tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post314955687920869599..comments2024-03-28T03:11:22.839-07:00Comments on PHILANTHROPY 2173: The people affected by the problem have to help define the solutionLucy Bernholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09253941214286179394noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-28863756567491259362013-02-12T18:53:36.431-08:002013-02-12T18:53:36.431-08:00I believe that instituting ratios of the kinds of ...I believe that instituting ratios of the kinds of people that we serve on our nonprofit boards will allow us to have a greater impact on societal problems.<br /><br />Look at what has been done with aid to Africa over the last 30 years. Americans have sent T-shirts. Shoes. Toothpaste. And a number of other items that could have been created in Africa. Making the manufacturing industries wither away due to an influx of free American goods. Sent with the best intentions, but economically devastating. Whenever you misplace resources, you disrupt the economic balance of a community.<br /><br />You don't have to take massive samples of what people think from the population to come up with a solution. You can have different people, over time, sitting on your board and giving their perspective, as people who have actually experienced the problems you are trying to solve. I would go so far as to say if you're trying to solve a problem such as children finishing elementary school or high school, have parents of those children and a teenager on your board. <br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />Peace,<br /><br />Mazarine<br />PS. I've written before about how quotas on our boards can help change the face of management, http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/empower-women-lead/<br /><br />and how naive aid to africa is misplaced<br /><br />http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/dear-western-donors-gods-sake-stop/Mazarinehttp://wildwomanfundraising.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3614581.post-40991807927381537492013-02-04T14:10:27.988-08:002013-02-04T14:10:27.988-08:00I agree with this idea, but cringe at the way this...I agree with this idea, but cringe at the way this concept tends to get implemented. Community input means trying to figure out what the community as a whole thinks (that is, the median thoughts), but too often we seek the input of what are effective outliers.<br /><br />Truly including the thoughts of a community requires a sound strategy for sampling opinions in such a way to limit the risk of selection bias, what those on the fringes of any type of community think might be quite different from what most people of that sub-population believe.David Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06096692492987030185noreply@blogger.com