TakingITGlobal

5 Message from the Founders We kicked off 2009 with a strategic planning process designed to thoughtfully review our vision, mission and theory of change along with identifying our five year goals and priorities. This effort was made possible with support from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and Lodestar Foundation which allowed an opportunity to engage our key stakeholders in defining directions for the future and helping us face the challenges of our sector brought on by the global financial crisis. Our ability to overcome budgetary constraints was made possible with the resiliency of our dynamic team. The most essential aspects of our work over 2009 included developing a more comprehensive online volunteering program as well as an extensive internship program. Our year was marked with renewed support from the Pearson Foundation for the Sprout e-course program that enables young aspiring social entrepreneurs to bring their community projects to life. We also received a major grant from the Staples Foundation for Learning to develop and launch the Tread Lightly environmental education program in schools across Europe and around the world. In order to expand and strengthen our Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) program headquartered out of our New York office, we received core funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support a strategic planning retreat, facilitate capacity building e-courses and redevelop our branding and communication materials including the www.gyca.org website. We are especially grateful to all of our partners and supporters who have worked together with us during these challenging economic times. Each contribution enables us to broaden and deepen the scope of our work at TakingITGlobal. Join us in recapping and recounting the highlights of the very eventful year that was 2009! Jennifer Corriero Executive Director Michael Furdyk Director of Technology & Finance

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