by Many organizations believe that donor trips are a waste of resources – that donors should give money directly to the organization instead of spending it on plane tickets to travel to the site.
In this short video, Caliopy Glaros debunks this myth and explains why we shouldn’t be comparing the intrinsic value of travel to that of philanthropy.
Hello Caliopy,
Well said, very concisely summation of why actually seeing the impact of your philanthropic investments are worth the ROI.
An aspect I miss with organizations (and this doesn’t only apply to philanthropic site visits, but any organization-related travel) is that there is a large disconnect between the traveler and the organization. Instead of making sure that the entire organization benefits from what the traveler has learned, the trip is treated nearly the same as a holiday at a resort somewhere. There’s no after-visit evaluation, no sessions within the company to relate what the traveler has learned, no use of any best practices that might have been gained from the trip. After the traveler returns, it’s a breezy, “Oh, you’re back. Great, I really need your help on my next project . . . “. Not only does this undermine the enthusiasm the traveler might be feeling about seeing the impact of the organization’s work, it robs his or her colleagues the benefit of their trip.
As always, I enjoy your perspective on the philanthropic industry. I’m looking to your next videos!