I was asked to provide an entry to the inaugural edition of the AMIGOS blog! What an honor to be a part of AMIGOS' entry into the blogosphere…
Recently I attended a fundraiser for the 2011 Boaco, Nicaragua Youth Media project hosted by 4-time Project Director Chelsey Hauge. She is raising funds to promote greater sustainability for the project beyond AMIGOS Volunteers presence during the summer months. I had the opportunity to chat with a variety of Amigos from various eras (the 80s, 90s and 00s). At one point, someone asked me, "So what kind of perks do you get by being Chair of the International Board of Directors?" After giving it some thought for a few seconds, I said, "You know the greatest perk of being Chair of the Board is to have the opportunity to connect with tens of thousands of Amigos that continue to make a difference in the world because of the difference AMIGOS made for them." Amigos are everywhere. A few examples of what I mean just happened in the last couple months. In February, I attended a Summit on Global Sustainability, convened by Coaches Training Institute. One of the first people I met there, Kristina Bass, was a Training Director for the AMIGOS Seattle Chapter in the 1990s. A few weeks later, I met with a nonprofit board to do some consulting work and one of the board members said, "My son did AMIGOS in 1987 and went to Ecuador. It was transformative for him and what he does now." The most recent "AMIGOS moment" was during our 2011 AMIGOS Board Retreat in Granada, Nicaragua. We hosted a luncheon on corporate social responsibility and the role that partnerships play in community development. One of our speakers was Robert Downes, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua. Much to our surprise, he closed his speech by saying, “I would not be standing before you today without AMIGOS.” He was an AMIGOS volunteer in the 70s. All this is to say that Amigos are everywhere making transformational impact every day.
It is a transformational time at AMIGOS, we are less than 5 years from our 50th Anniversary and the organization is asking itself, "Who do we want to be when we turn 50?" It is a catalyst for us to re-examine our vision, focus and strategic direction. In April 2011 at our board retreat in Granada, Nicaragua, the Board and Senior Leadership Team kicked off a strategic planning process. We spent several hours exploring trends, competitors, competitive advantage and the biggest questions facing AMIGOS today. We established a strategic planning committee comprised of board, staff, foundation and chapter voices. In mid-May, the committee met in Chicago for a full day to take the next step in exploring our future direction and to develop an inclusive process to gather the best thinking of our key constituents. Over the next 6 months stay tuned for podcasts, webinars and focus groups. We welcome your creativity in exploring the opportunities for AMIGOS to have an even greater impact in the next 50 years!
FROM THE 2011 AMIGOS BAORD RETREAT IN NICARAGUA
Pictured from left to right: Mary Stelletello (AMIGOS International Board Chair), Dr. Yali Molina (AMCHAM President), Antonio Lacayo (Grupo Pellas) and Marty Sinnott, (President & CEO of AMIGOS)
