By Peter Teahen
It was 2022. The world was still shut down due to the COIVD pandemic when Jill Orton, Regional Director of the Nebraska-Iowa Red Cross learned that Red Cross International Services was accepting applications for an American Red Cross Global Teaming Initiative. It did not take long before Orton had composed a team and submitted the necessary documentation.
The scope of the partnership was to help strengthen the Indonesian Red Cross (known as Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI)). The goal was to assist PMI in mapping potential donors and upgrading their fundraising mechanism and methods needed to successfully achieve fundraising targets and financial sustainability.
Orton noted, “The project was a perfect fit for our leadership team experienced in relationship building and fundraising.”
Over the last three years, the NEIA team participated in weekly and monthly calls. Some team members participated in two site visits to Jakarta to meet with leadership members of PMI and in-country International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent staff.
Orton and her team invited two delegates from Jakarta, including PMI member Ando Parmonangan and IFRC representative Harris Ritoga and his wife Yogi, to attend the 2025 NEIA Region Border-to-Border Summit in Omaha in January. The annual summit is an opportunity for regional Red Cross staff and volunteer leaders to come together and learn from each other. Attendees to the summit enjoyed hearing Parmonangan and Ritoga share the successes achieved to date and their vision of future efforts.
The two expressed their deep appreciation for the efforts of the initiative members. They also spoke of the early achievements including an improved fundraising system and mechanism, while enhancing the skill and confidence of the PMI fundraising staff.
Ritoga stated, “One of the important lessons we have learned from the American Red Cross is the value of their One Red Cross practice.”
As the current funding for the pilot Global Teaming Initiative comes to a close, the partners are in resounding agreement about the future of their relationship.
“This is only the beginning,” Orton noted, “We will continue to work with each other to ensure that PMI will be successful in strengthening their fundraising efforts to meet the disaster needs of the Indonesia people.”
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