Human-rights support group WITNESS strikes a balance to keep its mission in focus at its galas.

We do this in so many ways — by making our new training book, called “Video for Change,” available for free on our Web site and publishing it in seven languages; by providing short-term training to hundreds of social-justice groups each year that we don’t have the capacity to serve in our more intensive Core Partner program; and by launching The Hub as a truly populist vehicle to advance human rights.

We realized early on that this work is not something that we can or should do in a vacuum, and we’re most effective when we capitalize on the strengths of our partners and allies … I know that in some ways we’re in competition for funding, but in other ways we can really reinforce each other’s work. That’s very much the spirit behind WITNESS.