An honour and a challenge!

This blog post was written by our Director of Fundraising, Sue Johns.

Sue at a meeting with Programme Leaders in Morogoro, Tanzania.

If you've heard me introduce myself at a Five Talents event you will know these words "I thought Five Talents was going to be my wind down job to retirement, instead it's been a complete wind up!"

Despite how that might read on paper it was always delivered with a smile and a twinkle in my eye because my time at Five Talents has been such a joy and blessing. I've had three different roles and went from full time to 24/7 and gradually a more reasonable part time role now.  You might query 24/7 - but it's entirely out of choice because I'm so passionate about our work and in awe of the determination and resilience of our members.

So, you'll have guessed by now that I am finally retiring at the end of the year! It was always in my plans but this final year has really thrown a curved ball or two to ensure I keep on my toes up until the last minute. 

However, this won't be the last that you hear from me because I have been elected to be the next Chair of Five Talents International - the overarching body that draws its membership from all three country Boards (Kenya, USA and UK).  It is a huge honour but also an exciting challenge as I transition from being part of the staff team to becoming a non-executive Chair at the end of the year. 

Collectively we have grand plans to grow our work and reach out to ever more members - so I am thrilled to be able to continue to use my skills to help with this vital work. Thank you to all of you, our lovely supporters, who have made my job fundraising a breeze. Your generosity has helped our members across the globe continue to learn, earn, save and invest in the future. I'm excited to remain part of that future in a new way - still helping Five Talents on our mission to strengthen communities and transform lives through economic empowerment.

If you have any questions do feel free to reach out to me while my Five Talents address is still working: sue@fivetalents.org.uk !