Talk Is Cheap – Give Me Some ROI Lovin’

My fear with social media is that there’s too much talking and not enough action. Ok, if I’m going to take responsibility, I should say, rather, that my fear is that I end up with too much talking and not taking enough action. As much as I love a good conversation and intelligent bantering, through comment threads and blogs, I am constantly reminded by Jerry McGuire’s Show Me the Money mantra.

In the business world, we are paid on performance. In the real world, we are paid by measurable ROI and results. The real world cares not just influence but impact made. That is why there is a surge in the democratization of information, social entrepreneurship, grassroots efforts in international development – they aim for impact and measurable results. Julia Molden of Huffington Post calls a new emergence of people who earn a living by giving back as the New Radicals in her book We Are the New Radicals: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World.

I have discovered a passion for learning and making an impact in youth leadership and empowerment and international development. In my recent findings, I have learned about many foundations and organizations contributing to the greater good such as Foundation for Sustainable Development, Pencils of Promise, Epic Change, Acumen Fund, Ashoka, etc. and it feeds my need to be inspired to learn that so many people are trying to make an impact, and do more than just talk and share information, there are people in the wrenches changing lives and taking initiatives.

However, that inspiration is short lived when I began to realize holes in the pursuit of these organizations: measures of success and sustainability strategy. While many organizations build schools, empower women economics, support continuous education by attracting donors for funds and resources to aid in their development in underserved communities, I wonder whether there is any validity behind it all. While Epic Change fund raise for their school, what will happen when fundraising efforts stop?

I advocate for teaching schools how to manage and raise funds rather than fundraising for the schools – forever. I do see the catch 22 here. Perhaps founders of grassroots organizations don’t have long term sustainability plans because what else would they do if their organizations don’t need them anymore. Yet, I doubt the world is short of problems to solve and will turn away innovations and creativity. Build grassroots organizations to become sustainable through ownership and management by community members that the organization serve to create long term invested interests.

Since 2003, I have been involved with Reading to Kids, a grassroots organization that inspires children with a love of reading through monthly reading clubs. During its 10 years of operation, Reading to Kids has garnered thousands of volunteer effort and thousands of reading hours to underserved children. It has expanded from a small group of volunteers at one elementary school to serving eight schools with an average of 700-800 children a month. Recently, the Taskforce’s agenda is to measure the impact the organization has made through staff, volunteer, and donor resources spent and invested.

And it got me thinking that although the organization has expanded from one school to eight schools during the 10 years of operations, why are we still reading to the first school after 10 years since we first started the program? Where did the kids that we read to go? And where are these new kids coming from? And why is this particular school, the first school, still underserved after these 10 years? Granted, there are many other factors involved and it all doesn’t fall on the shoulders of Reading to Kids, but it made me think that the organization may need to look into sustainable strategies.

It goes to show that unless development efforts strike the nerve of fundamental thinking, create new thinking, and change habits, underserved communities will remain underserved and undeveloped.

Photo source: interactivemtgtech