Dear Members,
Spring has arrived and with it, a season of renewal, possibility, and connection. From Washington and across every corner of our global community, we send you our warmest greetings. Whether you have been celebrating Eid, Easter, Holi, Passover, or any of the many meaningful occasions this time of year brings, we hope you have found moments of joy, reflection, and togetherness with the people who matter most to you.
This season feels especially fitting for what lies ahead at WBFN. We are energized, we are grateful, and we are ready, and we hope you are too.
Join Us at the Annual Meeting — May 7
Our Annual Meeting is just around the corner, and it is one of the most important moments on our calendar, not because of what we report, but because of what we build together. On May 7, we will look back on nine months of collective achievement and, more importantly, look forward to the next twelve with honesty, ambition, and your input at the center.
If you are in Washington, we warmly encourage you to join us in person. If you are joining from one of our offices around the world, the meeting link will be shared via email, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Your voice matters just as much from Panama, Delhi, Manila, or Cairo as it does from DC. Come with your questions. Come with your ideas. This is your meeting.
Global Connect: Opening Our World, One City at a Time
Last month, we celebrated a milestone, the launch of the very first issue of Global Connect Newsletter, shining a spotlight on our incredible volunteers in Vienna. The response was overwhelming, and the quality of the work produced by our Communications team and Vienna volunteers was something we are truly proud of. Thank you to everyone who made that debut issue so memorable.
This month, we travel to Islamabad, Pakistan. Through Global Connect, we are doing something quietly powerful: we are putting faces to names, telling stories that would otherwise go untold, and weaving a stronger fabric of belonging across our global network. For members preparing for relocation, these spotlights are more than reading material, they are a head start on community. We are only getting started, and the best issues are still ahead.
Art Prize: Creativity Across Borders
Our Art Prize has now closed, and the DC team is reviewing a stunning collection of artwork submitted by WBG families from around the world. What struck us most was the image of members coming together in Country Offices across continents, to create something beautiful in shared spaces. Art has a quiet way of reminding us that we are more alike than we are different, and this initiative did exactly that.
Coming Soon: A Fresh Look at Our Impact
Keep an eye out for our upcoming @ a Glance website feature, where we will highlight WBFN's achievements made possible by you, our members. We are introducing a new format for this piece, and we are excited to hear your reaction. Your feedback always shapes what comes next.
See You in May — and April, If You Are in DC
If you are in Washington DC this month, we would love to see you at the Spring Picnic on April 25, a chance to step outside, breathe in the season, and reconnect with familiar faces and new ones.
And for all of us, wherever you are: the Annual Meeting on May 7 is a moment to show up, speak up, and help shape the direction of this community. We are building something meaningful here, together.
With warmth and optimism,
Joel and Milka