IMPACT RECAP
Global Communities' 2021 Annual Report
ABOUT US
Advancing inclusive development & equitable growth
From COVID and climate change to conflict and humanitarian crises, the world continued to face growing and complex challenges in 2021. Global Communities has been working closely with public and private partners, including local governments, and centering the communities in which we work to meet those problems head-on and keep moving toward our vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community. With deep roots in more than 35 countries, we envision a world of expanded opportunity, where crises give way to resilience and all people thrive.
Our Mission
We bring together local ingenuity and global insights to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures.
Our Vision
A more just, prosperous and equitable global community.
We envision a world of expanded opportunity, where crises give way to resilience and all people thrive. We work to build this better world with a spirit of constant innovation and a commitment to confront historic barriers to dignity, equity and inclusion.
Dignity
We respect the dignity and humanity of every individual and are committed to equity, inclusion and justice in everything we do.
Humility
We are transparent when we make mistakes, trust the wisdom of the communities we serve and seek to preserve the natural environment.
Creativity
We are curious, seek to innovate and embrace a spirit of experimentation.
Integrity
We consistently hold ourselves and each other to delivering excellence and to the highest professional and ethical standards.
Connection
We actively collaborate with all our stakeholders to improve understanding of complex issues and catalyze lasting change.
INTRODUCTIONS
Letters from our leadership
Dear friends,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Global Communities, I want to share our pride in the work done in 2021, as our team of global experts worked among ever more difficult circumstances to meet complex development problems and ongoing humanitarian crises with innovative, life-changing solutions.
With 70 years of experience to draw on, Global Communities can rise to any challenge, and 2021 was certainly a year of challenge. We saw cautious optimism when it comes to COVID-19, yet we knew the pandemic still threatened lives and livelihoods in every country on Earth.
The merger between Global Communities and PCI was fully completed in 2021, setting us up for a future of expanded scale and impact across the communities where we work. Over the course of the year, we began to work together to deliver truly integrated community-based responses, bringing the best principles of humanitarian assistance and sustainable development together in places like the Northern Triangle of Central America and Northwest Syria.
We made important progress in 2021, but we know there is more work to do. We are better prepared than ever before, across more than 30 countries and over 2,000 global staff members, to do our part to save lives, advance equity and build a more prosperous future for all.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported Global Communities in 2021. Our partners, collaborators, donors and funders are core members of our family, and our work could not continue without you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Richard F. Celeste
Chair, Board of Trustees
Dear Friends,
For the last 18 years, I have been part of Global Communities’ leadership, first as a member of the Board of Trustees and for the last 11 years as CEO. In all that time, I’m not sure that I’ve seen a year quite like 2021. As we wrapped up the year, I couldn’t help but feel like it was the beginning of something, rather than the end.
While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc on families and communities, the initial fear and panic was replaced with better information and access to the very best of science in vaccinations and therapeutics. With these advances, we began to find ways to connect in person and resume collaborations that had been sustained solely online for almost two years. It was heartening to see colleagues and partners in person again, and to better connect with our workforce around the world.
An important highlight of 2021 was the full completion of our merger with PCI. We began working together in earnest to increase the scale and impact of our proven programs, and to meet the new challenges of our sector by advancing our strategic priorities around decentralization and localization, climate change, humanitarian assistance and more.
Over the course of the year, we launched exciting new programs and partnerships, from a public-private partnership for climate resilience in Colombia to the expansion of groundbreaking innovations for water, sanitation and hygiene in Ghana. We again marked a new country entry, this time in Madagascar.
In 2021, Global Communities welcomed our first ever Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer as we worked to make good on our values and do our part of the hard work necessary to dismantle the harmful legacies of colonialism and systemic racism.
At the same time, we continued to respond to humanitarian emergencies in the Middle East and Central America, from protracted conflicts in Syria and Yemen to climate disasters like hurricanes in Honduras. When violent conflict returned to Gaza in 2021, our team on the ground launched a rapid response to meet immediate needs for food and hygiene with funding from private sector entities in Palestine and the region. Through our subsidiary, the Vitas Group, which runs the largest network of microfinance institutions in the Middle East, we continued to work with entrepreneurs emerging from the effects of the pandemic and political volatility as they rebuilt their businesses, stabilized local economies and created new jobs.
The core of our work, for every one of our 70 years in business, has been our people. The connections we build with community leaders, the collaboration across geography and sector, the common belief in a shared future that is better for all is what drives us at Global Communities.
As we move ahead from 2021, we hope the pandemic will continue to recede, and that we will continue to have the privilege of working face-to-face to realize our vision of a more just, prosperous and equitable global community.
Sincerely,
David Weiss
CEO
Dear Friends,
Looking back at 2021, I’m struck by what makes our work universal. Although every community, in every country, is unique, with local expertise, opportunities, needs and priorities, there are common themes that resound through all our work.Our deep connection to the people we serve — and the extraordinary wisdom, power and potential that is present in communities everywhere — strengthens our belief in the importance of working together to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures.
Our commitment to equity and justice — and giving priority to the voices of those we serve — permeates everything we do, regardless of the context.
Our commitment to excellence, evidence and learning — to ensure our work upholds the highest standards.
And our shared commitment to meeting the needs of families and communities affected by COVID-19 — shifting programs in every country, including the United States, to slow the spread of the virus, promote health and hygiene, connect people to vaccine services and address immediate economic needs.
These basic elements are universal, no matter where we work.
This shared vision is what brought PCI and Global Communities together. Since we completed our merger in 2021, we have begun to realize the benefits of our combined technical expertise, our expanded geographic reach, and the enormous talents of our global team to accelerate the scale and impact of our programs.
As President of Global Communities, I am proud to work closely with our program and country teams, strengthening our collaboration and better aligning our work to elevate evidence and insights from across our Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Assistance and Financial Inclusion programs.
This work, too, is uniquely individual, but also intertwined. For example, in Syria and Yemen, where conflicts met grim anniversaries with no end in sight, Global Communities continues to support resilience-building humanitarian response, with a focus on protection and safeguarding of the most vulnerable. Our Humanitarian Assistance work always has an eye on the future, as it lays the foundation for strong, resilient communities long beyond the initial recovery.
Our Sustainable Development programs continue to grow and expand, and in 2021, Global Communities was selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a group of partners launching the first McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program in Madagascar – building upon our deep experience connecting school-aged children with healthy meals, school gardens and literacy programs in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Tanzania.
Our Financial Inclusion efforts connect directly with women and men as they build their businesses and create new jobs to move families from poverty to self-reliance, through programs to strengthen cooperatives in Kenya, expand women's economic power in India and build safe, sustainable supply chains for artisanal gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Wherever we are, and whatever we do, Global Communities focuses on what connects us. Together we share a vision of a more just, equitable and prosperous world. Together, we work to build the future we all imagine.
With warmest regards,
Carrie Hessler-Radelet
President
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
Where we worked in 2021
Americas
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Haiti
Honduras
Guatemala
Mexico
United States
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Haiti
Honduras
Guatemala
Mexico
United States
Africa
Botswana
Burundi
DRC
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Tanzania
Zambia
Botswana
Burundi
DRC
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Tanzania
Zambia
Middle East, Asia & Europe
Egypt
Iraq
Jordan
Lebanon
India
Kosovo
Ukraine
Syria
Türkiye
West Bank & Gaza
Yemen
Sri Lanka
Romania
Egypt
Iraq
Jordan
Lebanon
India
Kosovo
Ukraine
Syria
Türkiye
West Bank & Gaza
Yemen
Sri Lanka
Romania
Our Work
Shining the spotlight on regional achievements
The Americas
In 2021, Global Communities partnered directly with local leaders, governments, schools, businesses and civil society organizations to bring sustainable and positive change, improving the lives and livelihoods of people in eight countries across the Americas. From our efforts to eliminate malaria to providing support to birthing families and helping households affected by drought and hurricanes, Global Communities is continuing to save lives, advance equity and secure strong futures.
Africa
Across 10 countries in Africa, Global Communities worked with communities to bring sustainable access to school feeding programs, women’s financial empowerment, sanitation & hygiene and local governance. With over a decade of experience, we are supporting communities as they shape their own futures, build their capacity to recover from conflict, crisis and disaster, and ensure inclusive access to financial solutions, particularly for women, young people and other marginalized groups.
Middle East, Europe & Asia
In 2021, Global Communities worked alongside communities in more than a dozen countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, connecting young people with economic opportunities and the tools to lift their own voices for positive change. From building social cohesion in the wake of conflict to delivering lifesaving assistance amid protracted and ongoing crises, we stood with partners striving for more just, equitable and prosperous communities across the region.
FINANCIALS
Fiscal Year 2021 At A Glance
FY21
FY20
Revenue
239.6
229.2
Expenses
227.5
244.2
Year End Operating Results*
11.400
-21.254
Change in Net Assets
12.1
-15.0
Less Change in With Donor Restrictions
0.7
6.2
Total Net Assets
178.3
182.1
Without Donor Restrictions
149.1
139.5
With Donor Restrictions*
29.2
45.2
Liquidity/Current Ratio
3.1
2.8
Program Services & Program Support*
64%
57%
Capital Assistance
21%
30%
Management & General
15%
13%
For the periods ending: Sept. 30, 2021 & Sept. 30, 2020
Revenue, Expenses, Year End Operating Results and Net Assets are presented in Millions.
PARTNERS
Catalyzing lasting change as partners for good
Global Communities aligns the interests of businesses and communities to achieve sustainable results. For more than 15 years, we have facilitated partnerships that demonstrate mutual strategic benefits:
- Strategizing with corporate partners to reinforce stakeholder engagement, while improving the ability of communities to be more self-sufficient and advocate for their needs.
- Building employee morale and teamwork through volunteerism, while helping communities capitalize on our corporate partners' technical expertise and catalyze local capacity.
- Identifying labor market skill gaps and potential target markets for corporate partners, while delivering improved workforce training and creating job opportunities for vulnerable youth.
We promote effective stakeholder collaboration and learning to increase the scale and impact of our shared initiatives. Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, we develop new solutions to grow sustainable companies and communities.
Leadership
Board of Directors
John Potter
John Duong
Joseph Abbate
Hillary Thomas-Lake
Lawrence Weitzen
Erin Barringer
Richard Celeste
Rudy Cline-Thomas
Claudine Emeott
William C. Lane
John Holdsclaw IV
Karen Paterson
Nancy Plaxico
Leocadia Zak
Peter L. Woicke
William Stacy Rhodes
Wendy Chamberlin
David A. Weiss
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credits
This report was compiled by the Global Communities Office of Communications with support from global program teams. Design and layout by Bonnie Maratea and Annie Mueller. Authors and contributors include Melissa Silverman, Natalia López-Thismón, Maureen Simpson and Lizzie Hickman.