Goshen Valley and the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders – Alumni Enrichment Institute
In July and August 2022, Goshen Valley joined the participants of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders – Alumni Enrichment Institute (AEI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Three Goshen leaders were able to share their expertise with a group of 25 young African leaders from 19 countries, equipping them to take new skills and ideas back to their home countries.
The Alumni Enrichment Institutes are a follow-on opportunity of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance and enhance peace and security across Africa. Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 5,100 Mandela Washington Fellows from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. The cohort of 25 Participants hosted by Georgia State were part of a larger group of 200 2021 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni hosted at eight educational institutions across the United States. These institutions represent the diversity of U.S. higher education, including public and private schools, rural and urban campuses, and small and large student populations.
Executive leaders from the Goshen Valley Foundation participated in Professional Networking Opportunities as experts in non-profit organization and leadership. Zach Blend, Evan Ingram, and Rachel Blend were all in attendance and led educational discussions on topics such as nonprofit leadership and management, accreditation, compliance, marketing, and fundraising.
Goshen Valley CEO, Zach Blend, discussed the process of decision making by focusing on an organization’s key indicators. Zach has centered decision-making conversations with his leadership on the key indicators of mission, margin, morale and compliance (3MC) to help leaders weigh the impact and consequences of any significant organizational decisions.
“Across cultures, leadership hinges on sound decision making. Sharing the 3MC model with the class was my way of equipping them with a tool that they can take back to their home communities,” says Zach.
Evan Ingram, Director of Development at Goshen Valley, shared his insight on marketing and fundraising in the nonprofit world.
Evan says, “It was an incredible experience getting to share with this group. We spent time talking about marketing frameworks, donor-centered fundraising, and email marketing. We then spent time working through specific problems that are holding their initiatives back.”
Thanks to the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Goshen was able to assist initiatives in 19 African countries working on issues including suicide prevention, affordable housing, and food insecurity.
Rachel Blend, Director of Accreditation and Grants Management, led an organic discussion on topics such as organizational development, strategic planning, business planning, and PQI/data collection. This opened the floor for an excellent source of information and collaboration between the entire group of participants.
“It’s always a humbling experience to meet with such incredible leaders. Goshen is blessed, and we are grateful to be able to share our journey and bits of knowledge from along the way,” says Rachel.
Goshen Valley has partnered with Georgia State University’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute each year since their first trip to The Ranch in 2016. Through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Goshen Valley has been able to take some part in the huge impact that the program is making across 49 countries in Africa.
“We offer many congratulations to the 2022 participants, and we hope that you will complete your two week Institute with information and inspiration to further enrich you, your communities, and your organizations back home.” – Zach Blend, CEO Goshen Valley Foundation
