GLC Virtual Day 1
October 23, 2023
Today, we kicked off the 2023 virtual Global Leadership Conference (GLC), an event created for JA staff. In years past, GLC was offered only in person for JA executives in regional, national, and local offices. In 2021, GLC went virtual for the first time and opened to JA's global staff of more than 3,000. We're thrilled to offer the virtual edition again this week. Day 1 was all about organizational resilience, which will help JA staff worldwide continue delivering impactful learning experiences to young people for another 100+ years.
Day 1 Sessions
Building the House of Resilience
JA Worldwide's Chief Development Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer led this session focused on strengthening JA. Staff were introduced to the the "House of Resilience" concept and dove into the key elements of organizational resilience through the pillars of finance, fundraising, and operational resilience. This session also equipped staff with important insights to navigate challenges and ensure long-term sustainability.
Fundraising Around the World
This session helped JA staff unlock strategic thinking for successful nonprofit fundraising. Panelists shared core fundraising principles, donor engagement tactics, and ethical considerations, leaving attendees with enhanced proficiency, strategic planning know-how, and effective donor engagement strategies to boost financial sustainability.
Redefining Resilience
JA staff explored all the different ways the term resilience applies to our organization, especially with regard to development.
BFFs: Better Finance and Fundraising
During this fun and informative session, attendees explored ways that finance and development teams can interact more strategically to create stronger proposals, streamline workflows to create efficiencies and create easier processes for reporting, audits, and partnership renewals.
Achieving Goals Through Effective Financial KPIs
With real-life local, national, and regional examples, this session unlocked the power of effective performance metrics. Presenters delved into the art and science of crafting KPIs that enhance performance, foster alignment, and ensure goals are consistently achieved. Attendees left the session better equipped with strategies to consistently meet (and exceed) annual targets and propel their JA locations forward.
Impact Fundraising
This expert panel of regional operating center leaders from JA Africa, JA Americas, JA Asia Pacific, JA Europe, and INJAZ Al-Arab JA MENA shared international fundraising insights. Attendees discovered how successful strategies align, including building government alliances, forming corporate impact consortiums, boosting capacity building, and harnessing data-driven approaches. They also gained a global perspective on fundraising to enhance success.
Disaster Dodging: Quality Audits and Resilience
In this session, attendees learned how an external audit works, got an overview of the role of a finance department and left with a better understanding of the roles of everyone else in the organization. The panelists from JA Worldwide’s finance team also discussed what it takes to have a successful audit.
Managing Risk, Compliance, and Data Protection
This informative and pivotal risk and compliance session wealked attendees through the new global compliance complaint mechanism, reinforced must-have operating policies, and unveiled JA’s newest approach to data protection.
Check back tomorrow to find out what we learned on Day 2, focused on “People Development and Alumni.”