Revitalizing a 50-Year Diaspora Institution

Executive Summary

As Public Relations Chair (2021–2023) and strategic advisor (2024–2025) to the Liberian Community Association of Greater Charlotte (LIBAC), Michele supported crisis response during COVID-19 and led communications strategy as part of a multi-year organizational transformation of a 50-year-old diaspora nonprofit serving one of Charlotte's fastest-growing immigrant communities. This work ultimately positioned LIBAC for long-term sustainability through a comprehensive organizational development initiative.

The Challenge

Context: A Community at a Crossroads

Founded in 1996 (originally as LICOMA) to unite Liberian immigrants fleeing civil war, LIBAC had become critical infrastructure for Charlotte's Liberian diaspora—one of the largest in the United States. But by 2024, the organization faced an existential crisis.

Organizational Challenges

The COVID-19 Catalyst (2020–2021)

The pandemic intensified these challenges while also creating urgent community needs:

• Liberian immigrants (many in service industries) faced job loss
• Lack of centralized information on COVID resources
• Isolation exacerbated mental health challenges

LIBAC needed to respond to immediate crisis while building long-term capacity.

My Role & Approach

Phase 1: Crisis Response & Communications (2021–2023)

Role: Public Relations Chair & Membership Chair

As an appointed committee member, Michele led LIBAC's external communications strategy.

Communications Infrastructure Building

• Social Media Revitalization: Rebuilt dormant Instagram and Facebook presence
• Newsletter Launch: Established regular email communications to keep community informed
• Community Resource Guide: Compiled places of worship, recommended businesses, and city/state information for new immigrants

Membership Growth & Engagement

• Volunteer Recruitment: Launched campaigns to rebuild volunteer base
• Event Promotion: Marketed youth development programs (back-to-school events, scholarship recognition)
• Cultural Celebrations: Promoted Independence Day festivities, bowling events, and community gatherings
• Economic Empowerment: Spotlighted Liberian-owned small businesses

Phase 2: Strategic Assessment (Sept–Dec 2024)

Creating the Introduction Deck (Sept 2024)

Michele developed a comprehensive "Introduction to LIBAC" presentation to:

• Articulate LIBAC's history, mission, and current programming
• Create materials for partnership development (potential funders, city officials, corporate sponsors)
• Establish LIBAC's credibility for grant applications
• Serve as onboarding tool for new board members

Key Content

• Historical Timeline: 1970s informal gatherings → 1996 incorporation → 1990s-2010s civil war refugee influx → Today (thousands of registered members)
• Current Achievements: Youth development, humanitarian aid, community services, economic empowerment, cultural preservation
• Desired Impact: Aspirational programming (community center, youth mentorship, job training, civic engagement workshops)

This deck became LIBAC's first professional marketing collateral and was used in presentations to potential partners including city council members and corporate sponsors.

Comprehensive Organizational Assessment

Michele conducted a multi-method needs assessment:

1. SWOT Analysis with Leadership

   Facilitated board workshop identifying organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats. Key insight: LIBAC's strength was cultural credibility; weakness was lack of systems.

2. Community Engagement

   Surveys: Distributed questionnaires to 100+ community members

   Focus Groups: Hosted small-group discussions (elders, youth, women, entrepreneurs)

   Town Halls: Organized open community meetings for input

   Key Findings:

   • What community wanted: Youth programming, professional networking, immigration support, mental health resources, advocacy
   • What they didn't want: Events limited to annual cultural celebrations
   • Generational gap: Second-generation felt LIBAC was "for my parents, not for me"
   • Equity concerns: Women and youth felt underrepresented in leadership

Phase 3: Strategic Planning & Roadmap (Oct 2024 – Jan 2025)

Developed Comprehensive Strategic Plan

Michele designed LIBAC's first written strategic plan with measurable 3-year goals across five priority areas:

1. Membership Growth

   Goal: Increase active members by 40% by 2027. Strategies: Recruit second-generation leaders, create young professional network, launch family membership tiers.

2. Youth Engagement

   Goal: Launch youth leadership program reaching 50+ young Liberians annually. Strategies: Mentorship matching, college prep workshops, cultural heritage education, Liberian Youth Council.

3. Financial Sustainability

   Goal: Diversify revenue streams beyond events. Strategies: Establish membership dues structure, pursue grants, secure corporate sponsorships, launch annual giving campaign.

4. Community Impact

   Goal: Partner with 5+ Charlotte organizations to expand service reach. Strategies: MOUs with immigrant resource centers, faith-based organizations, workforce development agencies.

5. Advocacy & Civic Engagement

   Goal: Position LIBAC as voice for Liberian community on policy issues. Strategies: Citizenship workshops, voter registration drives, partnership with local elected officials, immigration policy advocacy.

Created Implementation Roadmap

Governance Restructuring

Key Deliverables

1. Introduction to LIBAC Presentation

   Professional deck used for partnership development, featuring mission, vision, history, current programming and achievements, leadership profiles, desired impact and expansion plans, and how to support LIBAC.

2. Revitalizing LIBAC Strategic Roadmap (12 slides)

   Comprehensive organizational development plan covering mission/vision refinement, SWOT analysis framework, governance restructuring, 3-year strategic plan, community engagement strategy, fundraising diversification, operational improvements, sustainability planning, and 15-month implementation timeline.

3. Operational Toolkits

   Board Recruitment Toolkit: Job descriptions, competency matrix, onboarding checklist

   Fundraising Playbook: Grant calendar, sponsorship proposal templates, donor stewardship guidelines

   Communications Templates: Newsletter templates, social media calendar, press release formats

   Volunteer Management System: Role descriptions, recruitment materials, recognition framework

   Event Planning Checklists: For cultural celebrations, fundraisers, workshops

4. Organizational Handbook

   50+ page resource documenting LIBAC's history and evolution, bylaws and governance policies, committee charters and responsibilities, financial procedures, standard operating procedures, and institutional knowledge from outgoing leadership.

5. Transition Package for 2025 Leadership

   Strategic plan with Year 1 action items, progress dashboard with KPIs, stakeholder contact database, partnership opportunities pipeline, and lessons learned and recommendations.

Results & Impact

Immediate Outcomes (2021–2024)

Key Outcomes (2024–2025)

Long-Term Impact

1. Mission Clarity: LIBAC now has a clearly articulated mission reflecting contemporary diaspora needs—making it easier to recruit members, attract funding, and communicate value.
2. Governance Professionalization: Board structure mirrors nonprofit best practices, positioning LIBAC to pursue institutional grants that require governance compliance.
3. Financial Sustainability Pathway: Diversified revenue model (membership dues + grants + sponsorships + events) reduces dependency on unpredictable event revenue.
4. Intergenerational Bridge: Strategic focus on youth programming and second-generation leadership creates pathway for organizational continuity.
5. Civic Infrastructure: LIBAC positioned as essential immigrant community infrastructure—able to partner with city government, school systems, and workforce development agencies.
6. Cultural Preservation: Documentation of LIBAC's history ensures that 50 years of community-building isn't lost during leadership transitions.

What Made This Work Distinctive

1. Diaspora-Centered Design

   Michele understood the cultural context in ways an external consultant couldn't: facilitating in ways that honored Liberian English and communication styles; navigating tension between elders (who founded LIBAC) and youth (who felt excluded); using her Liberian heritage to create immediate credibility and psychological safety for honest feedback; and balancing respect for tradition with the need for innovation.

2. Crisis + Strategy Integration

   Rather than treating COVID response and long-term planning as separate, Michele used crisis as catalyst: humanitarian aid demonstrated LIBAC's value and rebuilt community trust; the crisis revealed organizational gaps and created appetite for change; emergency response built systems (database, communication channels) that became permanent infrastructure.

3. Capacity Building, Not Dependency

   Every deliverable was designed for volunteer leaders to own: toolkits used plain language, not consultant jargon; templates were editable (not locked PDFs requiring expert support); training was embedded in documents (not dependent on ongoing availability); and recommendations prioritized low-cost solutions (free tech, volunteer labor) over budget-intensive options.

4. Bridging Corporate & Grassroots

   Michele translated Fortune 500 methodologies for a volunteer-led organization: strategic planning adapted to 3–5 year horizons and volunteer bandwidth; SWOT analysis facilitated in culturally resonant ways; board governance simplified for practical application; and change management that acknowledged the emotional dimensions of organizational transformation.

Challenges & Solutions

Lessons Learned

1. Pro Bono Requires Boundaries (Even for Community Work)

   As a Liberian-American personally invested in LIBAC's success, Michele struggled with scope creep—attending every event, drafting social media posts, mediating interpersonal conflicts. What she learned: sustainable community leadership requires boundaries. She had to define "I'm providing strategic advisory services, not operational support"—and stick to it.

2. Documentation Is an Act of Love

   In diaspora organizations, institutional knowledge lives in elders' memories. When they step back, decades of relationships, history, and cultural wisdom disappear. Michele treated documentation as community preservation—not bureaucracy, but honoring ancestors. This framing made people want to contribute to the organizational handbook.

3. Change Agents Need Permission to Lead

   Some community members resisted involvement: "She's young, she's been gone [living outside Charlotte], she's too corporate." What worked: LIBAC President Rick Mensah publicly championed the work. His endorsement gave permission to lead. Lesson: external consultants (even community members) need internal champions.

4. Second-Generation Engagement Requires Intentionality

   U.S.-born Liberians felt LIBAC was "old people talking about Liberia." To engage them, the organization had to create youth-specific programming (not just invite youth to adult events), use social media not just WhatsApp/phone trees, and connect cultural heritage to identity formation (not just nostalgia). Key insight: diaspora organizations that don't adapt to second generation won't survive.

Why This Matters

This work matters beyond LIBAC. Strong diaspora organizations are critical infrastructure for immigrant communities—providing:

When diaspora organizations fail, communities lose more than a nonprofit—they lose a cornerstone of identity, solidarity, and collective power. Michele's work with LIBAC represents a commitment to ensuring that immigrant communities have the organizational capacity of any well-resourced institution—because strong communities deserve strong infrastructure.

Media & Recognition

• LIBAC Website: Featured on organization's site
• Community Town Halls: Presented strategic plan at public forums and hosted civic engagement event
• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, Telegram community engagement

Skills Demonstrated