The Jordan River Foundation initiated an international registration process, and to date, the Foundation is officially registered in the United States as a 501(c)3 entity, and is also registered in France and the United Kingdom.
International registration has established an extended network of supporters for JRF, and it has also encouraged donors and supporters to contribute to and collaborate with a locally registered and credible organization that complies with laws and regulations of their respective country, and provides supporters with access to incentives afforded by law. All three international entities have had a positive impact in each of their respective country of registration, whether through high visibility events or the establishment of program-based partnerships.
JRF established international presence to cultivate new channels of cooperation that will essentially lead to enhanced JRF program implementation through the exchange of experiences, education and knowledge transfer, and the acquisition of funds.
The main areas of interest for our presence are:
Knowledge Transfer
JRF partnerships with international entities fosters an “exchange of experiences” methodology that is related to JRF’s development models for social and economic initiatives, in addition to collaboration on regional and international levels.
Advocacy
Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the vital role they play in educating the general public and influencing decision makers in an effort to affect social and economic reform. JRF has been a “catalyst for change” through its policies and programs, and will continue to champion pressing issues for social and economic change in cooperation with local and international partners.
Education
A fundamental initiative that JRF will be championing is the establishment of educational links between childcare and family professionals in Jordan and their international counterparts. Additionally, JRF has made great progress in economic development models, and endeavors to promote this exchange of expertise and information related to community empowerment initiatives with international entities.
JRF Product Marketing and Promotion
The quality of JRF’s products and designs provides an excellent opportunity to develop new marketing and export channels for its products internationally. This will lead to more employment opportunities and an increase in the level of income for Jordanian women living in rural communities. In support of this, JRF will continue to work towards identifying venues and partners who can and will promote the Foundation’s high-quality home accessories and handicrafts internationally.
Fundraising (events and program-based activities)
JRF continues to organize fundraising activities and acquire sponsorship in collaboration with international partners, in order to generate funding for the implementation of its programs. JRF also continues to foster program-based partnerships with foundations, organizations and corporations in the United Kingdom, the United States and France.
The JRF Endowment Fund
The JRF Endowment Fund was established at a time when JRF was working towards becoming a self-sustainable organization that has access to its own sources of funding to facilitate the implementation of its programs and projects. This does not however infer that the Foundation will not continue to establish partnerships with stakeholders to facilitate projects, but endowment funds will allow the Foundation to provide financial support to its projects, as an alternative to depending wholly on donor support.
Apart from having access to funds through the endowment to leverage project implementation, these funds strengthen the position of the Foundation for the long-term stability of the organization, and from a donor perspective, and they also allow for a long-term investment on grants or donations made for project implementation. Some advantages of establishing the JRF Endowment Fund include:
- Providing more resources to perpetuate JRF’s mission
- Using generated income to fund core expenses that project-based funding may overlook
- Diversifying income and reducing dependency on external funding sources
- Promoting long-term strategic and financial planning
- Providing financial stability that benefits JRF by strengthening the Institution and its stakeholders, allowing focus on long-term planning objectives rather than on short-term goals
- Serving as a catalyst for strategic and institutional adaptive qualities that can assist in responding to the needs of beneficiaries