In the face of war, famine, floods, and financial and political pressure, the GlobalGiving community stood up like never before in 2022. Read letters of gratitude and resolutions from our outgoing + incoming CEOs.
The GlobalGiving community was challenged like never before in 2022. We saw war, famine, floods, and financial and political strife put pressure on people around the globe.
But we also saw our community show up like never before. Thank you. Our 2022 Year In Review, now live, is all about showing you how your support saved lives.
Two weeks before Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine, our partners’ requests for support prompted us to launch the GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Within eight days of the Feb. 24 invasion, we sent the first emergency grants to nonprofit organizations whose home cities became the front lines of the conflict.
From Kyiv to Kherson, these organizations stood by their communities. And from Albania to Zambia, nearly 200,000 people like you rallied and gave more than $66.7 million to support them.
But the needs presented by war and other calamities persisted—and they extended far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
In the Horn of Africa, more than 20 million people faced the worst famine conditions in decades. HODI brought resources to people who were suffering from the drought and struggling to get ample supplies of food and water for their households.
In Pakistan, with one-third of the country submerged in floodwaters, Al-Mustafa Welfare Society fed and assisted families who lost homes, crops, livestock—nearly everything—in the floods.
And when hurricanes threatened entire islands and knocked out power grids, the leaders in their communities were there to relieve, rebuild, and restore.
For Ariadna Godreau, director of our longtime partner Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, Hurricane Fiona was a lecture on the status of the recovery from Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The impacts, especially on low-income, Black communities and single moms still waiting on 2017-era assistance, underscored the need for equitable access to recovery funds, housing, and policies to ensure climate justice.
“Despite the enormous challenges and the hills we have to climb, I feel hopeful that we’re starting to make real changes and can make more as we continue to work together,” Ariadna told us.
As the climate crisis makes compounding disasters the new reality, the community partners in our network keep working to prepare and respond. They have the courage, knowledge, and commitment. Our role is to trust in their expertise—and invest in it.
That’s the foundation of our mission: to fuel community-led change. And in 2022, we pursued more opportunities to share power, co-create solutions, and live up to all of our community-led commitments.
Learn more below in a reflection from our outgoing CEO, Donna Callejon, and a preview of the impact yet to come from our incoming GlobalGiving CEO, Victoria Vrana.
By Donna Callejon, Executive Advisor + 2022 Interim GlobalGiving CEO
In 20 years, a lot has changed.
GlobalGiving grew from an idea in our founders’ minds into an office with eight employees above a thrift shop in Bethesda, Maryland. When I first walked into that office nearly two decades ago, I didn’t know what to expect.
I was reluctant to predict what GlobalGiving would become: a truly global network that operates by the principle that communities know best and backs them in creating their own solutions to the challenges they face. It’s a network that mobilized $150 million in giving last year.
I definitely never could have predicted that I would spend my final year at GlobalGiving in the CEO role. Helping to establish and solidify our sustainable business model, which exists to serve community-led partners everywhere, was tough work.
Riding the waves of good years and bad years was a challenge. But through it all, we focused on our local partners and kept striving to change the way people think about and invest in social change. In the process, we’ve built a supportive, transparent, and agile organization ready to do more good.
This organization became a powerful force in the philanthropic sector, driving more than $785 million to local partners since its founding. Being part of that journey has been the highlight of my career and a true labor of love.
Having the honor to serve as CEO during this unique and record-setting year was like icing on the best cake ever. It was a true privilege.
As I pass the baton to our new CEO, Victoria Vrana, whom I’ve known and respected for many years, I am confident that GlobalGiving is in exceptional hands and will continue to fuel transformative change.
With gratitude for your partnership,
By Victoria Vrana, GlobalGiving CEO
As we look forward to the next 20 years of GlobalGiving, our core will persevere even while we adapt to meet the challenges of the coming decades.
I am certain GlobalGiving will face rapid change and unexpected shifts in the world around us, and I am resolved to hold tight to our essential values and bedrock strengths as we evolve to meet our changing environment. The roots of this organization, which now span decades and continents, have helped us serve millions of people around the world. At the center of that service? The needs and the wisdom of communities. Trust in communities and change leaders is our foundation and will ground us as we head into the future.
I’m proud to say that I’ve known GlobalGiving since its start.
I’ve been a champion of its community-led philosophy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I’ve been a donor, choosing projects to support with my daughters on GivingTuesday and in times of crisis. I’ve been a peer, watching and learning in my previous role as a funder. GlobalGiving’s fundamental goal of transforming aid and philanthropy has been my own professional passion ever since I began working in the social sector as employee No. 1 of an international feminist network. I learned early just how hard it was to do good work and how the system to support change agents was inadequate and often misguided.
But ultimately, it’s GlobalGiving’s role as a connector that makes my heart sing. The challenges we face are too many and too mighty for any one individual, one donor, one community, or one nonprofit.
It is only through connection and community that we can change the equation and marshal forces mightier than the threats we face. GlobalGiving unites us together in a community of mutual support and change.
Honestly, I have always felt like a part of the GlobalGiving community, and it is a privilege to become even more deeply entwined with that network, including all of the individual relationships I’m already getting to build with staff, donors, and partners.
I’m ready to steer the way for its continued success and increased impact in the future, but I need your guidance and input.
This year, I’ll be doing a lot of listening and learning, striving to understand our greatest strengths and where we can better serve all members of our community. Thank you for trusting me to listen and follow your lead.
With gratitude for your partnership,
Thank you for your unwavering support. Read GlobalGiving’s 2022 Year in Review for a full look at your impact.
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