"The great thing was that the cooperation brought Ellen, Paula and me closer together. Because you take a look into each other's kitchen, you learn a lot from each other and you get a better understanding of each other. This collaboration has really enriched me."
Ingrid van Egeraat, Rabobank Eindhoven-VeldhovenCategory: Talent development
Match: Rabobank Eindhoven-Veldhoven and Salvation Army
What: Positioning for Right
We can learn a lot from each other
"It is very special to be able to experience the process of the community coaches programme of Samen voor Eindhoven and to see how enterprising Eindhoven is! Ellen Wijnands of the Salvation Army is speaking. Together with her colleague Paola Boerse, she had a question about the positioning of Terecht, an information and advice centre for (ex) prostitutes. They were matched with Ingrid van Egeraat of Rabobank Eindhoven-Veldhoven. A perfect match according to Ellen.
The aim of the Community Coaches programme is to make pro bono advice from the business community an integral and reliable part of a non-profit organisation's strategy, so that civil society organisations can learn from the business community, but also vice versa.
A stigmatised target group
That this works is shown by the story of Ellen Wijnands. The Salvation Army was looking for a good positioning of Terecht, especially because the target group this information and advice centre focuses on, namely (former) prostitutes, is highly stigmatised. Therefore, it is important to define a clear focus and strategy. And that there is clear communication to all stakeholders, both internal within the Salvation Army and external. All the more so because Terecht is developed from the RUPS funds (special subsidies for exit programmes for (former) prostitutes) and Terecht is given a role as front door and connector within these exit programmes. Every euro that is spent must be justified and approved. So that the entire centre can be embedded as a social offering for this legal sector.
Feeling and experiencing
"Ingrid helped us a lot with the positioning," says Ellen. "The day after the match, she came to see the centre to feel and experience what it's like. She met the staff and spoke to some of the prostitutes." "That was very impressive," Ingrid explains. "I had no idea what to expect, I went in completely blank. I was very impressed by the stories of the ex-prostitutes. It makes you realise that there is also a whole other world out there, which you often don't even know about. You have a certain image in advance, but at the same time you cannot imagine their world. My image turned out not to be correct at all. The Community Coaches Programme has really given me a different view of this world. It has brought me down to earth with two feet.
Strategic advice
After the first meeting, Ingrid accompanied us to various meetings with, among others, the management and the municipality of Eindhoven, so that she could get a good picture of what Terecht stands for and what the Salvation Army is up against. "She then really helped us to put our vision in the spotlight", Ellen continues. "And she gave us tips on how to underpin certain issues strategically to get the management and other stakeholders on board. She also showed us how to communicate in such a way that you do not increase the stigma of your target group, but instead create understanding."
Enriching experience
"The great thing was that the cooperation brought Ellen, Paula and me closer together," Ingrid adds. "Because you take a look into each other's kitchen, you learn a lot from each other and you get a better understanding of each other. This collaboration has really enriched me. I come from a hectic, performance-oriented working environment. At the Salvation Army, I always found peace because of the way they treated each other. The human being is central. You are not lived in and everyone is allowed to be who he is. It is very nice to experience how in the Community Coaches Programme the business aspect comes together with the social aspect and how much you can mean to each other.
Learning from each other
"Ingrid really coached and advised in a very broad field," continues Ellen. "We learned so much from her. It is really special how much time and energy she put into our project. And we are not finished yet. The Community Coaches programme has officially ended, but Ingrid is still lobbying internally at Rabobank Eindhoven-Veldhoven, to ensure that we can give a presentation on Terecht and Levenskracht (a dating programme for (ex-)prostitutes), so that her colleagues also get a better idea of what we do and referrals or mutual exchange of knowledge can take place. In addition, we would like Ingrid or someone from her network to give a workshop on investment to the prostitutes, so that they can learn what is possible. We really have a lot to learn from each other."
Instructive and inspiring
"I am really glad that we participated in the Community Coaches programme and that Samen voor Eindhoven brought all these different parties together. Without them, we would never have been able to make the match with Rabobank Eindhoven-Veldhoven at this level. But it was also very special to hear the stories of other organisations and to see how much heart everyone puts into helping each other. It's great to see that both the business world and society are so involved in social issues. And that everyone is so willing to commit to these issues and to look for opportunities to get things moving. Very instructive and inspiring! I therefore hope that Samen voor Eindhoven will continue with the Community Coaches Programme, so that even more companies and social organisations can learn from each other."
"The secret of change is to focus all of our energy. Not on fighting the old, but on building the new together."
Annick Zegers of AZ Communicatie made this text as a committed 'flex'-volunteer at Samen voor Eindhoven.