It’s a common response, after traveling the world, many travelers want to give something back to the communities that so graciously hosted them throughout their journey. This often comes in the form of a monetary donation, but it is important to realize that all donations are NOT equal. Some donations go to wonderful, need-fulfilling, sustainable projects, while others go to unplanned, poorly managed projects, that will likely fail within the next 5 years. Sound like an exaggeration? Well it’s really not. A big problem facing the international development community is not just lack of funding, but mismanagement of the funds that they do have. Just look at this article by World Changing regarding a recent donation by Bicycling Magazine and Kona Bicycles to Botswana, Africa. The donation, in large part was a failure, and a waste of money that could have gone to other programs that really do help poor communities in Botswana. The main problem was simply that Bicycling Magazine and Kona Bicycles did not do any of the necessary research before implementing their project, and committed the cardinal sin in international development, introduced a project that did not have strong local support.

What is a donation?

Before you can make a responsible donation, you have to understand what a donation is. A donation is a purchase, like any other. The only difference is that, with a donation, you are not purchasing a good or service for yourself, but rather for someone else. In most cases this involves donating money to a development organization with the assumption that they will put your money to the most possible good. The problem here is that most people assume that all development organizations are extremely competent, experienced, and make informed decisions. However, the reality is that development organizations are run by the same type service workers that run law offices, banks, or even your local barbershop. Some of them are outstanding, dedicated, and experienced workers who are extremely good at what they do. But the majority are simply average workers living from paycheck to paycheck. Therefore, your goal as a responsible donator is the same as any other responsible consumer, do your homework and ensure that you make a donation to one of the really outstanding organizations that will give you the most bang for your buck.

How to find an Exceptional Project to Donate to:

• Learn: The very first step is to learn as much as possible about the community you are interested in helping. Talk to locals as well as outsiders that have been living and working in those communities for years, and try to get a feel for the real problems facing the community. What are their strengths, weaknesses, what social, or political obstacles need to be overcome, what has worked in the past, and more importantly what has failed in the past?
• Research the product: Research the work that is currently being done in these communities to determine what your different options are as a donator. Most donators simply unload their money on the first organization they find without first researching what all the other options are. Don’t make this mistake, approach this purchase like you would any other, and research the market as opposed to making an impulse buy.
• Assess Need: Is the work being done actually necessary, or does it just sound nice? Building playground equipment sounds like a nice idea, but when people are chronically malnourished and dieing of AIDS, it may not be the best use of your money.
• Assess Competence: Development work is NOT easy. If it were, we would have solved problems like poverty, overpopulation, and environmental degradation a long time a go. The reality is that these are extremely complicated problems, that require complex, and creative solutions from very dedicated and experienced workers in the field. As a responsible donator, you MUST research these organizations. You need to determine who has been around for a while, who is actually in touch with the community, who is realistic, and who has been successful in the past. You will likely find that the number of organizations that meet these 4 requirements compose a very short list, so don’t make the mistake of donating to someone who does not.
• Consider Sustainability: If you can narrow your choice down to one good development organization, you will probably find that they are very concerned with the sustainability of their work. If the modern international development field has taught us one thing, it is that one time aid donations DO NOT work. With any development project a long term plan must be calculated to ensure that systems are set in place and that people are trained in a sustainable way, so that the entire project (and all funding involved) does not fall apart 5-10 years down the road.

Enjoy this post?

Subscribe to more great free content from Go Budget Travel through my RSS Feed or by Email!