As the holiday season approaches and the year comes to an end, we would like to take some time to reflect on the past year and share some of the highlights and developments of 2014. It has been a year of exciting growth and transition, and we are so grateful to our supporters and everyone who has helped us get to where we are today.
Few for Change Turns Five
We are celebrating our 5th year as an organization this year. We started as a group of study abroad classmates interested in giving back to a community that had welcomed us with kindness and generosity. Our first year, working with World Learning's Global Reciprocity Fund to accept donations, we raised enough to fund three students for three years. We then grew from three to seven, and then to ten, and this year we are supporting twelve. We're so proud of how the organization has grown and we look forward to continuing our development in coming years.
Katie Clay Elected Few for Change President
Meet Katie Clay, our new President.
With five great years behind us, we are pleased to announce that Few for Change board member Katie Clay was elected president at our retreat in August. Katie brings energy, enthusiasm and great experience, having served on the Few for Change board for the past four years. Katie's passion for working with communities and her love of Panama make her the perfect choice to lead us into the next chapter of development for Few for Change.
It's Official: We're a tax-exempt nonprofit organization!
In September of this year, Few for Change received notification from the Internal Revenue Service that we had been granted tax-exempt nonprofit status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For those of you not fluent in nonprofit legalese, that means that we can now accept tax-deductible donations directly, without requiring the support of a fiscal sponsor. We are are incredibly grateful to World Learning for its support and guidance over the past five years, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future, but it is also incredibly exciting to take the leap into being an independent nonprofit organization. We have now set up our own easy-to-use donation platform, so check it out and support us with a tax-deductible donation at www.fewforchange.org/donate.
Looking forward to 2015
Looking forward to the year ahead, we will be awarding our next round of scholarships in early 2015. A group of Few for Change volunteers will once again be traveling to the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé for the annual Entrega Ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the school year and welcome the newest class of Few for Change scholars. Stay tuned to the Few for Change blog for more updates from our students and the Comarca!
