Our Story.
GE:SKENK’s founder has more than 15 years of experience in designing impactful brand marketing and communications solutions ranging from compelling campaigns for large and multinational corporations and SMEs, to pro bono work for charities.
GE:SKENK is the result of a belief in creating opportunity to make a real, positive and tangible difference in the lives of our disadvantage communities, by channelling a proportion of some of the approximately R9-billion annual spend on corporate gifting back into Creative Social Enterprises; Non Profits and For-Profit Organisations with social impact initiatives, without compromising on the quality of the output. Together with our remarkable clients we offer opportunities for people to earn a living with dignity and support & sustain their families.
Our tale travels back to 2010, when our founder, Vicki, was briefed by Bakers Biscuits on sourcing a gift for their clients. The brief was clear – the client gift was required to tell a story which reflects Bakers Biscuits’s brand values. Vicki and the team were determined to source a special gift that would blow Bakers Biscuits away, while still remaining true to the brand values, so the first GeSkenk product was born. The team collaborated with an initiative in Orange Farm – an NGO that creatively crafted a giant Zoo-Biscuit cushion that’s still considered today as one of the coolest gifts ever created for the Bakers Biscuits brand.
This beautiful success story completely inspired us to keep creating conscious gifts for any occasion, while building a platform for small, local businesses with a cause and establishing a trusted marketplace for social enterprises.
Our Team.
We’re a group of people who, on a personal level, feel a great desire to apply our skills, expertise and time in a way that results in the greater good of all. We realise it may not be possible to change the world, but we’d like to do what we can to change the world of as many people as possible, as much as possible.
GE:SKENK is led and managed by a team of seasoned marketers and designers who have successfully launched and managed businesses in this segment of the economy. With the support of a skilled network of partners and collaborators, the company is geared to leverage its value proposition through utilising a lean, low-cost and nimble infrastructure.
The original trail blazer behind the GE:SKENK’S mission and vision is Vicki Scheffel not only a creative director and entrepreneur but also our fearless founder who embodies the philosophy of gift giving with social impact. Vicki is passionate about the future of South Africa and on a mission to positively influence buying behaviour in South Africa and the world. She has been inspiring brands, telling stories and uplifting people for nearly two decades. Her personal touch is evident in every step of the process, always ensuring that GE:SKENK’s mission remains on track.
Flora Maloka is passionate about community upliftment and like a true villager, after 11 years in corporate Marketing, Flora still upholds the values of ubuntu. She truly believes in sharing, caring for one another and the environment we live and that Marketers have an opportunity to use their position to do good through their initiatives and impact societies and communities they operate in. As a proud partner, Flora is an expert in B2B & B2C marketing, focussing on brand innovation, market research, customer marketing and communication. She brings all of these expertise to GE:SKENK.
