Toni Koch: We shouldn’t go back to ‘business as usual’
By Toni Koch
In addition to the loss and devastation of the virus itself, the pandemic has magnified other inequalities and set us back in terms of progress made toward global goals. On the other hand, we have seen people come together to address these challenges—and in the process, working together, we are tackling some of the world’s biggest problems. One very hopeful outcome of this crisis response is that nonprofits are re-evaluating their purpose to ensure the needs of their communities are met. Instead of going back to ‘business as usual’ after the pandemic, organizations should take this opportunity to assess their visions from a global perspective.
Before I became a fundraiser, I completed my master’s in public health at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. I was drawn to public health because I liked the idea of focusing on disease prevention at the population level, as opposed to disease treatment on an individual scale, and I was intrigued by the ways other causes I cared about like education and the environment intersected to inform social determinants of health.
I wanted to be part of solving big global problems. I imagined I would enter the nonprofit space on the programs side, working internationally 'in the field' addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges such as food insecurity, poverty, and access to clean water and sanitation. Instead, I started my career post-graduation in sales at a B-corporation and a few years later translated those skills to the nonprofit sector via fundraising. I worked for international organizations addressing hunger, access to healthcare and education, and global plastic pollution and was able to see first-hand the impact the work had on the communities we served.
When news of a global pandemic began to percolate, I understood the scale and scope of the challenges that could, and did, come. Yet, like in the wake of other disasters, communities began to come together, rising to the occasion of addressing both the immediate problem of the pandemic and its secondary effects on hunger, job loss, education and more. Nonprofits obviously had an important role as a catalyst for delivering impact under uniquely challenging circumstances - none of us had experienced a global pandemic before - and while we were likely most acutely aware of what was happening in our own communities, people around the world were living different degrees of this shared experience.
2020 was a wake-up call for nonprofit organizations. Precisely because of the way public health weaves through different facets of our lives, many organizations had a role to play in responding to this crisis. Whether your organization was on the frontlines of addressing issues highlighted by the pandemic or you were forced to 'pivot' your focus and rethink what your mission had to offer, now is not the time to go back to business as usual. Vaccines are allowing us to return to a new normal, but most of the world is still far from achieving this reality. Because of this, organizations have both an opportunity and a responsibility to reassess their work from a global perspective.
What does it mean to have a global perspective?
Evaluating your mission from a global perspective does not mean that you should start making plans to open a new location abroad or invest in international fellowship programs. Having a global perspective is simply the capacity to 'see the big picture' whether you're focusing on meeting a local or international need. It's about attempting to understand individuals and cultures and how they relate to each other and thinking about what this means for your mission. We already knew globalization and technological advancements have made the world more interconnected than ever before, but COVID-19 put this interconnectedness in a whole new light.
Why does it matter?
We live in an increasingly interdependent world. Understanding how the world works and the larger economic, social, and cultural factors at play as they relate to your mission will help you broaden and deepen connections to your impact. Being able to connect your impact locally to a global framework provides context for you mission and makes the importance of your work more relatable. For example, if your organization exists to foster belonging through sports and fitness for young people in a community, it would be powerful to know that the UN has recognized the right to play as fundamental for children through the internationally recognized Convention on the Rights of the Child. Framing your work on a local level in the context of a global perspective paints the big picture for your donors and helps them understand your why on a grand scale.
Donors like being able to 'move the needle' on the causes they care about - people are compelled to give when they believe their donation will make an impact. When you can present a case for your organization's mission from a global perspective, it amplifies a donors' sense of collective impact and helps people realize how their contribution truly makes them a part of something bigger than themselves.
I'm on board! Now what?
Whether or not your organization already works on a global scale, here are some things to consider as you assess your vision from a global perspective.
Reflect on your ‘why’. Perhaps the pandemic led you to rethink your purpose. Likely, your ‘why’ has changed, or at the very least expanded’ in the context of our new world. Ask yourself ‘why do we exist?’, then ask it again, and again. Think BIG taking into account economic, social and cultural factors as they relate to your mission.
Consider the Global Goals as a framework for your evaluation. In 2015, leaders around the world agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals that address the world's most pressing challenges. Even if your organization's work is limited to a specific community, it likely touches some aspect of these global commitments, and that means your organization is playing a part in collectively achieving these goals. Are you already working internationally? Make sure that your organization is aligned with the specific targets within the goals you're working to address so that you can tell the story of how your outcomes contribute to the big goal.
Seek to understand how the need you're meeting in your community is being addressed in similar places around the world. What lessons can you learn, or approaches can you adapt that might apply to your community? If you’re tackling hunger in NYC, explore what’s working across the border in Toronto. Seek out opportunities to learn from counterparts, increasing knowledge sharing and improving collaboration.
Maintain and grow community connections. Think about the ways you’ve been able to stay in touch with beneficiaries and supporters during the pandemic. How do current and prospective donors want to stay connected with you as we transition to a new normal? Perhaps you were able to offer more virtual mission experiences. Consider ongoing virtual engagements to help you grow your base of support and keep donors connected with your mission and community.
Now is the time to think big about your vision and your story. Adopting a global perspective will help you leverage the moment and deepen your impact and connection with your community.
Toni Koch
Toni’s background is in public health, and she has built a career in relationship management and fundraising for international nonprofit organizations including Rise Against Hunger, Carolina for Kibera, and Renew Oceans.
