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We have used our new capacity to build some very
strong and meaningful strategic partnerships. AFSA has
worked with these partners to combine forces and sync
messaging, amplify our voice, leverage their existing
networks, and work together to support America’s
global leadership role—which polling shows is backed by
nine out of ten Americans. We work with these stra-
tegic partners to back up that leadership by, among
other means, promoting a strong professional U.S.
Foreign Service, a pillar of American global leadership.
Our strategic partners are the U.S. Institute of Peace,
Global Ties U.S., and the World Affairs Councils. In 2017,
AFSA will build on our work in 2016 to cement a closer
strategic partnership with the U.S. Global Leadership
Coalition, whose extensive network of public and
private members is an ideal amplifier for AFSA’s
messages on the importance of the Foreign Service.
In addition, AFSA has embarked on a series of outreach
partnerships with a variety of organizations; these
relationships allow us to ensure that the Foreign
Service viewpoint is represented and understood
within these organizations and among their members.
The list of such partners is significant and growing,
and includes the American University, Road Scholar, the
UN Association, Semester at Sea, the National Student
Leadership Conference, Smithsonian Associates, Delta
Phi Epsilon, Rotary International, Sister Cities Interna-
tional, the National Model UN, 4-H, and the Overseas
Security Advisory Council (OSAC).
Our 20-year-old partnership with the Road Scholar
(formerly Elderhostel) organization keeps bringing us
new opportunities for educating regular Americans
about the Foreign Service, and our new connection with
Smithsonian Associates will grow from one program to
five in 2017. As part of this effort, new strategic thought
was given to AFSA’s existing 501(c)(3) organization, the
Fund for American Diplomacy. The FAD will now become
AFSA’s dedicated vehicle for outreach, and we are work-
ing on enhancing its capacity and professionalizing its
structure and fundraising mechanisms.
SPEAKERS BUREAU:
CONNECTING WITH AMERICANS LOCALLY
Alongside this new outreach push, we have reinvigorated
our Speakers Bureau, which now has more participants
and scheduled events than ever before – specifically,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18% more speakers
and 57% more events.
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