GIVE: Generate Inspiration Via Education Susan Johnson, Director of Retail Education, talks about the GIVE program:

Turning retail staff into household products and Seventh Generation experts requires commitment, creativity, a sense of fun, and some great training modules. 2008 was the first full year of the GIVE program and not only did we exceed all of our targets but the program is already growing beyond its retail base. I love the way our message is spreading organically. Our research shows that each trainee shares what they’ve learned with an average of three other people. I’m also thrilled that many customers from Whole Foods Market to much smaller retailers have seen the program’s value in educating team members on the benefits of natural brands and are using GIVE materials on their websites and in their training programs.

Seventh Generation is committed to helping consumers be more conscious decision makers. We’ve found that a great way to reach consumers is by educating the store personnel where they shop. GIVE trainers use simple, hand-held devices to show short videos about our company and our products. The training can be conducted right in the store aisles, in a break-room or as apart of a new employee orientation session. Every one who is trained is encouraged to complete a survey about the experience. The feedback has been tremendous!

We are particularly interested in reaching first-time parents and conducted over a thousand GIVE trainings at Babies R Us. They hold educational seminars every Saturday in their stores and we collaborated on a 20-minute video and a 24-page booklet about natural products. Busy parents can view these easily while they shop. Babies R Us has become a very strong partner; sales s for expanding our message. We’re debuting a new training video, Nurture by Nature, (go/nurture) that highlights the changes in choices parents make when they bring a new baby into their home. Brand ambassadors will attend 100 store openings where they will engage shoppers in conversation and dispense samples and coupons. We’re also putting together six “exhibits-in-a-box” with professional, consistent content that will be shippable anywhere for events or corporate fairs. To tie our program together, we’ll also be getting our own GIVE logo!

Gregor Barnum thanks for your thoughts - we are only focusing on our major customers in the coming months and will definitely keep you in mind as we grow this program. Gregor 17 August 2009

stephanie schlecht Susan, Sounds like you are creating change agents through the GIVE program. Is Seventh Generation planning on rolling out a similar program for the independent office supply channel? If you are, you have a partner in Give Something Back Business Products. There are many opportunities for behavior change through education in this channel. We see it with our customers. Folks want to bring their values to work. There is nothing more disturbing than the smell of harsh cleaning chemicals all over one's cubical. Stephanie Schlecht Director of Sustainability http://jm.ly/xNob3F 14 August 2009