All kinds of crisis plague the world. It’s a good thing there are people willing to invest to improve everyone’s life. One of the ways they help is by starting sustainable humanitarian projects.
One of the biggest challenges of humanitarian projects is sustainability. Sure, you intend to help others. The question is how do you keep the ball rolling? How do you maintain this level of altruism and consistency of efforts?
Sustainability is hard. However, it is not impossible. Whether you are tackling a small or a massive project, it’s all about finding ways to make it last.
Here are ways to make Sustainable Humanitarian Projects:
Connecting with public and private donors
Public and private donors fund many humanitarian organizations. It’s through these people’s generosity that many are able to go the extra mile for others. In fact, donations are arguably one of the most powerful means to make sustainable humanitarian projects
Should you wish to start your own program, it’s critical to have people behind you who are willing to fund the cause. Passion to help others is exceptional. However, resources are necessary to push your passion further and yield results.
Generating a system
You can’t keep track of every donation made. It’s also difficult to monitor every effort exerted when being involved in a humanitarian project. There’s an outpour of overwhelming help, which often comes with logistical concerns.
This is why some projects fall short or emerge as failures. A lack of system from the very beginning means not having a strong foundation. It means that you are working on shaky grounds that won’t take long to crumble.
The very first step is to generate a sense of structure. From the people who are involved in critical steps taken in order to make the project a reality, note it down. Be sure you have something to fall back on.
Hiring a proper financial officer
Funds are often one of the biggest issues when it comes to humanitarian programs. That’s why you need someone to manage the money early on.
The good news is it’s about finding the right person for the job. Another way to make a sustainable humanitarian project is to hire a proper financial officer. There will be funds circulating, and you would want to account for each of them.
At the same time, funds need to be managed properly in order to serve the cause for a longer time. An experienced group or individual is needed at this stage.
Upholding complete transparency
Humanitarian efforts aren’t blind to shortcomings. Whether it’s someone who isn’t cooperating or someone who is misallocating funds, there will always be obstacles on the road. The crucial factor is complete transparency.
For your project to last, you would want everyone to trust each other. With this trust comes integrity, honor, and respect. If there’s an issue, it must be raised early on. If there are ideas to improve a project, they need to be shared and deliberated upon.
It’s only through proper communication and coordination that these humanitarian projects can last. After all, the people behind any project are its backbone.
Spreading the word
Many people think social media is a just a way to entertain us. However, it provides plenty of benefits to those who use it right. For one, spreading the world online can help sustainable humanitarian projects. Create a photo album or a video of your efforts. You can get creative in numerous ways online to get the word out there.
You can also continue to use more traditional ways — like printing flyers, organizing talks or inviting speakers over. It’s through spreading the word that you will find others who are just as passionate about your projects as you. It’s through others that you can ensure there’s a future for what you want to keep doing.
Increasing involvement
There are a lot of community service projects out there that will fit people’s interest. It’s all about finding something you are truly passionate about and getting a deeper understanding of it. You’ll have the opportunity to get more involved.
Join a club. Commit to more community service hours. Involve yourself in bigger causes. Those who have the means can make bigger changes by getting more involved. You’d be surprised how many opportunities are out there that are just the perfect fit for you.
Constant evaluation
You have to constantly review your efforts. The moment you stop learning, that’s the time efforts become stale and ineffective. The fact is there are always ways to improve yourself. This means there will be better ways of executing your projects.
Conduct constant evaluation. Be constructively critical of you and your team’s work. Analyze your efforts and you’ll soon see how else you can do better.
We all desire our vocation to empower more people for a longer time. That’s why we need to exert continuous, conscious effort. This is the only way we can have sustainable humanitarian projects. When we do, we are able to bring hope for a better tomorrow to everyone.
