Jakarta – Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, in collaboration with the Human Initiative, organized marketing strategy training for PWYP Indonesia coalition members, especially for PRECISE Project Batch I participants. The PRECISE Project is an initiative to strengthen PWYP coalition members to create new business units that can become independent organizations. This program consists of a series of activities starting with the assessment process, then capacity building through entrepreneurship training, submission of entrepreneurial proposals, provision of revolving capital, and regular mentoring to participants.
Held online on January 18, 2023, this training aims to increase the knowledge and skills of marketing strategies for PWYP Indonesia coalition members so that coalition member organizations can make future marketing plans and strategies for their business units. Present as trainers in this training include Dayang Melati, CV Dynamic Indonesia Merdeka entrepreneur; Anita Briana, CEO of Moana Bike; and Muhammad Herwan, entrepreneur and representative of the Riau Community Leaders Communication Forum (FKPMR). The material provided by the trainers included business tips and sharing session perspectives from business people.
Aryanto Nugroho, PWYP Indonesia’s National Coordinator, opened the training and said the PRECISE Project is one of PWYP Indonesia’s Guidelines for Work (GBHK) mandates to develop the coalition organization’s business unit. It can be more independent in future work programs without relying on donors. After the opening, Meliana Lumbantoruan, Deputy Director of PWYP Indonesia, presented an introduction to the training. She said that this training is a tool that coalition members can utilize to enrich their knowledge in the field of marketing. Thus, coalition member organizations can implement the knowledge gained from this training when developing business units.
The first material was presented by Dayang Melati, covering digital marketing strategies that business people must now begin to master. Using Seth Godin’s term, “People don’t buy your goods, but they buy stories and connections.” This term implies that someone buys a product based on needs and builds a network. In digital marketing, the main thing is service. It can be the basis for strengthening the network and customer interaction with the product. Periodic evaluation is also essential so that this marketing strategy can remain up-to-date and stabilize the sales of the products being marketed.
Muhammad Herwan shared his experience from a businessman’s perspective by motivating those activists, or civil society activists, who also have the same opportunities in entrepreneurship, dismissing the thought of ‘not daring to take the risk of becoming a businessman’ by balancing organizational managerial and business units. He said that developing business units is also a step toward advancing the organization. The business unit of civil society organizations will be stable if the marketing strategy is carried out optimally while still paying attention to the flow and financial management between the interests of advocacy and the interests of the business unit.
This training is also a means for PRECISE Batch I participating organizations to share business concepts that are being developed and the progress of each business unit after receiving revolving capital provided by the PWYP Indonesia National Secretariat. It is hoped that this training can increase the economic independence of coalition organizations and become alternative funding for institutions.
Author: Chitra Regina Apris
Reviewer: Aryanto Nugroho