In an effort to support and promote small and medium-scale businesses in Sri Lanka, a group of enthusiastic undergraduates of Rotaract Club of Faculty of Management and Finance of University of Colombo initiated the project “Charizo”. The project, which was conducted through the official Instagram page of RACUOCFMF, aimed to provide exposure and opportunities for these businesses to expand their customer base, enhance their social media presence, and strengthen their branding. The project consisted of four giveaways, each featuring three businesses and three winners, resulting in a total of 12 lucky recipients receiving amazing gifts from these local entrepreneurs.
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කුඩා හා මධ්ය පරිමාණ ව්යාපාර සඳහා සහය දැක්වීමේ සහ ප්රවර්ධනය කිරීමේ ප්රයත්නයක් ලෙස, කොළඹ විශ්වවිද්යාලයේ කළමනාකරණ හා මූල්ය පීඨයේ රොටරැක්ට් සමාජයේ උද්යෝගිමත් උපාධි අපේක්ෂකයින් පිරිසක් “Charizo” ව්යාපෘතිය ආරම්භ කළහ. RACUOCFMF හි නිල Instagram පිටුව හරහා සිදු කරන ලද මෙම ව්යාපෘතිය, මෙම ව්යාපාර සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ පාරිභෝගික පදනම පුළුල් කිරීමට, ඔවුන්ගේ සමාජ මාධ්ය පැවැත්ම වැඩි දියුණු කිරීමට සහ ඔවුන්ගේ වෙළඳ නාමකරණය ශක්තිමත් කිරීමට නිරාවරණය සහ අවස්ථා ලබා දීම අරමුණු කර ඇත. ව්යාපෘතිය ත්යාග හතරකින් සමන්විත වූ අතර, ඒ සෑම එකක්ම ව්යාපාර තුනක් සහ ජයග්රාහකයින් තිදෙනෙකුගෙන් සමන්විත වූ අතර, එහි ප්රතිඵලයක් ලෙස වාසනාවන්ත ප්රතිලාභීන් 12 දෙනෙකුට මෙම දේශීය ව්යවසායකයින්ගෙන් විස්මිත ත්යාග හිමි විය.
இலங்கையில் சிறிய மற்றும் நடுத்தர அளவிலான வணிகங்களை ஆதரிக்கும் மற்றும் ஊக்குவிக்கும் முயற்சியில், கொழும்பு பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் முகாமைத்துவ மற்றும் நிதியியல் பீடத்தின் Rotaract Club இன் ஆர்வமுள்ள இளங்கலை பட்டதாரிகளின் குழு “Charizo” திட்டத்தை ஆரம்பித்தது. RACUOCFMF இன் உத்தியோகபூர்வ Instagram பக்கத்தின் மூலம் நடத்தப்பட்ட இந்தத் திட்டம், இந்த வணிகங்கள் தங்கள் வாடிக்கையாளர் தளத்தை விரிவுபடுத்துவதற்கும், அவர்களின் சமூக ஊடக இருப்பை மேம்படுத்துவதற்கும், அவர்களின் வர்த்தகத்தை வலுப்படுத்துவதற்கும் வெளிப்பாடு மற்றும் வாய்ப்புகளை வழங்குவதை நோக்கமாகக் கொண்டது. இந்தத் திட்டமானது நான்கு பரிசுகளைக் கொண்டிருந்தது, ஒவ்வொன்றிலும் மூன்று வணிகங்கள் மற்றும் மூன்று வெற்றியாளர்கள் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளனர், இதன் விளைவாக மொத்தம் 12 அதிர்ஷ்டசாலிகள் இந்த உள்ளூர் தொழில்முனைவோர்களிடமிருந்து அற்புதமான பரிசுகளைப் பெற்றனர்.
To kickstart the initiative, the first step involved identifying young entrepreneurs with small and medium-scale businesses within the university community. This was accomplished by creating a Google form and reaching out to businesses through university students and friends. Ultimately, 12 businesses were selected to participate. Concurrently, a comprehensive public relations plan was devised, outlining the criteria for selecting giveaway winners and determining the necessary details to collect from the businesses.
Initially, the project relied on the official Facebook account of the club to promote the first giveaway. However, after realizing that the desired reach was not being achieved, the committee made the strategic decision to create an Instagram account to enhance visibility and engagement. The first giveaway featured Nadora THE cakes, Glamour Boutique, and Powerfeel products. It commenced on February 15 with a post introducing the prizes and entry requirements. Through this approach, participants were encouraged to follow the businesses’ social media accounts. To further support the brands in reaching their target audience, detailed posts introducing each business were shared on the project’s official Instagram account.
The second giveaway showcased Scrunchies by Cee, Sith Roo Seya, and Fluffy Treats. It began on February 25 and concluded on March 3, with winners announced on March 5. The third giveaway, featuring Hikari Lush, Powerfeel Products, and Sprinkled Sugar, took place from March 12 to March 18, with winners announced shortly after. Lastly, the fourth giveaway included Sparkle.lk, Ivey Cake and Bakes, and Pink Crush Store, commencing on March 25 and concluding on March 30, with winners announced on April 1.
Throughout the project, a total of 12 winners were selected across the four giveaways, granting them the opportunity to enjoy the exciting gifts offered by the participating businesses. Each giveaway resulted in increased exposure for the businesses, allowing them to establish stronger social media platforms and attract new customers. The winners’ names included Nisangi Premarthne, Nirasha Henadeerage, Nathalie Dias, Subodha Jayamini, Mindya Pravindi, Thanushi Mandira, Sanki de Silva, Dewmini Weerasinghe, Shavindi Darmaratna, and Madhavi Athulathmudali.
Charizo’s series of giveaways, organized by a dedicated group of undergraduates in Sri Lanka, successfully provided a platform for small and medium-scale businesses to gain exposure and expand their customer base. By utilizing social media platforms, the project created opportunities for local entrepreneurs to showcase their products, build their brands, and establish a solid online presence. Through the support and engagement of the university community and the wider public, Charizo played a vital role in empowering these businesses, encouraging entrepreneurship, and fostering economic growth.
Written By:-
Rtr. Dinuri Risaka
(General Member 2022-23)
Written By:-
Rtr. Ayodhya Iruni
(General Member 2022-23)
