Advance Wellbeing for Mothers in Japan

Dear Our Generous Supporters,

Happy New Year! As we step into 2024, we hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits.

The news of the earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in Japan reached us on the morning of New Year's Day here in the US. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by this unfortunate event. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, and we stand in solidarity with the communities facing the aftermath of this disaster.

In times of crisis, understanding the options and mechanisms for donation is crucial. We are grateful to Ms. Eri Mizutani from Kaze to Tsubasa, who has provided a clear explanation in her article titled "Noto Peninsula Earthquake - Understanding the Types of Donations and Expressing Your Sympathy Better." The article is in Japanese, but please take a moment to read it if you are interested. World in You, born in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, appreciates the importance of communication regarding the flow of funds. We are thankful for Ms. Mizutani's insights, and we encourage you to refer to her article.

The past year has been a rewarding journey for World in You, and we owe much of our success to your support. Through various initiatives with a growing team, we've had the privilege of meeting individuals from diverse backgrounds and organizations across different sectors and combining efforts to envision a better society.

Our activities, driven by the vision of bringing people together from all walks of life to make a better world, focus on nurturing leaders, organizations, and communities that collaborate across boundaries.

Here are some highlights from our recent activities:

1. Governance for Impact

• Launch of the 3rd year of the Board Fellow Program
• Presentations at national and international academic conferences on the outcomes and insights from the Board Fellow Program
• Pilot launch of online courses on nonprofit board and governance
• Consultancy on management, governance, and board operations for mission-driven organizations

2. Cross-Boundary Leadership

• Dialogue events on one's cross-border experiences through the "Let's World in You!" events
• Interviews of social entrepreneurs in Japan and abroad through the World in You x Org Dialogue Series
• Cross-border leadership training for corporations at Recruitment Management School
• Japan-U.S. leadership training in collaboration with the TOMODACHI Initiative of the U.S.-Japan Council

3. Global Mindset

• Promotion of digital social innovation through the World Summit Award
• Support for overseas expansion and fundraising for mission-driven organizations in Japan

Please also visit here to see our blog articles relating to the gender equality issue.

In 2024, we aspire to create more opportunities for you to make a difference in society through encounters, learning, and collaborative innovation. Moreover, Mio Yamamoto, Executive Director of World in You, will be moving to Japan from the United States.

Our first public event of 2024 is the World in You × Org #13 on January 17th during lunchtime. We will have the pleasure of hearing from Musubie, a nonprofit Nationwide Children's Cafeteria Support Center. Children's cafeterias have become a big social movement in Japan over the past decade to address child poverty and nurture a community-based safety net. (See this article in English for more about the Children's cafeteria.) 

Please join us to learn how they support "children's cafeterias" nationwide through their business planning. (The event will be in Japanese.)

Thank you for your continuous support, and let's make 2024 a year of positive impact together!

With gratitude,

Mio Yamamoto and World in You Team

Links:

• Visit our website
• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on LinkedIn

Dear Our Supporters,

Over the past two years, World in You's Board Fellowship Program (BFP) has been on a remarkable journey of learning and achievement. Thanks to your support, six organizations working in the women's empowerment field have participated in BFP along with more than 30 individuals from the business, public, academic, and social sectors. 

In June and July, the BFP program had the privilege of presenting its findings and experiences at two nonprofit conferences in Japan and the United States. In partnership with Associate Professor Ayako Okada from Tohoku University and Professor Yu Ishida from Kwansei Gakuin University, the program made significant contributions to the discourse on nonprofit governance.

We gave presentations at the Japan NPO Conference and the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Asia Conference, with titles "Governance that Fosters Emergence: The Value and Potential of Engaging Talent from Diverse Sectors" and "The Impact of Outside Board of Directors on Nonprofit Governance: Exploration through Quasi-Board Meetings" respectively.

By sharing our findings, we aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• Bridging the Gap: The field of nonprofit organization governance still has a limited research presence in Japan. We aimed to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
• Beyond Conventional Governance: With increasing interest in governance within the nonprofit sector, we sought to shift the focus of governance from its narrow definition, such as monitoring and supervision, to broader governance that could inherently accelerate a nonprofit's social mission.
• Providing Practical Insights: We sought to provide practical guidance to individuals responsible for running and governing nonprofit organizations, addressing questions like who should serve on the board, how to engage them effectively, and how to conduct board meetings.
• Cross-Sector Collaboration: We also aimed to demonstrate how individuals from various sectors, including business leaders, can add value to nonprofit governance.

One of the highlights of the presentation was the changes observed in the BFP's participating nonprofits and business leaders as follows:

<Changes in the participating nonprofits>

1. 
   Enhanced Communication: BFP requires multiple team members' participation from a nonprofit organization, rather than only one leader. The program catalyzed improved communication WITHIN the team. The quasi-board meetings in BFP became spaces to share and articulate team members' perspectives on the organization's goals and challenges. Through the preparation and reflection process, differences in perceptions became visible, leading to productive discussions.
2. 
   A Safe Space for Leadership: The quasi-board meetings provided nonprofit leaders with a unique platform to express their thoughts and concerns openly without necessarily making final decisions. It became a space where they could reveal themselves and gain new perspectives and information through interactions with external board members.

<Changes in the business leaders who participated as quasi-external board members>

1. 
   Closer Alignment with Social Issues: The quasi-external board members felt a closer connection to social issues and the nonprofit sector. They deepened their understanding of the real challenges of nonprofit organizations, which is often difficult to observe from outsiders' viewpoint.
2. 
   Commitment to Contribution: The engagement model of simulated board meetings required individuals to commit their expertise and experience actively. This experience made many think more concretely about how they could contribute to nonprofit organizations beyond just this program. Some have already begun taking steps to engage with nonprofit organizations actively, including becoming an actual board member of a participating nonprofit.

The two professors will continue to evaluate the program's impact during the BFP's third year, further advancing the integration of practice and research. Their dedication ensures that the program's learnings will continue to benefit society at large.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants and supporters.

Links:

• Brief conference report (in Japanese)