Compassionate Eye Foundation | Leadership & strategy

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Summary

I co-chaired the board of Compassionate Eye Foundation, a registered Canadian charity that leverages the power of stock photography – in partnership with Getty Images – to improve lives by funding community-based development projects in low- and middle-income countries around the world.

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Background: For 15 years, Compassionate Eye Foundation’s unique model has raised charitable funds through stock photography shoots and sales. We use the royalties from stock images to donate seed funding for innovative and impactful projects in low- and middle-income countries, to improve people’s health, education and economic outcomes. 

Challenge: As the photography industry has evolved and moved towards subscription-based models, royalties per image have declined. Although Compassionate Eye sells more images than ever, we need to continually adapt to new market conditions to maintain and grow our impact.  

Actions: I was elected to oversee operations and administration for a 15-person volunteer board, 3 staff and international charitable partners to manage $150,000-$200,000+ in annual revenues.

In my two-year term as co-chair, highlights include:

  • Facilitating in-person and virtual strategic planning sessions that clarified our direction as an organization
  • Shifting staffing models and hiring a high-performing operations assistant
  • Successfully recruiting and onboarded 7 new board members
  • Transitioning the organization to automated bookkeeping and payments that saved time and improved transparency 
  • Building and growing processes for operations and organizational governance
  • Chairing monthly meetings that engaged board members and kept the organization aligned and moving forward

Results: This wonderful organization continues to grow and evolve, as we grapple with key strategic questions on how to make a positive impact for communities in low- and middle-income countries. I’m honoured to still be on the board as a past-chair, after supporting the successful transition to a new co-chair.

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