What does Haiti mean to Reach?

Recently, Thomas J. Tierney (Chairman and Co-Founder of Bridgespan Group), shared his thoughts on the current "rules of the road" in philanthropy. He centered his comments on four observations:

1) Delivering real results in the social sector is much harder than you probably think.

2) All philanthropy is personal. It's deeply personal.

3) Excellence is self-imposed.

4) Philanthropy is only as effective as the organizations and the people that you give money to.

He summarizes his thoughts in the following way: 

"To restate my Observations 1 through 4: Giving money away to improve

our society—to change lives—is really hard. Philanthropy is personal

and messy. Excellence must be self-imposed. There are no marketplaces

to guide and motivate you. You’re continually working through others.

And you’re only as good as your partners.

To state this as an axiom: The challenges confronting a philanthropist

are like gravity—they exert a force that relentlessly pulls

performance downward—reducing impact over time. Donors have to fight

tenaciously against this tendency. Otherwise they can easily end up

with mediocrity in perpetuity."

In my recent experience, observation 2 tends to be stronger than the others. That is why nonprofits will suffer due to the recent outpouring of support for Haiti. Like 9/11, Katrina, and the tsunami, we see these pictures and feel that we must help. And let me be clear: we should. When we see pictures of people hurting, we need to help. It becomes personal. It does not, however, change the needs of unrelated nonprofit organizations or the people they serve. Issues of education, health, and hunger continue to exist in the US, but the donations always slow significantly during these events. By giving emotionally, we contribute to this tendency toward mediocrity. 

While we know the need exists in Haiti, we give without asking important questions. How will the money be used? What are the strategic priorities for addressing urgent needs? How much assistance is needed, for how long, and for what purposes? Will Haiti emerge stronger based on our donations?

None of these questions would matter if individuals tended to give this money in addition to their normal philanthropy, but this is rarely the case. Most individuals give to an urgent cause at the expense of other organizations. To do that - to give up on the idea of strategic giving - is the wrong decision. It feels good, but does it do good?

So, donate to Haiti. But do it by giving up coffee for a week, staying in for a night, or dipping into your savings account. Don't do it at the expense of other organizations. They need you as much now as they did before the earthquake.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark

Founder and President - Reach, Inc.