GOTAS DE FLOR COM AMOR (FLOWER DROPS WITH LOVE)

Organizational Vision
Citizen Base Strategy
Results

Organizational Vision

Denise Robles quickly realized that simply providing meals to the abused street children of São Paolo wasn’t enough, “I didn’t think it was helping them to overcome their situation; it wasn’t teaching them to fish, so to speak.” In addition to their poverty, these children are often hindered by mental abuse and illnesses, such as depression and attention deficit disorder, which remain mostly undiagnosed in Brazil. Inadequate public health system. Denise’s program, Gotas de Flor com Amor (Flower Drops with Love), offers a strategy of traditional and alternative counseling to entire families and then inserts them into a standardized stream of public services. She offers after-school programs, job training, and health care to families who are already reasonably stabilized, thus providing built-in support among clients. This multifaceted strategy provides these financially and emotionally challenged children the tools needed to help themselves.

Citizen Base Strategy

This same self-help strategy extends to Denise’s brand of creative resourcing: “We shouldn’t be ashamed to solicit help from someone. Instead, we should be happy to be giving them the opportunity to help.” Her Godfather Program provides a diverse pool of community members, ranging from neighbors to important business figures, the opportunity to help by sponsoring a child in a poor household on a monthly basis.

Like all of the organization’s ideas, the concept grew from a small network of personal contacts through a proactive relationship building process to include a large number of business entities, media groups, and other citizen sector organizations. Denise underscores the importance of building and maintaining the network in order to provide increased visibility, as well as stable and new sources of financing. “Motivating our constituents, the local private sector, and Brazilian citizens to donate is the most important measure of our success. Also it’s the easiest way to get an investment because they can see our impact.”

Despite its expansion, the network strives to remain personal; in addition to receiving a monthly invoice to document their contribution, each Godfather also receives a gift associated with the organization, such as a photo or car window decal. Godfathers choose special holiday presents for their child and are encouraged to share their experiences and chat with the children in a special section of the organization’s website.

The organization has recently introduced a new funding innovation—the “Doubling Game.” Local businesses have agreed to match the monthly sponsorship contribution of any employee who is a Godfather, thereby doubling the income generated by the Godfather Project and allowing the organization to work faster toward its goals of increased professionalism, self-sustainability and project expansion.

Results

“The Godfather Project is our favorite project because it allows us to have a stable fundraising scheme — a certain amount of money that we can count on each year — and it brings in flexible funding. Contributions are small, but it yields marketing value — each Godfather brings in another.” The Godfather Project generates 30 percent of Gotas de Flor’s total income through a membership base of 103 participants. The business sector has been a strong supporter of the program, providing 20 percent of the sponsors. In addition, these relationships have generated the additional benefit of deepening private sector partnerships including monetary donations, volunteer technical assistance, and publicity opportunities.

The organization is currently providing daycare and health care to 150 children on a daily basis, as well as to an additional 125 children on the weekends.