Why Partner With TechnoServe?

• Global Results – Support programs that transform lives in measurable ways in some of the world's most impoverished areas.
• Sustainability – Invest in a market-based approach to economic development that is sustainable and creates jobs, incomes and hope instead of dependency.
• World-Class Network – Join a committed group of corporations, foundations, public-sector agencies and individuals.
• Direct Engagement – Give time and expertise, by advising on strategy or volunteering in the field.
• Focused Support – Invest in TechnoServe's global mission or target your support to a particular program, country or region.
• Public Education – Tell friends, employees, customers and the broader public how they can help transform lives through the creation of economic opportunity.

For more information about corporate partnerships, contact Sophie LeMouel, Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships, at slemouel@tns.org or 203-852-0377.

For more information about public-sector partnerships, contact Susan Bornstein, Director of Program Development, at sbornstein@tns.org or 202-719-1311.

Key Partners:

TechnoServe is a key partner in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's agricultural development initiative. The foundation is funding a TechnoServe program to increase the incomes of coffee farmers in East Africa by helping them produce high-quality coffee. TechnoServe is also working with Heifer International on a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded East Africa dairy development program. "If we are serious about ending extreme hunger and poverty around the world, we must be serious about transforming agriculture for small farmers," says Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Google's philanthropic arm bills itself as "an experiment in active philanthropy," and one of its three core areas of focus is economic development and poverty. Google.org supports TechnoServe's Believe Begin Become business plan competitions in Ghana and Tanzania. It is also supporting the development of TechnoServe programs in other areas of the developing world, such as India.

The IADB's Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) is one of Techno Serve's key strategic partners in Latin America. Together we have improved the competitiveness of the specialty coffee sector in Central America and are now promoting entrepreneurship through business plan competitions in the Andean region. We are helping nascent entrepreneurs in Chile, Ecuador and Peru (and later in Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela) to turn good ideas into thriving small and medium businesses that benefit people at the bottom of the economic pyramid by generating jobs and markets while also increasing the supply of high-quality, affordable goods and services.

Microsoft is a key partner in supporting TechnoServe’s rapid growth. Through a $2.9 million grant of in-kind contributions, Microsoft is providing critical software for an overall systems upgrade that will support our growing organization as we expand our portfolio of programs and reach more people in the developing world. Microsoft has a long history of community engagement, and this has led to many community partnerships around the world. Through monetary grants, software and curriculum donations, technology solutions, and employee volunteer hours, Microsoft supports projects and organizations that are making a difference.

Lenovo is a key sponsor of TechnoServe's Believe Begin Become business plan competitions in several countries. Our collaboration is supported by Lenovo's broader Hope Through Entrepreneurship program, which is built on the company's strong commitment to supporting emerging businesses in the developing world. Lenovo also provides TechnoServe with additional assistance in the form of in-kind contributions of personal computers.

Nestlé Nespresso is a key strategic partner in TechnoServe's efforts to improve the livelihoods of poor coffee farmers. In Colombia the partnership builds on successful business models TechnoServe has refined through its coffee work in Central America and Tanzania.This critical partnership, launched in 2006, will impact the lives of 3,000 smallholder farmers, by strengthening coffee cooperatives' business practices and improving coffee quality. The model will also serve as a "best-practice" blueprint for Nespresso and the specialty coffee industry.

The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a key strategic partner in our efforts to build scaleable value chains in East Africa. Our partnership began with a program in Kenya to develop a banana industry that would improve the livelihoods of thousands of the country's smallholder farmers. With the foundation's support, we have replicated the program in Uganda, helping farmers cater to growing demand from urban markets.

Standard Bank supports TechnoServe's entrepreneurship development programs in Africa, serving as key sponsors of the Believe Begin Become business plan competitions in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Swaziland. Through their support of this program, Standard Bank is helping to transform lives by identifying and empowering men and women who have the vision and drive to turn good ideas into strong businesses.

For nearly 40 years, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been a leading strategic partner in TechnoServe's efforts to develop scaleable, innovative approaches to reduce poverty through economic growth by developing entrepreneurs and building businesses and industries. To maximize our impact, we also leverage the skills of the local and global private sector. Current activities are focused on renewable energy and agribusiness development in Ghana, Guatemala, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Swaziland and Tanzania.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
TechnoServe and the USDA have enjoyed a long and successful partnership that began in Latin America over a decade ago and has since expanded to Africa. Building on our joint vision of developing a robust agricultural private sector, TechnoServe works with the support of the USDA to help farmers develop profitable agriculture businesses. Current programs include developing the fine cocoa and specialty coffee sectors in Honduras, strengthening dairy processing in El Salvador, creating new opportunities for legume farmers in Kenya and revitalizing the poultry industry in Mozambique.

TechnoServe's partnership with Cargill continues to grow after more than a decade of collaboration. Achievements include the joint development of a poultry industry strategic plan (incorporating an avian influenza response component) and improved animal health services in Mozambique. Cargill also supports hundreds of entrepreneurs in Central America by sponsoring and providing volunteers for TechnoServe's business plan competitions in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Cargill senior executives also actively participate on TechnoServe's board of directors.

"Two things distinguish TechnoServe. First is its approach. And secondly, the quality and professionalism of the staff and of the board; this is a group of passionate, engaged people who are really committed to the mission of the organization."
-- Robert L. Lumpkins, Former Vice Chairman and CFO, Cargill, Inc.