In the previous issue we highlighted some creative fundraising ideas that some incredible and innovative individuals pursued in order to help TWB, in the hope of increasing their publicity and inspiring others to get involved. This issue calls to attention two important activities that have taken place since the last issue that have helped raise vital funds for our continued work: a grant awarded for our work in Kenya and a major fundraiser in Silicon Valley. We also list our new and renewing sponsors at the end – thanks for the support!
The Indigo Trust funding
At the end of 2012, TWB began efforts to extend its 100 x 100 Wikipedia project (100 Wikipedia medical articles into 100 languages) to African languages, specifically Swahili, to give people in East African access to important and relevant healthcare information.
In order to extend 100 x 100 to East Africa, funding was requested for the following:
- Project Management of English language Wikipedia articles into African languages
- Translation of medical articles into Swahili using Nairobi-based healthcare translators trained by TWB
- Work with WikiZero to ensure that translated content is on mobile phones through Orange and Telnor networks
The project is called 100 x 100 because the goal is to translate 100 medical articles into 100 languages. The total amount requested in order to get the articles into Swahili was $14,500.
A pivotal moment for TWB was the acceptance of this request in the form of a grant awarded by The Indigo Trust.
The Indigo Trust is a grant-making foundation funding projects that bring about social change, and their focus is mainly African countries and citizen empowerment, and projects in sectors such as health, education and human rights. According to The Indigo Trust, “If people have the ability to access, share and create information, then they are empowered to make positive changes in their own lives and communities.”
Thanks to this generous funding, the outcome of Wikipedia 100 x 100 should be a huge step towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals for 2015, and a healthier and better-informed population globally.
Silicon Valley Fundraiser
The other way in which TWB raised funds since the last newsletter was through An Evening with Translators without Borders, a fundraising event held on 5 February 2013 in Silicon Valley, at the PayPal Town Hall Building. Invited to attend were TWB board members, advisors, and local people interested in the work we are doing.
The event was envisioned by Donald Plumley, CEO of Elanex. Elanex is a translation services provider and was TWB’s first Platinum Sponsor. Program director Rebecca Petras and TWB Board Member Salvo Giammarresi worked with Don to create the first Bay Area event – which was a great success!
We also worked with IMUG, the International Multilingual User Group of Silicon Valley, which often hosts speakers and events for its members. IMUG was extremely helpful in promoting the event, collecting funds and organizing the event. And the group gave all admissions collected ($10 per person) directly to Translators without Borders!
Keeping everyone entertained was The Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Scott Abel, from the Content Wrangler (who announced that the Intelligent Content Conference would become a silver sponsor). The evening featured two main speakers, Lori Thicke, and a special guest speaker Naomi Baer, Senior Director of Partner Operations at Kiva, who talked about TWB’s work with Kiva.org.
As well as to raise funds, the event was an opportunity to hear ‘Stories from Afar: How Translation and Localization is Making a Difference in the Daily Lives of Those in Need’. This was a chance for people to learn more about how Translators without Borders is able to help more people in more countries access more knowledge.
As well as the entrance price, a silent auction was ongoing throughout the evening to support TWB projects. Donations for this ranged from sought-after gadgets, to advertising space in Multilingual Magazine and overnight stays away. The donations that were a real hit with the bidders were the iPad mini thanks to Common Sense Advisory, and the Nest thermostat thanks to Moravia.
Among the attendees were several students from the Monterey Institute of International Studies who were really excited to be doing some networking and meeting people in the localization industry. Ted Bouras, Career and Academic Advisor at the Institute, had this to say:
“One of our MBA students majoring in Localization Management is an intern for Translators without Borders so when she alerted the program of this event many of us cleared our calendars to attend — and I was glad I did! I found the interactive program and silent auction to be a great way to build a solid bond between TWB and the participants. We had at least 12 of our students attend and we came away from the event looking for ways to build a closer relationship with TWB.”
Another attendee, Janice, says ‘Thanks to Lori and Naomi for inspiring talks and giving us a window into the needs of people and how translation efforts can make a difference.’
Special Thanks go out to the following:
Elanex for the beer and wine donation
Lionbridge Technologies Inc. for donating all the hors d’oeuvres.
Paypal for hosting the event in the PayPal Town Hall
IMUG for organizing and marketing the event
Content Wrangler (Scott Abel) for Master of Ceremonies!
All donors and attendees.
Overall the evening was a resounding success, exceeding our expectations. More than $17,000 was raised. This is critical for our efforts. It is the fundraising and sponsorships we receive that allow us to do work around the world for more than 100 NGOs.
Almost all of the Board members were present, and we were right on target with a total of around 100 attendees. It was a relaxed and enjoyable event with a really upbeat vibe, which we hope can be repeated at similar events in the future.
Next up: London! We are creating a fun campaign leading up to an event in London during the welcome reception of Localization World, 12 June. Can we top the great fundraising that our team accomplished in Silicon Valley? The challenge is on…
For more information on our past and upcoming events, please email [email protected].
Thank you to our latest sponsors and sponsor renewals (since February 2013)! Thank you VERY MUCH for your support. We simply cannot translate for humanity without support from you.
Platinum:
LocalEyes
Gold:
Conversis
Silver:
CG Traduction & Interpretation
Globalization Partners International
Intelligent Content Conference
Bronze:
Alpha Translations Canada
AVB Translations
EQHO Communications Ltd
Eurocom
Transperfect