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The world is on fire but don't worry I'm not going to give you bad news week after week. Despite the shitstorm we're experiencing, some good things keep happening as well. This week, researchers from The Nature Conservancy released their research on Hawai'i's coral reefs and good news: the coral reefs that experienced a massive bleaching in 2014 and 2015 are now healing! They found that the corals that were healing the quicker were the ones with limited exposure to humans, shocking right. Read more about these wonders of nature.

Ever wonder how meat became such a staple in our lives and diets? Turns out Victorians are all to blame. The global mass-meat industry as we know it today took its first steps in Britain. It revolutionized the British diet and how the rest of the world consumed meat. Read about the fascinating story of how 'big meat' came to be.

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Building blocks of trust in the charitable sector

Solutions

Written by
Behdokht Hosseini

on
29 March 2021

Information transparency

Positive reputations shape trust in charitable work. Information or misinformation can form a charity's reputation. If the information is genuine and promising, it can increase public trust in the charity. Donors make steady giving decisions based on transparent and true information. A transparent charitable organisation clearly shows steps it takes between its fund and the goals it aims to achieve. This is how it can raise its credibility and accountability, and earn lasting trust.

Transparency requires answerability: to provide clear reasoning for actions and decisions. It also includes compliance through the monitoring and evaluation of procedures and transparency in reporting of outcomes. A transparent charitable organisation collects and publicly shares accurate financial and operational records. It makes them available for review and scrutiny by funders, beneficiaries, and others.

We live in a time surrounded by unlimited online information. Presence is almost synonymous with an online presence. Without an online presence, accessibility becomes limited. But, it remains a challenge to make sure how true and transparent online public information is. Online availability is the precondition for widespread accessibility. Yet, providing access does not itself make something transparent. The mechanisms for information disclosure can determine the level of transparency and accountability.

There are missteps in disclosing transparent information in nonprofits. Lack of regulation on disclosure of the information is among the reasons. Also, bureaucracy, high costs, and lack of guidance on what and how to disclose are noted as obstacles.

Agencies such as Charity Navigator and GuideStar help with disclosure of financial statements. Their aim is to elevate support to nonprofits that value those accountability standards. There is an increase in the number of charitable initiatives in the world in response to the growing need for social change. This means the need for more smart tools to promote openness is also growing. Tech-tools that enable external audits, evaluations, and assessments are key factors in obtaining transparency. They encourage internal controls, and feedback mechanisms for better performance. Such disclosures, assessments, and reports function as great accessibility tools. They display how organisations are open to learning and can lead to developing vital skills for effective performance.

We live in a time surrounded by unlimited online information. Presence is almost synonymous with an online presence. Without an online presence, accessibility becomes limited. But, it remains a challenge to make sure how true and transparent online public information is.

Online information communication technologies are important enablers and accessibility tools. The coronavirus pandemic showed the world how these tools can be the only way to maintain access. They make efficient and effective communication beyond borders possible. This is how Kinder envisions the future of philanthropy.

Kinder acts as an enabling mechanism, not only asking organisations to learn but also practice openness.

How Kinder fixes this problem

Kinder streamlines a free online tool to promote information transparency. It does so by encouraging charitable organisations to improve their virtual presence. We act as an enabling mechanism, not only asking organisations to learn but also practice openness. Kinder continues to showcase transparent organisations that strive for making positive changes. We are talking about organisations that are open to openness. Those that take part in making the charity world more transparent.

From organisational skills to impact

Global inequality is on the rise. The size of social sector services can hardly keep up with the extent of our world’s societal needs. This means optimising the performance of existing services is of utmost importance. Such that the capacity of current initiatives is not wasted nor compromised. Measuring impact cannot be done without knowing what to measure. It needs performance systems to build, and align multiple demands for accountability. Effective performance requires explicit operating models. Models that show how resources are used and connect strategy to results for final impact. It also means reaching operational, programmatic, or organisational maturity. These are essential elements for an organisation's capacity building.

All charitable organisations have operating models but they are not always explicitly defined. They often know where and how critical work gets done when they think about their goals. But, the links between operating models with the choices of the organisations are not always clear. When not clear, organisations have less control over the steps of their work. They can get unclear from planning to intervention and outcome. Strong organisations, ones that make intentional and educated choices about their operating models, seek to get the right information and skills. They ensure they can connect their planning to execution. They keep track of their assumptions and check for their validity. They do so all the while keeping an eye on unexpected factors to secure their desired impacts.

The Kinder CZ platform is not designed as a mere tool for showcasing success. It is to show how organisations follow the journey when striving for success. We are taking fundamental steps to help organisations strengthen their operational skills.

What Kinder does

The logic behind Kinder’s Charity Zone (CZ) is to promote better performance. The Kinder CZ platform is not designed as a mere tool for showcasing success. It is to show how organisations follow the journey when striving for success. We are taking fundamental steps to help organisations strengthen their operational skills. We do so while encouraging them to also increase their level of transparency. We are firm believers in a robust operational foundation. We tell organisations to get clear about their logical frameworks and performance models. The aim is to help them become equipped with reliable skills for better impact. Kinder studies the operational skills of organisations. It draws the attention of the studied organisations to the quality of their skills. It reminds them this is for achieving better success.

We do not see the relationship between operational skills, effective performance, and high impact as a linear one. We acknowledge that social impact is often difficult to measure and quantify. We are aware of impact measurement complexities. We realise the challenges charitable organisations face to prove their accountability. From collection and compilation of strategy and program data to report their impact. We also recognise there are challenges that donors face to confirm organisations’ accountability. These can be due to a lack of evidence and knowing when or if demanding impact measurement is right.

By using what we have learned we aim to do our part in easing the above challenges. We do so by continuing our collaboration with charitable organisations. To hear more about our next steps, stay with us.

Call for action

If you have made it to this part of the article, it is possible that you are concerned about the concept of trust. You may be worried about rising global inequality or injustice in the distribution of social or economic resources. Whatever emotion you are harboring, I would like to think of you as a responsible world citizen. If you are someone who is willing to take part, here is how Kinder can help you elevate your philanthropic action. If you are a charitable organisation, you can join us here. Check and showcase your transparency and gain insight for better performance prospects. Let's come together and move towards building better trust and the realisation of the premise for a kinder world.

This article was written by Behdokht Hosseini, PhD, Head of Research & Development at Kinder. "Having a long-term curiosity for understanding human brain as the most sophisticated thinking entity, Behdokht did her Master and Doctorate in Neuroscience. Now at Kinder, she continues to have her quest for what makes humans impactful in their actions and interactions towards a more compassionate world"

This story features:

philanthropy / trust / transparency / Impact

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You can always become a better feminist - and this is how Emma Watson found out!

Solutions

Written by
Aida González Vázquez

on
4 March 2021

In 2010, the United Nations launched UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Four years after being created, the organization peaked in popularity due to a powerful PR move: the launch of "HeForShe."

Even though UN Women launched "HeForShe" on the 8th of March, 2014, this campaign didn’t go viral until the 20th of September of that same year. It only took 12 minutes for Emma Watson to pronounce her famous speech at the UN Headquarters.

In her speech, Watson talked about the importance of believing that men and women are equal. She had perceived some prejudices around the word "feminist," and she'd like to help dismantle them. Watson also recognizes that her parents, mentors, and teachers have been "inadvertent feminists" and that she wouldn't have made it without them.

The impact of this speech on mass media was enormous. Many women around the world celebrated this act of advocacy. But there were also dissident voices that pointed out its lack of representativity. From a PR perspective, the campaign was brilliant. From an intersectional point of view, it was quite deficient.

Intersectional feminism focuses on the different types of oppression that can affect a woman's experience. Xenophobia, ableism, homophobia, and poverty are examples of circumstances that can impact women’s lives. And Watson, as a rich, white, western cis-gender girl, was not a representative advocate. Authors like Vidya Ramesh, from Cambridge University, called Emma Watson out for being a White Feminist.

Four years later, Watson published a long post in her Goodreads club's discussion forum, "Our Shared Shelf." The first book of 2018 was "Why I am no longer talking to white people about race," by Reni Eddo-Lodge. In her post , Emma looks back and shares some insights she's learned since reading her famous speech.

"When I gave my UN speech in 2015, so much of what I said was about the idea that "being a feminist is simple!" Easy! No problem! I have since learned that being a feminist is more than a single choice or decision. It's an interrogation of self. Every time I think I've peeled all the layers, there's another layer to peel. But, I also understand that the most difficult journeys are often the most worthwhile. And that this process cannot be done at anyone else's pace or speed."

In this same text, Watson explains how knowing Happy, a woman working for Mama Cash, helped her understand that feminism is a work-in-progress. Mama Cash is an organization that helps women, trans, and intersex people to fight for their rights. As Happy told Emma, it is essential to call others out and walk alongside them while doing the work. Everyone has their journey, and there is so much left to learn.

Watson's journey proves that learning is a constant task. Reviewing our privileges is a work-in-progress, and it won't always be a comfortable task. An open-minded approach to the experience of those who work in the Third Sector can be an excellent tool for this purpose. If you'd like to learn more about the work of feminist associations, you can do it here .

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Systems thinking; An algorithm of thought for doing good better

Solutions

Written by
Behdokht Hosseini

on
12 February 2021

We, the people, the human race, owe a great deal of our success to the cumulative efforts of our ancestors, in discovering and understanding how our world works from a systems perspective. We thrived by not just understanding the details well, but also due to our innate ability in connecting the dots between those details. Every action in the working of a system has an effect and every element works together to survive.

When we choose to see the systems, we let ourselves examine problems more completely and see how they are connected to the ‘whole’. The adoption of the systems thinker mindset ensures that our actions are accurate and wholesome. Systems thinking allows us to ask better questions when defining problems, before jumping to solutions. It teaches us that our actions might not have our intended effect on the ‘whole’, even with good intentions. It helps us see better.

Within the scope of this content, we take a quick glance at some features of what it means to be a systems thinker when it comes to problems our world is facing today. Whether you are a private citizen or a nonprofit, when embracing philanthropic inclinations, it is about time to ask if good intentions are good enough for an impactful intervention?

Climate crisis, food insecurity, gender inequality, global health, education, and environmental issues are among our most urgent problems. A complex issue often has interconnected elements (Fig.1) with complex cause and effect relationships between its components (Fig.2).

A systems thinker looks into the cause of the problem, its elements, and interrelationship between the elements (Fig.3), and their cumulative impact.

In an interconnected system, there are constant feedback loops and flows between elements (Fig.4). This means that they affect each other with possible unintended consequences. In a balanced feedback loop, all the various actors, actions and interventions are in sync and their relationships are mapped. Systems mapping helps to untangle cause and effect and identify effective solutions.

As a nonprofit, using systems thinking places your beneficiaries as one of the fundamental elements. It also requires understanding and considering the influence of your intervention on different layers in a short- as well as long-term. As a nonprofit or philanthropic individual and concerned citizens, the important question is whether the gain of the defined beneficiaries would add up and contribute to the community and society they belong to.
It also means to consider unintended consequences as the result of the work.

Let’s clarify by an example:

An article published in Harvard Business School illustrates an example on protecting environments, explaining that land conservation organisations have worked over many decades to protect and restore endangered ecosystems and develop solutions to tackle climate change. Yet, many struggle to identify their key beneficiary.

“Is it the earth itself? The flora and fauna they seek to protect? The human beings who live, work and play on the planet? Or some combination? The question that must be asked is what is the value of each organisation in the overall ecosystem? Some preserve small or large tracts of land, others work on energy policy, some on legislating polluter behavior or destructive farming practices. Wouldn’t the organisations be more successful at achieving their own mission, if only they raised their sights to unite in addressing the cause of environmental protection? Each organisation, of course, will focus on their core mission but with a holistic understanding of how the pieces fit and if possible, even collaborating where cracks appear. Understanding and working in context is key” And being mindful of unintended consequences is a necessity to ensure true and lasting success.

The same article illustrates another example by highlighting the issue of parallel, non-coordinated efforts i n the U.S, youth development efforts. Around a million young individuals dropout of high school every year and another roughly one million graduate from high school don’t follow through with vocational or college education. This has caused a high population of unemployed or underemployed youth. There are organisations that provide educational services to the youth in need while others address their physical, emotional and psychological health.

Many of these problems are interconnected, and unless all the dots are connected, it will not be possible to make progress in a systematic fashion at scale. Figure.5 demonstrates such holistic approach in dissecting the interlinking of components that affect the primary focus. It shows the effect of this mindset on the way organisations can link their solutions to the macro-system. Nonprofits can then connect their purpose, the beneficiary context and goals to the organisation’s mission, strategy, operational model and performance measurement for a greater impact.

Donate to the system with Kinder appeals:

Systems thinking clarifies the otherwise opaque and abstract relationship between the components of an issue and helps organisations with the right questions that would lead to defining the right actions. It will help organisations to get to the heart of the why: check whether their vision impacts the key beneficiaries.

Kinder is ambitious to act on our world's problems in a cumulative fashion and to promote systems thinking by creating appeals; bringing together charitable organisations that share the same concern and are taking necessary actions to tackle those concerns, each in their own unique way. The summation of each of their approaches would effectively target complex problems with a promise of long-lasting impact. To ensure systems thinking is appropriately applied, Kinder keeps up the inclusive search for organisations that connect their solutions to other elements within the system. Appeals are the product of our research on such organisations. We explore charitable organisations worldwide through our vetting process to find those that change the systems for a better world. We invite all the promising organisations to join a zone of advice for charities. Our Charity Zone is where organisations can see the reflection of their work from an external perspective and sign up for further lessons and advice.

Our wish is to nurture each organisation as a systems thinker and call for our concerned citizens to develop this mindset and keep an eye on the big picture that a problem sits within. We ask philanthropists to support a holistic strategy instead of a singular approach, when making giving decisions.

Kinder Appeals not only aim to streamline the donation process but also to present charitable organisations to potential donors in an integrated way. The aim is to provide donors with a fresh perspective on all dimensions of the problems, as well as the required solutions, giving them the confidence that their contribution is supporting different approaches needed to overcome one problem.

When compiling charity appeals, Kinder carefully considers participating organisations such that there is a piece for every gap of the puzzle from systems thinking perspective (Fig.6). Appeals showcase the strength of individual organisations and educate donors with key beneficiaries and various dimensions of the issues. Systems thinking enables educated giving.

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No Nemo without corals

Dear friend,

More Stories

Information transparency

How Kinder fixes this problem

From organisational skills to impact

What Kinder does

Call for action