Thailand RPCV Thomas Tighe's DRI to hold Shareholders' Meeting and Symposium
Direct Relief International Shareholders' Meeting Takes Business Approach; Editor-In-Chief of Worth Magazine to Give Keynote 'From Punk Rock to Activist Philanthropy - How to Change the World in 3 Easy Steps'
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 3 (AScribe Newswire) -- On Thursday, March 6, Direct Relief International will hold its first-ever Shareholders' Meeting and Symposium at the Fess Parker Doubletree Resort in Santa Barbara, California for supporters and people interested in the organization's work.
The keynote speaker will be W. Randall Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Worth Magazine. Worth devotes one issue each year to designating "America's Best 100 Charities". Direct Relief International received this distinction in Worth's December 2001/January 2002 edition. The topic of Mr. Jones' address for Thursday is "From Punk Rock to Activist Philanthropy - How to Change the World in 3 Easy Steps."
"Our purpose as an organization is to provide humanitarian medical assistance to vulnerable people," said Direct Relief President and CEO, Thomas Tighe. "This is not a typical commercial business, but we are technically a corporation - albeit of the public-benefit nonprofit type - and people and companies invest millions of dollars in our work each year."
"As a return on their investment, we offer investors precisely zero in a personal financial sense since our services are provided to others," said Tighe. "But our investors deserve to know both what we've done with their money and the value of their investment in human terms - what services were provided, who ultimately benefited, and whether the work was done in a cost-effective way."
The organization views every person who has made a contribution of money, material, or time to the organization an 'investor' in their work. This is the nonprofit's definition of a 'shareholder' - deserving of accurate information about Direct Relief International's finances, performance, plans, and what they have done with the money and material entrusted to it.
Direct Relief International's innovation in reporting to its "shareholders'" will redefine the way supporter/investors are briefed on activities of the organization they support - one that may set a national trend for other nonprofits to follow in the face of enhanced scrutiny of nonprofit activity following September 11 response efforts.
"The nonprofit world is different than the commercial - the person who provides the funding is usually different than the customer who receives the service," said Tighe. "This makes it hard for the people who provide the funding to evaluate whether what they bought was worth it. Our intention, by bringing together everyone involved in the process - including those for whom the efforts are conducted - is to help them understand this dynamic and, we hope, inspire all of us to do more."
Direct Relief International is the largest private international nonprofit organization in California and one of the largest 200 charitable organizations in the United States, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Direct Relief was cited as one of only four national nonprofit organizations to receive the highest rating for efficiency in Forbes Magazine's December 2002 listings.
Speakers Include:
- Mr. W. Randall Jones, Editor-in-Chief, Worth magazine; CEO, Worth Media, LLC
- Dr. Dhananjay Kelkar, Managing Trustee, Jnana Prabodhini Medical Trust, India
- Dr. Ralph Kuon, President, Peruvian American Medical Society, Peru
- Madame Vivian Oku, Director, Motoka Health Project, Ghana
- Mr. Dean Paranicas, Vice President, Investor Relations & Public Affairs, Becton Dickinson & Co.
- Mr. Thomas Tighe, President & CEO, Direct Relief International, Peace Corps Chief-of-Staff & COO (1995-2000)
Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948 by two immigrant businessmen, Direct Relief International is a non-profit, non-sectarian medical relief organization based in Santa Barbara, California. For 54 years, Direct Relief has provided medical support with pharmaceuticals, supplies, and new and refurbished medical equipment to over 3,000 charitable health facilities worldwide. In 2002, the organization provided more than $66 million (wholesale value) in medical aid to 57 countries, enough provisions to keep hundreds of local health professionals and clinics productively engaged and treat millions of patients. Direct Relief is recognized as a "4-Star" charity by Charity Navigator, the online service that reviews and evaluates U.S. nonprofit organizations. The organization's website is at www.directrelief.org.
DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
- Frank N. Magid, Chairman
Chairman and CEO, Frank N. Magid Associates
Research and Consulting Firm
- Honorable Henry E. Catto
Former Vice Chairman and President, H & C Communications; U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain and El Salvador; Director, United States Information Agency
- E. Carmack Holmes
Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery
UCLA School of Medicine
- S. Roger Horchow
Founder - Horchow Collection; Broadway Producer
- Stanley Hubbard
Chairman and CEO of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.;
Former Chair of US Satellite Broadcasting Co., Inc.
- Jon Lovelace
Chairman Emeritus, Capital Group International, Inc.
- Honorable John Macomber
Chairman, JDM Investment Group;
Former Chair, Export-Import Bank
Chairman & CEO, Celanese Corp
Sr. Partner, McKinsey & Co.
- Donald E. Petersen
President and Chairman (retired)
Ford Motor Company
- Lawrence Glenn
Chairman, J.W. Goddard & Co.
Former Chairman, Citicorp Credit Policy Committee
- Richard L. Schall
Vice Chairman Emeritus, Dayton Hudson Co.
CEO (retired), Josten's Inc.
Vice President, Controller, General Mills, Inc.
- John W. Sweetland
Chairman and Director, The Winsford Corporation
