How To Scale Charitable Impact Through Online Learning
Since the outbreak started numerous charities have been forced to reconsider how they can increase the impact of their work and sustain their local presence through virtual means.
The sector of charitable giving isn't one of the sectors that's famous for its early adoption of the latest technology however it is, in the words of Thrive for Good's international Executive Director James Woller. "Charities are more traditional and conservative in their efforts to expand. Thrive's had to take an entirely different approach to get ahead, which meant taking a risk and delivering virtual training through ," he explains.
Online learning was the thing that has helped this nonprofit increase its reach. "Before , we were impacting more than 30,000 individuals. Today, we're impacting nearly 80.000. The number of communities we've reached grew from 550 and close to 800. seven countries, to 47 and we're going into countries we never could have dreamed of," says Woller.
Another charity that's had be creative in order to meet the burdens posed to them by COV-19. One of these is Vayu Global Health Foundation. Prior to the pandemic, Burke was traveling every couple of weeks to teach medical specialists in the field. As travel has not been feasible so the Vayu team developed an online program to provide training for individuals from all over the world.
"We exclusively use it for education purposes," says Vayu's executive director Thomas Burke. "Without the platform, our work could have been brought to an end because of the epidemic ."
We spoke with the Thrive For Good's James Woller and Vayu Global Health Foundations' Thomas Burke to find out more about how they were able to enhance their impact in such an uncertain time in the world. We learned they could do so in two ways through online teaching and looking at the world of charity from an increasingly progressive perspective. Here's how they scaled their impact on charity:
1. Teaching online
Thrive For Good
Two billion people don't get the nutrition they require. Thrive For Good gives individuals and communities around the world with tools to sustainably grow natural, healthy foods that are suitable to sustain their lives by educating people who are able to cultivate food for themselves and their loved ones and partners who are able to incorporate Thrive's teachings into their initiatives. In the average, the company creates more than a million Canadian dollars every month in food in their community gardens that are based on 50 cents for each meal.
Partnering with partners across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, Woller says they couldn't have scaled their impact without the advent of online classes.
Online learning has not only made the business more efficient and expand, but it has additionally made it simpler to deal with the issues posed by covid-19. "Just this morning I was on a call with my partner from Uganda, where the boundaries are closed and mobility is severely prohibited... It'd be extremely difficult to arrange an in-person trainer this moment. That's why online learning can ."
Woller states that their company is saving tons of resources by relocating to the internet. "We're cutting tens of thousands of dollars by making use of . If we were to deliver a physical trained Thrive instructor to each member of our partner's organization for a month but it's impossible to grow in the same way that we have," he says.
Vayu Global Health
Thomas Burke, emergency doctor and professor of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, is the director of both his organization on : Vayu Global Health Foundation and Vayu Global Health Innovations.
The Vayu Global Health Foundations is a trust for charitable purposes that concentrates on identifying and implementing high-impact solutions that are transformational to improve newborn, maternal and the health of children. The Vayu Global Health Innovations arm of the trust is a public benefit company, meaning they're signed with the World Health Organization as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and have a strong commitment to global good and community.
In Vayu, they've created medical equipment to help relieve CPAP, which Burke says is one of the leading killers among young children younger than five. The respiratory device required for treating this disease can reduce mortality by 66%. Because most of these devices use electricity, they're costly for countries with low incomes. The Vayu team developed a device priced at $300, a fraction of the price for the standard CPAP device that costs $12,000which offers the same quality. It doesn't require electricity or bioengineering assistance making it easy for those with limited resources to utilize. By using , they're able to train local doctors on how to utilize the gadget.
Since the CPAP training was a huge success and they're developing an additional course that will teach medical professionals on how to utilize their latest device, called an oxygen mixer. The typical price is $1200. they've designed the exact device at just $50, which can help children with pneumonia or difficulty breathing.
Not only does the virtual platform enable to connect with more people, it also helps to standardize the medical device training. "We have master trainers from each country however, it's not enough. This training helps us standardize the quality of didactics that are provided and also to test. It is on the way to the rest of us." the trainer says.
2. Using a progressive lense
Thrive For Good
Woller states that traditional methods isn't always the best way to increase the impact of charitable causes. "The very nature of the existence of a charitable organization is based upon donations and charitable contributions. The traditional relationship between donors or philanthropists and the charity delivering the program can pose some difficulties as it relates to scaling" the author describes. "Donors do not necessarily wish to see their funds going to technological advancements... It's their preference to rather have their money going to programs... But, by building up capacity via technology, things are able to scale ."
The company's innovations have come from taking a look at companies that are currently focusing their efforts on organic agriculture and nutrition, and enhancing their efforts. "We didn't have to double the amount of money we have to spend in order to increase our impact. We've shifted from a B2C model to one that is B2B. We would like to imagine ourselves like Java within your personal computer. we don't have to be Dell and Apple. We are able to white-label what we do. And that's innovative within the charity space. ."
The company has been able to expand their activities since launching online, Woller explains. "We were recently contacted by an organization located in India with a number of training centres, 8,000 staff and community workers as well as millions of beneficiaries. They contacted us with their concern about the food security situation in India and the crisis of covid-19, and they have requested that we push their entire training program through the Thrive. That's scale."
Woller is a firm believer that charities are crucial to exploring new ideas and taking risks. Their online education was a gamble which paid off with great results. "I consider that two moments of ingenuity within the field of charitable work is demanded. To make a difference, you must take risk. We're very happy we decided to try online learning," He declares.
Although Woller recognizes that taking risks can be scary However, he thinks that the outcomes can be awe-inspiring and are a natural aspect of the entrepreneurial process. He says "Ninety percent of businesses fail, yet entrepreneurs maintain their moving forward ."
Vayu Global Health
The Vayu Global Health Innovations model is based on the development of a robust source of income to be self-sufficient and expand their efforts without relying on donations. "This is the most unique approach within the realm of charitable giving," he says.
By using an advanced lens, they've used the internet to provide online education. They're now able to access a much greater number of people than if they were to solely rely on in-person training. "We can think a lot bigger with across populations and systems of care better than programs for demonstration ."
When it comes to online learning, Burke believes that the outcomes are as great as the effort you're putting into. "You must be aware that it's not trivial to produce high-quality educational content," he says. "Teaching involves some kind of fun as you attempt to attract the attention of your viewers. The focus shouldn't only be on giving information. You need to think outside the box and have the time of your life. ."
Burke suggests that charitable organizations work with locals within the areas they're educating when building out the materials they use. "It's good for charities to co-create with locals instead of having an Americanized instrument which is trying to carry into the sea. I don't think that is going to work," he says.
In summary, establishing an online course is a progressive step in the charitable space which can dramatically increase the capacity of an organization to grow. Making a risk, being creative and thinking out of the box can also help an organization increase its influence and reach.