Ketchum Social Responsibility

After a lengthy review and analysis of partner organizations, Ketchum found a kindred spirit with Room to Read, a global charity dedicated to building schools and libraries and directly supporting education programs in Asia. We believe companies make the best contributions to such programs by offering whatever it is they do best; in Ketchum’s case, this is communications, and we are involved with a wide range of communications support activities to reinforce the Room to Read mission around the world.

Room to Read was established in 2000 based on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Since then, the organization has supported more than 4 million children through the building of more than 1,400 schools and 12,000 libraries and the distribution of over nine million books in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia.

With its goal of communication closely aligned with Room to Read’s goals of literacy and education, Ketchum provides media relations, reputation management and event management support to Room to Read, among other services. Watch this video describing more about the Ketchum and Room to Read partnership.

Ketchum has “loaned” a senior consultant, Julie Ferriot, to Room to Read in its San Francisco headquarters to provide high-level technical support and to coordinate Ketchum teams around the world on a range of projects and initiatives, including these:

• Construction of Library in Nepal - Ketchum supported the construction of one of the 10,000 libraries that has been built by Room to Read around the globe. The Shree Pandit Chaur Secondary School in Nepal opened in May 2010 and was built entirely from funds provided by Ketchum and its employees. The one-room building opened with more than 800 books and serves as a venue for regular library periods for students from grades one through five as well as for art competitions, quiz contests and community events.
• 10th Anniversary Support - Ketchum provided sole PR support for Room to Read’s 10th anniversary celebration in June 2010, the simultaneous completion of its 10,000th library, in Nepal, and the launch of a scholarship program that offers 10,000 girls critical life skills education.
• Media Placements - Ketchum continues to help Room to Read gain media coverage around the world, including placements that have included stories in the Associated Press, USA Today, Parade magazine (U.S.), the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), Gulf News (U.A.E.) and the Sunday Times (Singapore), among others.
• Message Architecture - As Room to Read marks its 10th anniversary, Ketchum has supported this important milestone by revisiting overall messaging for the organization and helping to develop language that reflects its significant accomplishments and goals for the future.
• Media Training - Ketchum has provided media training to founder John Wood, CEO Erin Ganju and several members of the Room to Read development team.
• Publication and Distribution of 5,000 Books in Laos - A Ketchum fundraising effort in the U.S. and London resulted in the agency’s ability to produce a book as part of Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program. Thousands of books were distributed to schools throughout Laos in June 2009.

Since 2004, Ketchum has provided services to promote the World Economic Forum Global Health Initiative, a public-private sector network designed to fight HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. One example of this work is the China Health Alliance, a groundbreaking initiative that brings together select companies, the Chinese government, U.N. agencies and nongovernmental organizations in a joint effort to curb the large-scale spread of tuberculosis and HIV in a country where 45% of the population carries a latent form of tuberculosis. 

Since 2004, Ketchum has put its public relations expertise to work through its 24/7 brainstorm program. During a 24-hour period, Ketchum teams generate marketing and communication strategies for local nonprofits that don’t ordinarily have the resources to spend for such counsel. Ketchum employees attend at least one brainstorm session and match their expertise with each nonprofit’s need and interest. Ketchum also recruits guest brainstormers from the local business, academic and nonprofit community. The program has been held each year since 2004 in Ketchum’s Atlanta and Chicago offices.