[SamSteele]

I sit on the board of a non profit that builds homes in El Salvador, so this topic is very near and dear to my heart.

I go through a ton of reading and videos in order to help lead teams. Some of the resources that I like are the videos “Poverty, Inc”, “When Helping Hurts”, and the book “Giving Wisely” whose author I have had the privilege of meeting and having speak to my team.

It is imperative that you know where the money you donate truely goes, how much is soaked up in admin costs, and that the contributions you make are having a lasting impact towards the mission and vision of the organization. I have stopped donating to some after doing my due diligence and started donating to others.

When working with the non-profit I am involved with it is always my aim to be transparent in where the funds go, have admin costs minuscule (3-5% is where we are currently at, mainly to maintain CRA accreditation and keep things legal), and continually work towards making the communities we serve self sufficient.

If you’re going to give money away with the intention of making things better you owe it to yourself and those who are truly in need to make sure it goes where it can have the greatest impact.

SS