Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Welcome

As a leading expert in the post-2004 tsunami recovery efforts in Thailand, I have seen the impact of aid from all perspectives: villagers, government officials, religious leaders, aid agency staff and directors, the United Nations, and various donors. Through these interactions I found that donors are key to improving the delivery of aid, yet they lack the knowledge necessary to make funding decisions that positively impact that delivery.

Interesting articles and blogs - Nov. 1 - 7

A round up of interesting news articles and blog posts from the past week.

If they don't provide information in writing - don't give

The phone solicitation

I received a phone solicitation today from an organization informing me that they will be in my neighborhood next week collecting used clothes and household goods for their organization. I'm always wary of phone solicitations because often when you give to them a percentage of what you give goes to the company contracted to do the phone solicitations. If you like the organization it's always best to go directly to their website to give so that your entire donation goes to that organization.

Interesting articles and posts - Oct 24 - 31

A weekly roundup of interesting articles and posts.

Apologies for not posting recently

For those of you who follow me regularly, I apologize for not posting recently. It is likely that I will not post regularly for the next few weeks as I take care of some family matters as well as work on getting a draft version of a charity rating system up and running. Sorry for the hiatus and thanks for you support.

Interesting articles and posts - October 11 - 17

Kiva, Heifer International, the American Red Cross, and donor trust

In the debate over Kiva's misrepresentation of how their funding system works much of the discussion has focused around how honest aid agencies can and should be with donors. My argument has always been that we have to be honest and ethical about what we are doing and that it is the responsibility of aid agencies to educate donors on good aid practices. If you want to tie this to a fundraising campaign that creates a personal connection that's fine, but you have to be honest about the extent of that connection. Informal feedback from donors these last few days says much the same thing.

Thoughts on Kiva's information sharing practicies

One of my followers on twitter who both gives to Kiva and tweeted my post deceptive advertising had this response to the controversy:

"I knew that's how Kiva works. I also sponsor children via Children International and that monthly payment also goes into the big pot." "I hope nobody stops lending via Kiva, but they might want to be more up front about their practice."

Thoughts on Heifer International's information sharing practices

As Heifer International has also been brought up in this debate, most notably on Sasha Dichter's Blog, I contacted my brother for his thoughts. He's a  regular donor to Heifer and a few years back for Christmas he made donations of animals in all of our names. I asked him if he understood at the time that his money went into a communal pot and might not have been used to buy those exact animals. His response was similar to the previous response.

"I have always been well aware of Heifer’s disclaimer.  I always figured that the money would go into to a pool to be best used by the NGO, as individual donors probably don’t have the scope or necessary knowledge to know where to best donate the funds.  However, by being able to pick out something like a flock of ducks, two lambs, and a pig, you get a more tangible feel for what your donation is purchasing.  I guess it helps you feel more connected."

Deceptive advertising hurts the entire aid industry

The aid blogosphere is alight with the controversy surrounding Kiva. According to Kiva's website:

"Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe."

The gist of the controversy is that Kiva is not clearly portraying exactly what they do. Three posts to learn more are Is Kiva misleading the public?, Kiva is not quite what it seems, and Even more questions about Kiva. According to these posts, Kiva gives the impression that the donor's money goes directly from them to a specific person that they choose, when in reality it doesn't.

Interesting articles and posts - October 4 - 10

Donating medicine after disasters

When disaster strikes it's natural to want to help in any way possible, and one of the ways that seems make sense is to donate medicine - either medicine from your own house, or expired medicine that can no longer be sold. However, before jumping into action there are some things you must understand first. The World Health Organization has developed Guidelines for Drug Donations, and it's important to ensure you follow these guidelines so that the medicine you send is helpful rather than harmful.

Be sure you understand and follow WHO's Guidelines for Drug Donations

How can a donation of medicine be harmful? Let's look at a couple of the points in the guidelines and why they came about:

Does your aid agency website inform or misinform donors?

Donors are often not given the information they need to distinguish between professional and unprofessional aid agencies

To the average donor, aid agencies that spend time and money ensuring professional practices are indistinguishable from those that do not. If your organization dedicates the resources to follow good practices then it's important to let donors know what you do and why. If your organization does not educate donors then they are helping to create and perpetuate the mistaken belief by donors that good aid is aid that is fast and cheap.