NEW YORK, NY - February 18, 2008 — Text 100, a global public relations agency, today announced an alliance with TechnoServe. Established in 1968, TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world to build businesses that provide jobs, income and economic opportunity . The move is Text 100's first global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnership and complements the extensive pro bono work that Text 100 is already engaged in at a local level in many countries.

Text 100 has committed to providing $300,000 worth of PR support each year to TechnoServe. Aedhmar Hynes, CEO, Text 100, kicked-off the partnership with a week's trip to Peru with the TechnoServe Board of Directors on a fact finding mission to see some of the work the organization does first-hand. Text 100 has assembled an international account team to drive the campaign under the leadership of Nicole Fachet, senior account director in the New York office and with other team members based in South Africa, London and Spain. Text 100 will also send at least one employee per year on a global secondment with TechnoServe.

"Being socially responsible and aware of the world around us is a very important issue to our staff. We've been looking for sometime to identify and secure an appropriate global partner to mirror the reach and strengths of our business today," said Aedhmar Hynes, CEO, Text 100. "TechnoServe emerged as the perfect fit for us because of its focus on empowering people and helping to unleash the entrepreneurial potential that will ultimately lift entire countries out of poverty. Text 100 identifies with this entrepreneurial spirit and we now look forward to working with TechnoServe in furthering awareness of what it does throughout the world."

TechnoServe focuses on developing entrepreneurs, building businesses and industries and improving the business environment. TechnoServe looks beyond aid to build sustained economic development opportunities. Since TechnoServe was formed, it has empowered men and women in the developing world to create or expand more than 2,000 businesses, benefiting millions of people in more than 30 countries. Last month, Google.org has awarded TechnoServe a multi-year grant of $3 million to expand the organization's private-sector development efforts, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the organization a four-year grant of $46.9 million to help small-scale farmers improve coffee quality and production. In addition, TechnoServe has been recognized as one of the world's "Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs" by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

"We are delighted to form this partnership with Text 100," said Bruce McNamer, President and CEO, TechnoServe. "Text 100 will play an important role in helping us to raise our brand awareness among core donor audiences.   This is extremely important as we scale up our programs and look to communicate with much broader audiences."

About TechnoServe

TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world to build businesses that provide jobs, income and economic opportunity. Since its founding in 1968, the U.S.-based nonprofit has helped to create or expand more than 2,000 businesses, benefiting millions of people in more than 30 countries. TechnoServe has been recognized as one of the world's "Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs" by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2007, Charity Navigator also once again awarded its highest Four Star ranking to TechnoServe.

About Text 100

Text 100 is a global PR agency serving companies that use technology for competitive advantage. Built organically from the ground up, Text 100 uniquely offers the dedication of local agencies and the power and reach of a global agency, Text 100 represents leading brands in 31 offices around the world. Clients of the company include Fujifilm, IBM, Philips, Cisco and Xerox. Named New Media Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and winner of PRWeek's PR Innovation of the Year, Text 100 is at the cutting edge of emerging media technologies and public relations techniques. In August 2006, Text 100 became the first public relations consultancy to establish a presence inside Second Life. For more information about Text 100, please visit www.text100.com.

Media Contact:
Radley Moss, Text 100
+1 212.331.8429
radleym@text100.com

< back