A Minute With Jennifer Klopp of Helen Keller International

"The arrival of Kathy Spahn, president and CEO, in 2005 was a real turning point for the organization. Her leadership together with the expertise of our staff and the commitment of the board have catalyzed this tremendous growth. The right leadership makes all the difference."

"Our greatest asset, the breadth of our programs, can also be our greatest challenge in communicating with potential donors. We work in the poorest of neighborhoods here at home, and we also work in developing countries in Africa and Asia. We provide glasses to schoolchildren, and we teach women how to create gardens with nutritious foods, and we perform sight-restoring surgeries, and so on. The richness of choices can sometimes be overwhelming, so we have to figure out ways to focus on the right story at the right time. That's where the fun comes in too! Understanding who your donors are, and what their interests are, is key to our success."