From: Nancy Delaney,
Associate Director, Community Engagement To: Oxfam Action Corps
leaders and volunteers
April 27, 2016
Dear friends,
It is with both sadness
and deep gratitude that I write you this note. Oxfam has made the
difficult decision to end the Oxfam Action Corps program effective June 1,
2016. Your contributions to Oxfam’s mission over the past nine years
have been extraordinary. Your involvement has been essential to our
impact on poverty, and it will continue to be essential as we adapt to a
changing world. Thank you for your ongoing support for Oxfam’s mission to
right the wrongs of poverty and hunger worldwide. And, thank you for
going the extra mile by joining the Oxfam Action Corps in your cities to
organize events, recruit petition signers, take campaign actions, and lobby
members of Congress.
The difficult decision
to end the Action Corps program has been made because Oxfam America, along with
the rest of Oxfam’s global confederation, is evolving to become an organization
that strengthens the connections between the global north and south to fight
poverty. The world is changing fast and Oxfam is evolving to ensure that we
achieve the greatest impact on behalf of the people we help.
Brian, Clara, myself and others will continue to work closely with Action Corps leaders and volunteers as we wind down the program, taking special care with the staff and volunteers most closely associated with the program. We are also planning to celebrate this special program, its architects, and of course the volunteers.
In order to achieve our
strategic plan and contribute as much as possible to the wider Oxfam
confederation, Oxfam America is shedding a number of work streams, organizing
along key thematic lines of work, and adapting some back office functions. A
number of staff positions have been affected including that of Brian Rawson,
the founder and coordinator of the Action Corps. These changes will
enable Oxfam America to be better positioned for impact, more closely
integrated with all Oxfam affiliates, and allow us to work in partnership with
Oxfam’s country and regional offices throughout the world.
We at Oxfam are
incredibly proud of the accomplishments of the Oxfam Action Corps over nine
wonderful years, under the visionary leadership of Brian Rawson together with
Clara Herrero and the participation of many other staff. We learned a
great deal from the program about just how much a passionate volunteer force
can accomplish in local US communities. We are proud of each of you for
taking time out of your busy lives to provide leadership and make an impact.
The good news is that
Oxfam America will continue to rely on volunteer support and leadership just as
it has for decades. Many volunteer opportunities and tools – from concert
outreach to Oxfam America Hunger Banquets to campus engagement and more – exist
independent of the Action Corps program and will continue to be a mainstay for
US volunteer engagement with Oxfam. To find ways to take action with
Oxfam visit http://www.oxfamamerica.org/take-action/
People who wish to
continue to coordinate as a local group are welcome to do so. While
this engagement will no longer be under the Action Corps program, we encourage
you to join the thousands of independent Oxfam volunteers across the
country. For questions about ongoing activities in your city, please
connect with your local Action Corps contacts.
Lastly, we are hard at
work planning how to celebrate this extraordinary program that you have all
helped to build and to thank you for your commitment. We will be in touch
again soon with the details.
To contact Oxfam staff,
including me, Brian, and Clara, with any questions or comments, please email us
at actioncorps@oxfamamerica.org
Gratefully,
Nancy Delaney
Associate Director,
Community Engagement
No comments:
Post a Comment