This summer I had the joy of returning to Rwanda (with my daughter!) to celebrate Urwego’s 25th anniversary. Urwego is one of the oldest microfinance institutions in HOPE’s network—and where I served as executive director from 1999-2002. The anniversary celebration brought together church partners, government officials, staff, and current and former Urwego loan recipients...
The Honest Truth About Fundraising
While in college, I was invited by our alumni office to represent our school at a college fair for high school students. After a day of meeting with prospective students, another college rep asked me to go to dinner. I agreed, eager for a conversation about something other than financial aid packages. Halfway through...
Top 10 Fundraising Fails
After weeks of application questions and initial interviews, the time for my final interview with HOPE International’s board of directors had finally arrived. Things seemed to be going smoothly—that is, until Tom, one of the board members, asked a question that I was completely unprepared to answer. “Do you have any experience fundraising?” Fundraising?...