How To Scale Charitable Impact By Using Online Learning
Since the outbreak started, many charities have had to rethink how to scale their reach and keep their physical presence using virtual ways.
The charity sector is not an industry that is known as an early adopter of technology, however as per Thrive For Good's Executive Director for International, James Woller. "Charities are more conventional and cautious in their attempts to scale. The Thrive team had to adopt an entirely different approach to get forward, and that involved taking on a risk by 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. Today, we're impacting nearly 80,000. From 550 communities to close to 800, seven countries to 47, as well as expanding to countries that we could never have imagined of." Woller says. Woller.
Another charity that's had to come up with new ideas to stay ahead of the burdens posed by covid-19 has been Vayu Global Health Foundation. Prior to the pandemic, Burke was traveling every couple of weeks to teach medical specialists in the field. Because traveling was not feasible and the Vayu team created an online course that allows for training, and to reach out to everyone around the globe.
"We use strictly as an education platform," says Vayu's executive director Thomas Burke. "Without all of our efforts, we would have come in a stop because of the spread of the pandemic ."
We had a chat with Thrive for Good's James Woller and Vayu Global Health Foundations' Thomas Burke to learn more about the ways they managed to enhance their impact in such an uncertain moment in the world. We learned that they were able to accomplish this in two ways through online teaching and examining 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
2 billion people aren't getting enough nutrients. Thrive For Good gives individuals and communities around the world with tools to sustainably cultivate healthy, organic foods for the long haul by providing people who are able to cultivate food for themselves and their loved ones and partner organizations who can implement the principles of Thrive into their programs. The organization produces close to a million Canadian dollars per month of food in their community gardens which is based upon 50 cents per meal.
Partnering with partners across Europe, South America, Africa as well as Asia, Woller says they would not be able to scale their reach without the introduction of online learning courses.
While online learning has made the business more efficient, it's additionally made it simpler to navigate the challenges caused by covid-19. "Just this morning I was on a call with a partner in Uganda which is a place where the boundaries are closed and movement is completely limited... It'd be incredibly difficult to find someone in person to train this moment. That's the reason online education can ."
Woller states that their company has saved a lot of money since moving online. "We're cutting tens of thousands of dollars since the use of . If we had to send an Thrive trainer to every participant's group for one month, it would be impossible to expand in the manner that we have," he says.
Vayu Global Health
Thomas Burke, emergency doctor and professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, is the director of both the organization he founded : Vayu Global Health Foundation and Vayu Global Health Innovations.
The Vayu Global Health Foundations is a charitable trust that focuses on identifying and implementing high-impact solutions that are transformational for newborn, maternal and child health. The Vayu Global Health Innovations arm of the trust is a public benefit corporation that means they're registered with the World Health Organization as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and are fully committed to global good and community.
At Vayu the company, they've developed medical equipment that can help ease CPAP, which Burke states is among the highest killers of youngsters under the age of five. The breathing device needed to treat this condition has the ability to reduce mortality by 66 percent. Since most devices require electricity, they're costly to be used in countries that are poor. The Vayu team came up with a solution that costs $300- a fraction of the price for the standard CPAP device that costs $12,000which has the same features. It does not require power or bioengineering assistance, which makes it simple for people with a limited budget to utilize. With the help of this device, people are capable of instructing local medical professionals in how to use the device.
Since the CPAP training was extremely successful They're currently developing another course to teach medical professionals how to use their newest device, that's an oxygen mixer. Normally priced at $1,200, they've designed the exact device at just $50, which can help those suffering from pneumonia or difficulties breathing.
Not only does the virtual platform allow to reach more people, it also aids in standardizing the medical device training. "We do have master teachers across the world however, it's not enough. Training allows us to standardize the quality of didactics that are provided as well as testing. It is on the way to our students," He says.
2. Utilizing a progressive lense
Thrive For Good
Woller states that conventional methods can prove difficult to scale charitable impact. "The essence of a charity's existence is dependent by donations and charitable giving. Traditional relationships between a an individual donor or philanthropist as well as the charitable organization that is delivering the program poses some issues in scaling up," the author explains. "Donors do not necessarily wish to see their money going towards technology upgrades... The majority of them would prefer see their money go towards initiatives... However through the development of capacity via technology, things are able to scale ."
The Thrive's innovative approach has been based on studying organizations already focusing on organic farming as well as nutrition, and further expanding their work. "We didn't have to double the amount of money we have to spend in order to increase our impact. The company has shifted from a traditional B2C model to one that is B2B. We like to see our products as Java within your personal computer. it doesn't matter if we're Dell and Apple. We are able to white-label what we do. And that's innovative within the realm of charitable ."
They've managed to increase the scale of their efforts since moving on the internet, Woller explains. "We have been recently approached by an organization in India that has dozens of training centers, 18,000 staff and community workers and millions of beneficiaries. We were contacted by them with concern about the food security situation in India and the issue of covid-19 and they have requested that we push all of their training through the Thrive program. That's scale."
Woller firmly believes in the value of charitable organizations testing new approaches and taking risks. The online training was a risk that paid dividends. "I believe that a few moments of ingenuity within the area of charity is demanded. To make a difference, you must take risks. I'm glad that we made the decision of trying online learning" he says.
Although Woller recognizes that taking risks may be scary, he believes that the result can sometimes be unexpected and is a normal element of the entrepreneurial experience. According to him "Ninety percent of all businesses are unsuccessful, however entrepreneurs continue to keep running ."
Vayu Global Health
The Vayu Global Health Innovations approach is built on establishing a solid income base to be self-sufficient and expand the scope of their work without having to rely on donations. "This is the most unique approach for charitable organizations," he says.
Through the use of the progressive lens, they've used an online platform to offer training. It means they're in a position to reach a greater number of people than if they were to solely use in-person instruction. "We have the ability to think bigger with across populations and health systems better than programs for demonstration ."
If you're interested in online education, Burke believes that the outcomes are as great in the amount of effort you put into. "You have to know that it's not easy to produce high-quality educational content," he says. "Teaching requires some type of fun as you attempt to attract the attention of your viewers. It can't just be about delivering information; You have to be creative and have amusement with your ."
Burke also advises that charities team up with locals in the populations in which they're educating when building out their material. "It's an excellent idea for organizations to collaborate with local individuals instead of having the same idea of an Americanized instrument that you're trying to throw across the ocean. I'm not sure that this can be successful," he says.
To summarize, creating an online course is a progressive step in the charitable space that can significantly boost the capacity of an organization to grow. Making a risk, being creative, and thinking outside of the box can also help a charity increase their influence and influence.