How To Scale Charitable Impact Through Online Learning
Since the outbreak started several charities have had to think about how to increase their impact and maintain their local presence through virtual means.
The charitable space isn't an industry well-known for being an early adopter of new technology though, according to Thrive For Good's Executive Director for International, James Woller. "Charities tend to be more traditional and conservative in their efforts to expand. The Thrive team had to adopt an entirely different approach to get forward, and that required taking risks and offering virtual training ," he explains.
Introducing online learning is what's allowed this charity to scale its impact. "Before the introduction of online learning, we had impacted more than 30,000 individuals. In the present, we're affecting nearly 80k. The number of communities we've reached grew from 550 and close to 800. seven countries, to 47 and now we're expanding into places we never could have dreamed of." says Woller.
Another nonprofit that's needed be creative in order to meet the burdens posed by the covid-19 virus is Vayu Global Health Foundation. Before the outbreak, Burke was traveling every several weeks to instruct medical experts in the field. Since traveling hasn't been possible, the Vayu team created a course to do virtual training for people all over the world.
"We use strictly to provide education platforms," says Vayu's executive director, Thomas Burke. "Without all of our efforts, we could have been brought to a halt because of the pandemic ."
We sat down with Thrive For Good's James Woller and Vayu Global Health Foundations' Thomas Burke to discuss how they were able to increase their influence in such an unstable time in the world. We discovered that they were able to accomplish this in two ways: By teaching online as well as looking at the charity sector through an increasingly progressive perspective. This is how they increased the impact of their charity work:
1. Online Teaching
Thrive For Good
The world's population is dwindling to two billion and they don't receive enough nutrients. Thrive For Good gives individuals and communities around the world with tools to sustainably grow healthy, organic foods to sustain their lives by educating those who want to learn how to grow foods for their own and their family, as well as partner organizations who can implement the principles of Thrive into their initiatives. The organization produces close to a million Canadian dollars every month in foods in their community gardens based on 50 cents per meal.
Through partnerships in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, Woller says they would not be able to scale their reach without the advent of online learning courses.
While online learning has made the business more efficient and expand, but it has also made it easier to overcome the obstacles posed by covid-19. "Just this morning, I am on the phone with a partner in Uganda in a country where boundaries are closed and mobility is severely limited... It'd be extremely difficult to arrange an instructor in-person right now, which is where online learning helps ."
Woller states that their company is saving tons of resources by relocating to the internet. "We're cutting tens of thousands of dollars by the use of . If we had to deliver a physical training session with Thrive to each of our member of our partner's organization for a month, it would be impossible to scale in the way we do," he says.
Vayu Global Health
Thomas Burke, emergency doctor and professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, runs both branches of his company : Vayu Global Health Foundation and Vayu Global Health Innovations.
The Vayu Global Health Foundations is an charitable trust that is focused on finding and supporting innovative solutions with a high impact that can be transformative for newborn, maternal and children's health. The Vayu Global Health Innovations arm of the organization is a publicly-owned company, meaning they're signed with the World Health Organization as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and are fully committed to global good and community.
In Vayu They've designed medical devices to ease CPAP, which Burke claims is one of the leading killers among youngsters under the age of five. The device used for treating this disease has the ability to reduce mortality by 66%. Because most of these devices use electricity, they're costly for poor countries. The Vayu team came up with a solution that costs $300- a fraction of the price for the gold standard CPAP device worth $12,000 -- that provides the same high-quality. The device doesn't need electricity or bioengineering making it easy to those who have limited resources to make use of. Through the use of it, users are able to train local doctors on how to utilize the gadget.
Because the CPAP training was an enormous success They're currently developing another course to teach medical professionals to use their newest device, that's the oxygen blend. It's normally priced at $1,200 but they've designed the exact device that costs just $50 for children suffering from pneumonia or having difficulty breathing.
Not only does the virtual platform make it possible to connect with more people, it also aids in standardizing the medical device training. "We do have master teachers across the world however, it's not enough. This training helps us ensure the standardization of the training that is provided as well as testing. is here to stay for us," he says.
2. Using a progressive lense
Thrive For Good
Woller claims that traditional means can be difficult to increase the impact of charitable causes. "The very nature of a charity's existence is based upon donations and charitable contributions. Traditional relationships between a an individual donor or philanthropist as well as the charitable organization that is delivering the program presents some challenges when scaling," he describes. "Donors aren't always keen on seeing their money going towards technology upgrades... They'd prefer to have their money going to programs... But through the development of capabilities through technology, things are able to expand ."
The company's innovations have come from studying organizations currently focusing their efforts on organic agriculture as well as nutrition, and further increasing their efforts. "We didn't have to double the budget in order to make a double impact. We've changed from a B2C model to one that is B2B. We prefer to think of ourselves as Java within your personal computer. We don't need to be Dell and Apple. We can white label what we do. That's a great idea within the realm of charitable ."
They've managed to increase the scale of their efforts since moving on the internet, Woller explains. "We received a call from an organization located in India that has dozens of training facilities, over 18,000 staff and community workers as well as millions of beneficiaries. They contacted us with their concern about the food security situation in India, as well as the crisis of covid-19, and they have requested that we push all of their training through the Thrive. That's scale."
Woller strongly believes in the value of charitable organizations trying new things and taking risks. For them, their online training was a risk that paid dividends. "I consider that two instances of creativity in the field of charitable work is required. To make a difference, you must take risks. I'm really glad we took the risk to try online learning," the professor states.
While Woller recognizes that taking risks may be scary However, he thinks that the outcomes can be awe-inspiring and is an inherent aspect of the entrepreneurial process. According to him "Ninety percent of businesses fail, but entrepreneurs keep moving forward ."
Vayu Global Health
Vayu Global Health Innovations model Vayu Global Health Innovations model is built on the development of a robust income base to become self-sufficient and increase their activities without the need for donations. "This is a unique model within the realm of charitable giving," he says.
By using an advanced lens, they've been able the internet to provide online education. It means they're in a position to reach a broader population than when they solely rely on in-person training. "We have the ability to think bigger with across populations and health systems better than programs for demonstration ."
When it comes to online learning, Burke believes that the outcomes are as great in the amount of effort you put into. "You have to know that it's not trivial to develop educational materials of high quality," he says. "Teaching includes some form of fun as you attempt to grab the attention of your students. It can't just be about delivering information; You have to have fun and be imaginative. fun with it ."
Burke recommends charities team up with locals in the communities they're educating when building out their materials. "It's a great idea for organizations to collaborate with local individuals instead of having the same idea of an Americanized instrument they're trying to throw into the sea. I doubt that it can be successful," he says.
In summary, establishing an online course is a progressive stage in the world of charity which can dramatically increase the capacity of an organization to grow. Making a risk, being creative, and thinking outside of the boundaries can assist a charity increase their influence and influence.