There are a number of ways to join in and help:

VASE has been created with a new kind of marketing in mind. It is called Social Marketing. Social in the sense that the profits of the enterprise go towards the good works of the enterprise and its partners and that the products are marketed through the social and community networks of the various partners.

This is not entirely a new concept but it has many new twists that were not possible even a few years ago.

The projects described winthin this site are our first efforts to create a sustainable revenue generating vehicle that both makes a profit and fulfils a social need. The idea is really quite simple. There is a need for high quality ECD products and materials and there is a market for them. VASE will create a line of literacy products to launch the community partners program.

The Partners are a key component of the overall business concept. In effect, First Nations communities, aboriginal and other youth organizations, sports clubs, schools and charities become the distribution channel for the products. The Community Partners can use their own infrastructure to sell quailty educational products through VASE and they earn income.

The tools that VASE will be supplying for the Partners to assist in their sales efforts are:

• Partner’s Web Portal: When a consumer visits the VASE portal they choose the Partner they would like to benefit and from there on they enter the Partner’s own web portal and e-commerce site. There the consumer will see the banner’s from the Friends who have and are helping them to ‘Keep Profits in Your Community.’.

• Point of Purchase Displays (POP Racks): These are countertop units that hold ten units each. The Partners can enlist the help of local merchants, banks and businesses, who will be asked to display the product for sale in their outlets, helping, for example the local youth group members or the aboriginal day care who are the Partners.

• Forms and Templates: These are sample advertising flyers and posters, plus working guides like the Memory Jogger and Media Kit. Together, the local Partners will have everything they need to successfully market the products, even if they’ve never done anything in the sales area before.

The Friends of VASE program was designed to enlist the aid of community minded businesses and corporations. Your Friends may include local newspapers who advertise your campaign, sports teams who give you a spot at the field for a promotional event, stores or local businesses-that keep your POP racks on their counters, companies who let their employees and customers know about your fundraiser. In appreciation for helping their local Partners, the Friends of VASE get banner advertising on the portal, community recognition as well as a lot of press from the media campaigns.