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Speak to All of South Africa Through Any of Our Initiatives.

Do you have products or services with a national footprint?
Our initiatives allow you to reach all of South Africa’s diverse audiences while making a profound difference in the communities you serve.

Who Are We Talking To?

Our publications and events transcend demographics and lifestyles,addressing common societal issues in a way that resonates with people from both sides of the divide. While we otherwise may have little in common,we all have a vested interest in the well-being of our country – if only because our own well-being is closely tied to it.

All our publications and events carry information that fosters understanding and compassion,and focuses on practical actions that can be taken by individuals,families,communities,concerned onlookers,businesses and policy-makers to help create a better world for all of us.

Community Conversations
Our primary audience is people who live in the community where the events happen. They are mostly poor and often uneducated. Invited audiences include the local government officials,ward councillors and municipal workers,religious and NPO leaders,social and community workers,educators,as well as local media:community newspapers,radio and TV stations. Visitors from the affluent side of town include committed change-makers of all ages,as well as young,white yuppies and eager tourists,curious about township life.
South African Conversations – the magazine
Our primary reading audience is affluent. They initially buy the magazine as a ‘compassion’ purchase and/or because of the intriguing product name and compelling message on seller T-shirts:A thought-provoking read about the stuff no one talks about.We are told that the second purchase is because they want to read the magazine. Our secondary reading audience is people from historically disadvantaged backgrounds because the magazine deals very specifically with their lived realities and with practical solutions to the challenges they experience. The magazine is made available to disadvantaged audiences through corporate,institutional,educational and library subscriptions.

The Resource Directory
- User audiences
  - People in resource-poor South African communities who do not have meaningful access to the internet. They won’t know that they need the book and they don’t have money to buy it.
  - Professionals and individuals who serve society:
  - Community workers
  - Early Childhood Development practitioners
  - Grandmothers
  - Healthcare professionals,nurses and doctors
  - Human Resource professionals
  - Librarians
  - NPO workers
  - Nurses
  - Police
  - Policy-makers
  - Preachers
  - Social workers
  - Teachers/lecturers
- Buying audiences
  - Government departments:
    - Departments of Agriculture,Education,Correctional Services,Health,Human Settlements,Land Reform &Rural Development,Small Business Development,Social Development,Sport,Arts and Culture,Women,Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
  - Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programmes for the NPOs they support.
  - Organisations &institutions that serve humanity:
    - Churches &faith-based organisations
    - Clinics/hospices/hospitals
    - Community centres and homeless shelters
    - Orphanages
    - Government offices
    - Human Resource departments
    - Libraries
    - Municipal offices
    - Non-profit organisations
    - Police stations/courts
    - Schools/universities
    - Student representative councils
  - Individuals in mainstream society who want to help make a difference,who frequent bookstores and have money to buy the book – either for themselves or for their domestic workers or low-income employees,or for NPOs where they work or that they support.

What Topics Do We Cover?

Ancient &Traditional Knowledge
Animal Welfare
Appropriate Technology
Child Welfare
Civil Society
Crime &Justice
Crisis Support
Cyber Safety
Disability
Education
Employment Solutions &Sustainable Livelihoods
Entrepreneurship
Environment
Food Growing
Food,Hunger &Nutrition
Gender &Violence Issues
Health
Human Rights
Labour Matters
Land,Housing &Essential Services
LGBTQI+
Men
Mental &Emotional Health
Migrants &Refugees
Money
Senior Citizens
Social Welfare &Humanitarian Support
Women &Family
Youth

Our focus is practical and solutions-oriented with suggestions for actions that can be taken by individuals,families,communities,concerned onlookers,businesses and policy-makers to help make the world a better place.

Read some samples of our work in one or all of the following places:

Who Should Advertise?

We welcome advertisers whose products,services or initiatives make a meaningful impact. We work with:

Companies with a national footprint offering everyday essentials like food,baby products,toiletries,beauty products,cleaning materials and telecommunications.
Banks offering financial literacy programmes and practical products,such as mobile banking,micro-loans.
Businesses offering solutions to poverty-related challenges,such as water purification,alternative energy,gardening systems,hand tools,nutritionally dense foods and supplements.
Affordable transport options,like second-hand cars,trailers and bicycles.
Businesses offering vehicle repairs and parts,including tyres and batteries.
Job placement agencies working with unskilled labour or marginalised groups.
Training institutions and vocational skills development programmes.
Affordable South African holiday destinations accessible to people with disabilities.
CSI programmes addressing poverty-related challenges.
Non-profits,social enterprises and development organisations promoting their projects and services.
Government programmes addressing poverty,employment,education,health,and home ownership.
Apps,tech and gadgets solving real-world problems.
Businesses with reseller programmes – especially those offering traditional or essential products,such as herbal remedies – creating jobs while expanding their market reach.

Advertisers Specific to Community Conversations

Local businesses with offerings that their community would be interested in.
Brands that can supply samples or giveaways.
Companies that employ or procure from local communities.
Retailers or wholesalers serving township and rural markets.

Why You Can’t Donate to or Sponsor Us

Many people confuse social enterprises with non-profits. Here’s the difference.

Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) rely on donations and grant funding,not trade. They can offer a Section 18A certificate,which allows qualifying donors to claim a tax deduction.

Social enterprises,like ours,are businesses,not charities. We earn revenue by selling products or services – and reinvest our profits into solving social problems.

You might be wondering if you can sponsor us instead of buying an ad. The answer is no – because we’re not a charity. We offer a marketing opportunity with social impact,not a donor opportunity.

Why Partner With a Social Enterprise?
Because businesses that partner with social enterprises gain:

Enhanced brand reputation
Improved employee morale
Access to new markets

And,in the case of South African Conversations,they gain:

Deeper insights into underserved communities – opening the door to innovation and new product development.
Enterprise Development or B-BBEE scorecard points – because we are a majority Black-owned,Level 2 micro-enterprise on a mission to create income opportunities,share vital information and amplify marginalised voices.

Here’s What That Means for You

We’re not asking for donations or sponsorships
We sell valuable,targeted advertising opportunities
You can earn B-BBEE scorecard points for doing business with us
You can use your Enterprise Development budget to gain marketing exposure – or your Marketing budget to earn ED points – while contributing to positive social change.

Advice for Advertisers

South African Conversationsis dedicated to making available practical solutions to the problems presented by poverty and marginalisation.

We are interested in advertising that adds to the solutions presented to people who are marginalised for any of the following reasons:poverty,race,gender,old age,disability,illness,migration,geographic isolation,etc.

Don’t just tell readers about the good that you’re doing in the world. Tell them how to access and participate in what you have to offer. For instance:If your CSI project has enabled a raw talent to develop into a fully-fledged opera singer,let other aspirant opera singers know how they,too,can access the benefits of your programme.
Invite participation:

Challenge other businesses to match or join your efforts.
Tell concerned individuals how and where to volunteer their time and skills or where to make monetary or in-kind donations.
Publish your wish list and,if you invite monetary donations,stipulate what the money will be used for.

If you’re an NPO,please don’t just ask for money. South African Conversationsis about entrepreneurship,self-reliance,collaboration,community participation and mutually beneficial business-community partnerships.
If you just want to build brand awareness,let your advertising carry thoughts,ideas and information that uplift,instruct and inspire independence,sustainable self-reliance and positive social change.
Share your CSI stories of success,triumph and goodwill on the pages of South African Conversations…making sure to inform readers how they can either access,participate or duplicate what you have created.
Please think twice before placing information that encourages reliance on hand-outs or that is devoid of meaningful information. Example:don’t brag about how much you have already spent on helping people in need. If you want to brag,make sure to also include information about how people can access the resource you provide …or how they can help themselves or duplicate your success.

What Does it Cost?

The short answer:

It costs R1,excl. VAT per full-page magazine advertisement.
It costs R2,excl. VAT per full-page directory advertisement
It costs R6,0,excl. VAT per Community Conversation.

The long answer:Take a look and download our rate card here

Use Your Marketing,CSI or Enterprise Development Budget!

Collaborating with South African Conversationsoffers the best of all possible worlds because you can use any budget and gain national advertising exposure and B-BBEE Scorecard points at the same time!

Enterprise Development (ED) and Supplier Development (SD) points
(ED=1% NPAT+SD=2% NPAT)

South African Conversationsis a certified majority Black-owned,Level 2 B-BBEE Exempt Micro Enterprise,ED beneficiary. This means that any monetary,non-monetary,recoverable or non-recoverable contributions to South African Conversationscount 125% towards ED scorecard targets. Any contributions towards our development fall under Supplier Development. Your company receives bonus points when we graduate from being an Enterprise Development Beneficiary to being a Supplier.

Preferential Procurement points

Purchases from South African Conversations– such as advertising or subscriptions –not only count 125% towards Preferential Procurement scorecard targets but can be multiplied by a 1.2 enhancement factor.

To buy from South African Conversationsis to make use of the B-BBEE legislation in a way that positively impacts the lives of people who seldom get any benefit from B-BBEE and illustrates your company’s commitment to transformation.