Global Wordsmiths is a woman-owned social enterprise that provides language translation, localization and interpretation services, and language access consulting for a wide variety of sectors.
In addition to paid work, Global Wordsmiths has provided over 7,000 hours of volunteer language services, and more than 900 translated documents to nonprofits at no cost.
Mary Jayne McCullough, Founder & Executive Director of Global Wordsmiths, spent the first 15 years of her career working as a Spanish interpreter for social service providers. During this time, it became clear to her that many social services were completely inaccessible to multilingual learners with limited English proficiency.
And these issues hit close to home. English-learning immigrant and refugee populations are growing at a rate of 80% in the Rust Belt. While larger cities have developed infrastructure for language needs, small and medium cities like Pittsburgh have room for growth.
Pushing Forward in the Pandemic
When the pandemic struck, Mary Jayne immediately realized that getting funding to cover operating costs was the top priority. She also recognized that she couldn’t bank on the PPP and EIDL loans to completely fulfill the needs of her business.
“When it became clear that COVID-19 had the potential to be catastrophic for our business, I hit the pavement in terms of seeking funding,” Mary Jayne explains. “I predicted bottlenecks and issues with both the PPP and EIDL options, so I wanted something reliable in case we were not able to successfully obtain those funds.”
Thanks to her foresight, Mary Jayne launched a Honeycomb campaign and raised $40,863 from 107 local investors, setting a new record for the most investors in a campaign!
Lasting Community Support
“Truthfully, learning how many people care about us and support our mission was totally humbling and wonderful. I had no idea we had that kind of community support and it just felt great,” Mary Jayne shares.
Along with the overwhelming community response, the funding from the Honeycomb campaign will support Global Wordsmiths’ operating costs for the next four months, plus help the organization move forward from the pandemic.
“Money helps us not to have to worry about money as much while we recover! I know that we are all set to operate, so we can focus on recovery instead of scrambling to keep the lights on,” she says.
Mary Jayne knows that the deeper community support will bring lasting benefits to Global Wordsmiths in the years to come.
“A revenue model like ours really depends on the input and partnerships we have through our community ties, deepening those connections correlates to our longevity,” she adds.
Reengage your customers in the new normal
Your customers will jump at the chance to support your business. Give them the opportunity to invest in your success and keep coming back for years! Get started with your Honeycomb campaign at: honeycombcredit.com/grow and sign up below for more information!