How can you increase the Impact of Charitable Giving Using online learning?

Sep 19, 2024

Since the outbreak first began, many charities have had to think about how to improve the effectiveness of their work and sustain their physical presence through digital ways.

The charitable sector is not among the fields that are famous for its early adoption of new technology though According to Thrive For Good's international Executive Director James Woller. "Charities tend to be more conventional and cautious when they try to expand. Thrive's had to take an alternate approach to move forward, which required taking a risk by delivering virtual training through ," he explains.

The advent of online learning has enabled this organization to increase its impact. "Before the advent of online education, we impacted close to 30,000 people. We're now impacting around 80.000. The number of communities that we've reached grew from 550 up to more than 800. seven countries, to 47 and we're going into places that we not have dreamed of." Woller says.

Another group that's required new ideas in order to address the issues caused by covid-19 can be located in Vayu Global Health Foundation. Before the epidemic, Burke was traveling every couple of weeks to teach medical professionals on the spot. Because traveling was not feasible, so the Vayu team created the course in order to provide virtual training and reach everyone around the world.

"We only use it for an educational platform," says Vayu's executive director Thomas Burke. "Without  all of our efforts, we would be over due to the pandemic ."

We spoke with the The Thrive For Good's James Woller and Vayu Global Health Foundations' Thomas Burke to discuss how they could enhance their contribution in this uncertain time in the world. We found out that they achieved this by two ways: through offering online classes and looking at the world of charity from a more progressive lens. This is how they built their charity impact:

1. Online teaching

Thrive For Good

The population of the world is shrinking to two billion and it isn't getting the food they need. Thrive For Good provides individuals and communities around the globe with tools that allow them to sustainably cultivate fresh, healthy and organic food to sustain their lives by educating people who wish to know how to cultivate food for themselves and their loved ones in conjunction with other organizations who can integrate the philosophies from Thrive into their programmes. On average, the firm produces around one million Canadian dollars per month in food in their community gardens that are based on 50 cents for each meal.

Partnering with partners across Europe, South America, Africa and Asia, Woller says they could not increase their reach without introduction of online learning courses.

Although online learning can help organizations scale, it's also made it simpler to overcome the difficulties posed by covid-19. "Just this morning, I had a phone conversation with my colleague from Uganda, where the boundaries are sealed off and mobility is strictly restricted... It's incredibly difficult to arrange an instructor in-person at the moment. That's why online learning can ."

Woller states that the company has saved a lot of money following the switch to an online. "We're cutting down on tens of thousands of dollars through using . If we had to physically send a training session with Thrive for each partner organization's community for one month It would be difficult to grow in the same way we have," he says.

Vayu Global Health

Thomas Burke, emergency doctor in addition to a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, runs both divisions of his company on : Vayu Global Health Foundation and Vayu Global Health Innovations.

The Vayu Global Health Foundations is a charitable trust that focuses in identifying and implementing highly-impact solutions that are transformational for infant, maternal, and the health of children. It is the Vayu Global Health Innovations arm of the company is a publicly-owned company, meaning they're signed with the World Health Organization as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and have a strong commitment to global health and the community.

In Vayu they've developed medical devices which can ease CPAP and bronchial asthma, which Burke says is one of the top killers among young children younger than five. The breathing equipment required to treat this condition can reduce deaths by 66 percent. Since the majority of these devices use power, they're expensive in countries that have poor incomes. Vayu's Vayu team has developed an affordable device, which costs just $300- just a half of the price for the gold standard CPAP device that is worth $12,000- that offers the same top-quality. It doesn't require electricity or bioengineering and makes it easy for people with limited resources to use. By using it, patients are able to instruct physicians in the community about how to utilize the gadget.

Because the CPAP training proved extremely effective They're working on a second program to train medical professionals on the best ways to use their new apparatus, the oxygen mixer. Normally priced at $1,200, they've created the exact model at just $50, which can help children suffering from pneumonia or having difficulty breathing.

The online platform allows you to reach more people, it helps improve the standardization of training on medical equipment. "We do have master teachers in each country however, it's not enough. The training allows us to enhance the quality of the instruction as well as testing. will be with the rest of us." He says.

2. Using a lense that is progressive

Thrive For Good

Woller says that traditional methods aren't always effective in increasing the effect of charitable cause. "The essential nature of a charity's existence is based on donations and charitable giving. The connection that's been created between the donor or philanthropist, and the charitable organization that is providing the service has some problems in relation to growing" the author explains. "Donors aren't always keen on their dollars going towards technological advancements... It's their preference to prefer spend their money on programs... However through the development of capacities through technology, things are able to expand ."

Thrive's innovation has come from taking a look at companies that are presently focusing on organic agriculture and nutrition, and then increasing their work. "We didn't have to double the amount of money that we're required to invest to boost our contribution. The company has changed from a traditional B2C model to a one. We like to see ourselves as Java within your system. We don't need to play the roles of Dell and Apple. It's possible to label our services as white that our services. This is an innovative method of doing charitable work ."

The organization has been able to expand their operations since they moved to the web, Woller explains. "We received a call from an organization in India that has dozens of schools of training, with over 18,000 staff and community workers and millions of citizens that benefit from. They approached us about their concerns about the security of food in India, as well as the covid-19 crisis, and have asked that they push their training to Thrive. That's scale."

Woller is a firm believer in the importance of charitable organizations exploring new ideas and taking chances. Their online education was an experiment that paid dividends. "I consider that two doses of innovation within the realm of charitable work is a must. To make a difference, you must take risks. We're very happy we took the risk of trying online learning" He says.

While Woller recognizes that taking risks could be daunting but he is of the opinion that results are awe-inspiring and are a regular aspect of the entrepreneurial process. Woller says "Ninety percent of all businesses fail but entrepreneurs keep their going ."

Vayu Global Health

It is the Vayu Global Health Innovations approach that is built on the establishment of a robust income base that allows them to self-sufficiently increase the scope of their activities without having to rely upon donations. "This is the most unusual approach for charitable organizations," he says.

Thanks to an upgraded lens, they've now been able an online platform that can provide instruction. Now, they can reach more people that they could have if they relied on training in person. "We have the ability to think bigger with across populations and health systems more easily than the demonstration programmes that ."

In the case of the online learning environment, Burke believes that the results are only as good in the amount of effort you're investing in. "You need to know that it's difficult to make high-quality educational materials," he says. "Teaching is a lot of entertainment as you try to attract viewers' attention." audience. This shouldn't be just about providing details. You need to have fun and be imaginative. Enjoy yourself by playing with your ."

Burke advises that charities collaborate with locals from the areas in which they're working to develop the materials that they employ. "It's ideal for charities to work with locals instead of having an Americanized instrument that is seeking to transfer over the Atlantic. It's unlikely to be successful," he says.

For a brief overview how to implement an online course, click here. can be a great step to take within the realm of charitable giving that will significantly increase the ability of a charity to increase its reach. The courage to be bold, taking risks, and not thinking in the norm can assist a charity in increasing its effectiveness and reach.

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