Looking Ahead
On January 17, James Peters (Chair of the Board of Directors of IJM Canada) and I jointly made the announcement to the IJM Canada staff team that my time as Executive Director will soon be drawing to a close.
The Board has decided that 2018 is the right time for a change in leadership, and I support their plan. The Board will begin immediately to recruit the next high calibre leader to advance our mission and direct the outstanding team of women and men who work here at IJM Canada. I will remain as executive director until the end of 2018, unless the incoming executive director has been on-boarded earlier.
IJM Canada is on the verge of a very exciting chapter in its growth. For the last ten years, IJM Canada (in partnership with our IJM colleagues around the world) has pursued what we have called our 2017 vision: "Rescue thousands, protect millions and prove that justice for the poor is possible.”
Having largely achieved this vision, we are setting our sights on a new set of goals to achieve by 2030. In light of this, the Board of Directors saw the need to position the organization for the next decade of growth, and decided to pursue a leadership transition at this time.
I have thrown my full support behind the Board’s decision. CEO succession is the number one job of any Board, and the Board of IJM Canada has approached this decision thoughtfully, carefully and with a vision for longevity. The next leader of this organization will bring a fresh set of eyes and will lead IJM Canada to the next level of excellence in our efforts to mobilize Canadians to protect the poor from slavery and violence. Stay tuned for more details on our 2030 vision!
I’m not entirely sure what lies ahead for me, but for the balance of this year my focus will be on guiding IJM Canada to achievement of its goals and objectives for the year. And when the time comes for me to make way for the next person called to lead IJM Canada, I will do so with the satisfaction of knowing that the team I lead and the donors whose aspirations we represent have accomplished great things.
When I joined IJM Canada to work alongside our founder, Jamie McIntosh, in 2006, our total revenue was less than $400,000 and our supporters numbered less than 600. Last year, we took in $6.42 million in revenue from almost 5,000 donors.
Over the course of my 11 years with IJM Canada, IJM worldwide has relieved more than 45,000 women, children and men from violence. But what has brought me the most joy has been hearing brave survivors like Cassie and Gowri tell their stories of rescue and restoration, and witnessing IJM prove its theory of change through definitively reducing the prevalence of sex trafficking of children in Cambodia and the Philippines.
IJM Canada has a great future. I am confident of this, because I believe that God wants to see violence against the poor end, and because I know that our donors and supporters are gripped with the urgency of ending slavery, cybersex trafficking of children, and other forms of violence against women and children.
I am also confident of this because I have been privileged for the last four years to help assemble and give leadership to an exceptional team of women and men who show up to work every day, determined to honour God by deploying their creativity, discipline and intelligence in service to the poor. I am immensely proud of the great work they do every day.
IJM Canada is in good hands.
