Earlier this week I was notified that I will still be working for Heifer International. I also learned that over 90 employees in the U.S. have been laid off or redistributed & all of our regional offices will be shut down--it was an incredibly emotional week. At some point, I hope to have the energy & articulation to express my personal feelings & experiences, but it will not be on this public space (it may be time to take Emerald Life private). In the meantime, I leave you with the message I sent out on Friday to Heifer supporters in the Pacific Northwest:
Dear Heifer supporters,
As you know, the current economic crisis has forced many non-profits to make reductions in staff in order to continue their important work. Unfortunately, Heifer is no different. This week some very difficult and painful changes were made in order to position Heifer to maintain our current projects and assist more families around the world. These changes include office closures, restructuring, and layoffs across the organization.
For the Pacific Northwest, you will likely not notice any immediate changes. I will still be working for Heifer from my Seattle office, but will now be supporting you as the Western Zone Volunteer Coordinator, covering a substantially larger region (shown in blue on the map below). Our Western Zone Office in Sacramento will be closing by the end of the summer. The four zones, as pictured below, will no longer have zone offices, but each will have one Zone Volunteer Coordinator. Phone representatives based at our Headquarters in Little Rock and Major Gift Officers placed around the U.S. will ensure personal contact with our supporters. The closing of zone offices and reorganization of staff is in effort to provide cost effective and efficient communication with donors and volunteers.
* Please disregard yellow dots.
Below are some other changes at Heifer you should know about. When reading this it is important to keep in mind that our overarching goal is to position Heifer to assist more families to make an impact around the world, including the United States.
- Going forward, Heifer activities in the U.S. will focus on integrating the U.S. program, education, advocacy and fundraising around the theme of “food sovereignty” or health and sustainable food systems. They will also be more cost-effective, which is critical because the U.S. is one of the most expensive of the forty countries in which Heifer bases its operations.
-The U.S. Country Program reduced staff by approximately one-half and the field program office is moving into Headquarters space in Little Rock. It will honor existing project commitments in the U.S. but transition to:
· A partnership based delivery model
· Projects designed to enhance food systems or urban agriculture, or serve indigenous people or immigrant farmers
· Program work will be concentrated in the Southwest, Mississippi Delta, or Appalachian regions
-This reduction in U.S. program staff affected our own dear Colleen Donovan, Program Manager for the Pacific Northwest. The Ellensburg, WA program office will be closed, effective June 19th. Any and all are invited to stop in the Ellensburg office for one last hoorah next Thursday, June 18th, from noon on. Colleen can be reached at her Heifer email (colleen.donovan@heifer.org) until next Friday and after that I can provide her personal contact.
- 61 staff members in the U.S. and 169 staff members outside the U.S. were laid off.
-International Programs has closed or scaled back regional offices to make the best use of available staff and resources.
-Heifer will phase out project support in countries where we do not have offices and projects are managed from neighboring countries. These include Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Moldova, Macedonia and Bulgaria. We are also scaling back and repositioning programs in Mexico, Haiti, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Heifer will move forward as a leaner, focused, accountable and more flexible organization.Your support will be critical in maintaining existing relationships and in opening up new growth opportunities for Heifer going forward. We are truly grateful for your tireless support, and we humbly ask for your patience and understanding as we go through these difficult changes.
If you have questions or concerns, Donna Jared, our VP of Regional Operations, welcomes them at donna.jared@heifer.org. I am also here for any questions or needs you may have.
On a personal note, I would like to ask for patience as I transition into the new role as Western Zone Volunteer Coordinator. The full scope of my job has yet to be determined and I will need time to work through new processes and communication systems. While I will do everything I can to provide you the best support, I am sure that changes and challenges lie ahead. This time is not easy for any of us – we are losing many dear and valuable colleagues and friends and changing the way Heifer has operated for the last decade. I feel honored to be the Volunteer Coordinator for the Western Zone, but I am taking on the roles of three coordinators who have built an incredible volunteer base and will be sorely missed. I assure you I will do my best to honor their hard work and your commitment to Heifer.
During this challenging time, I find hope and inspiration in the lives of those Heifer helps. Our struggles are minimal compared to the world’s poor and hungry and their perseverance and caring spirit renews my sense of purpose. I still envision “a world of communities living together in peace, equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet” and helping Heifer to build a strong, compassionate, community-based volunteer program is a step in that direction. I hope you feel the same and I look forward to working with you to empower people around the world.
-Eliza Penick
Western Zone Volunteer Coordinator
