Somehow the years have passed, and I am now celebrating 4 years of working as Project Manager for 200 Orphanages Worldwide. I am sure many of us feel that over the past 2 years with Covid changing the world, time feels odd and the years somewhat blur together. But when the world changes, we must adapt and that is just what we have done at 200 Orphanages Worldwide. As I reflect on the past 2 years, I feel so fortunate to share some of the highlights of what we have accomplished, with the consistent and generous support of our donors!
- Serving Our Partners Needs | When the pandemic first began and our partnering organizations found themselves in an emergency state; our board members approved for us to use undesignated funds to launch an Emergency Relief Fund for 4 partners around the world. Our donors stepped up and we were able to send $10,000 to fund meeting their basic needs while they quickly responded to the unique situation our world was experiencing.
- Creatively Raising Funds | Our team became more innovative as we needed to change the way we hosted fundraising events. After 2 years of hosting an in-person event to raise funds for St. Teresa’s Orphan Foundation, our team took it virtually and held an online auction during the holidays. Over $9,000 was raised and it was an inspiring collaboration of volunteers who helped make it happen!
- Strengthening our Internal Framework | We have taken advantage of our Board Member’s expertise and have updated our Bylaws, created a new Policies & Procedures Manual, cleaned up our internal file storage drive, and are launching a new website! Some of these tasks have not been freshened up in over 10 years and were long overdue. We look forward to continuing to improve some of our internal processes to make the organization the best it can be!
- Communication – Providing Updates from the Field | “Coffee, Conversations & Connect” has been our semi-monthly, virtual opportunity to invite partners and key stakeholders to share exciting updates with our team. These chats are always open to the public and recorded so that we can have a library of inspirational conversations for our supporters to watch and learn about the impact that is made every day!
- Planning for the Future – What’s Next? | I am so proud of what the team has accomplished over the past 2 unprecedented years. I am extremely excited for what is to come as the season shifts into fall and it feels we are on the edge of a new chapter in the organization’s history. We have partners, projects, and events all being fine tuned to be ready to launch and we need more supporters to help us reach our goals. We look forward to increasing our giving circle and spreading the word of the impact that can be made by each person and dollar given.
Thank you to Jan Hanson, our Board, our loyal volunteers, and generous supporters for your passion for the children we serve. It is a joy and honor to help us raise funds and awareness for orphans around the world. I am thankful each day for the small part I get to have in this worldwide impact.
Angela McDermott
Project Manager
