Susan Gibson

Season 1 - Episode 14

Susan Gibson brings her moxie to the volunteer world, sharing her observations and advice so others can discover how international volunteerism and travel, as well as local involvement, can change the world, their communities–and themselves.

She is the author of How to be an Amazing Volunteer Overseas, a guide based on her 35 years of experience in the NGO (non-governmental organization) world. During that time, she worked and volunteered in 70 countries.

In our conversation, Susan describes her early work in microfinance as a vehicle to empower people, particularly women, through small loans. She explains how those experiences abroad shaped her view on what it means to help others and how to do it in a way that they build capacity–and moxie–for themselves.

In 1992, Susan went to Bangladesh, where she got her training in microfinance at Grameen Bank from Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. From 1992-2001, Susan was a consultant providing technical assistance and conducting workshops in team building, communications, and microfinance principles for NGOs, UN agencies, and donor governments.

Susan has served on the board of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the International Rescue Committee in the UK and remains involved in refugee issues. She was Vice-Chair on the Carter Center UK board and was Co-Chair of the Human Rights Watch London Committee.

Susan was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and lived in New York and London before moving to Washington DC with her husband and son in 2021. She’s laying down roots and exploring ways to make a volunteer impact in her new home city.

This episode of Main Street Moxie is sponsored by North East Ford and Elyse Harney Real Estate.

Amazing Volunteer
About Susan E. Gibson | Amazing Volunteer
Top tips for planning a volunteer trip overseas | National Geographic
HOW TO BE AN AMAZING VOLUNTEER OVERSEAS | Kirkus Reviews
Sustainability Spotlight: How To Be An Amazing Volunteer Overseas with Susan E. Gibson
Volunteering Opens Up Meaningful Connections With People And Brings Joy – Speaking of Travel | iHeart
Travel Now: Interview with Susan Gibson
Nobel Prize Bio for Muhammad Yunis
Grameen Bank
Yunis Center: Global Hub for Socal Business

Instagram @amazingvolunteer

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