Ro Wyman and Bill Wyman posted a thoughtful blog on HBR last week with this title. As someone who breathes and lives in this space of effecting social change I thought their post was worth highlighting.
Whether it’s health issues, micro-finance, “crowd funding”, or whatever the next craze is that will capture the attention of the collective “consumer consciousness for giving” it’s important for all of us to stop and think. To ask ourselves the questions:
- Do we understand the real issues this country/people group are facing?
- Do we understand what the underlying causes are?
- Do we understand the systemic implications of a given action?
- Have we bothered to consult with and engage local leadership in developing a solution?
I’m afraid too often the answer is….well that would take too long, the messaging is too complicated to engage the masses, let’s dumb it down and build a crowd, we’ll get more money flowing faster.
True…but does it solve the problem?
