfortable. You have to say to the world, "This is what I can offer?"... and if no-one responds you can be left feeling a little deflated. You may have six degrees in economic theory and a personal reference from Obama, but if there's no demand, there'll be no trade.

Once your ego has taken the hit, you realise that you shouldn't take yourself so seriously. Think outside the box, look at the marketplace and see where you fit.

So after a bit of investigation and the *occasional* coffee and cake debrief, I began my journey into the sharing economy. I worked at events, offered opinions at focus groups and supported other startups in taking the next step to scaling up. What I hadn't bargained for, was that I would be growing my own network and that of AzuKo... naturally.

After a few months, I wanted to tailor what I was offering so I could get the most out of it for AzuKo, and potentially develop areas which would add an income-generating arm to the charity.

Think - workshops!

As an architecture charity that champions participation, we regularly run workshops and training sessions with our beneficiary groups. Could we rethink the output, and provide a learning environment for startups too? But what are they in need of and how can we help? What is the common denominator?

Marketing. It's an essential component of every business, yet many nonprofits and enterprises are unable to afford expensive design services during those early years. If they knew the basics and had the right tools to hand, they could fly.

So over the last month, we have been working with Echo to create a new workshop, 'Photoshop & InDesign: for Beginners'.

(Image: AzuKo)

Last night we held part one, with the support of four Adobe professionals within the Echo marketplace. Following an introduction to Adobe CC, we provided an insight into what the software can do and discussed basic design principles that everyone should consider before embarking on a project.

We then moved onto a live design exercise, taking participants through step by step to produce an attractive and polished poster as marketing material.

(Photo: AzuKo)

(Photo: Economy of hours)

In part two of the course, we'll be offering 1:1 tutorials, to enable participants to work on a specific project for their organisation.

As always, we'll be keeping a close ear on what the participant's think, and will try to unpack what impact these workshops have. Here's what they've been saying:

“I found the overall presentation and introduction of how the programs work together extremely useful, alongside the practicalities of how to design a poster. The presentation was well structured and well-paced.”

"The handout with shortcuts is fab. Thank you Jo and team."

"I thought it was a great session and I really appreciate the patience. It was a very good introduction to the tools, which we can then use to practice."

"I found it very useful as a beginner in PS + ID. The people assisting helped tremendously and provided great hints and shortcuts. Was a great session to get me started... thank you."

If you're interested in learning the Adobe basics and getting to grips with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for your nonprofit or business, do get in touch. We're also developing a new hands-on introductory workshop in human-centred design... putting people first in your design solutions. Stay tuned.

Long live the sharing economy!

Read about workshop two.

Author: J. Ashbridge