Category Archives: Community / Volunteer Engagement

What Did I Think of the Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program?

12 people standing at a construction site, in a line, smiling for the camera. They are all wearing hard hats and safety suspenders.
Diego, our wonderful local liaison, Stephanie, our incredible group leader, and the Habitat Global Village volunteers in Paraguay in May 2025. We are filthy and it’s only the first day. I’m the fat girl on the viewer’s right.

I’m back from my week-long stint volunteering as a part of Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program, where I helped build a foundation for a house for a family in a low-income community outside of Asunción, Paraguay.

I wrote about the trip for the local Habitat affiliate I work for, part-time, here in Oregon, focusing on what we did day-to-day, how we built the foundation, challenges we faced, what I packed, how I fundraised for the trip, etc., along with tips for anyone who might want to explore being a team leader for such a trip in the future. But I wanted to write about the trip from the perspective of me the volunteer management consultant and researcher, and me the skeptic regarding most volunTOURism trips.

What is volunTOURism? It’s where a person pays a lot of money to travel somewhere for a volunteering experience. Habitat for Humanity would REALLY like to move away from this label, and I respect that – however, by the definition I use, that’s still what this program is. And that’s NOT something to be ashamed of: this is ethical voluntourism.

I used to think all volunTOURism – all instances where someone pays to volunteer abroad – was bad, period. People in the United Nations and working for other international development agencies tend to look down on people paying to volunteer, mostly because it can often seem to be all about the volunteer and their feel-good, photo-friendly experience (“Vanity Volunteering”), not about actually engaging in sustainable development, in activities that empower local people, that aren’t just charity, and it often can reinforce the worst ideas of white saviorism and colonialism. Some volunteering programs can take away jobs from local people (an example is the backlash against volunteers coming into NOLA after Hurricane Katrina from carpenters, roofers and others who were desperate for work).

More dire horror stories about volunTOURism abound: so-called wildlife sanctuaries that care for orphan animals, but the animals are orphaned because their parents have been killed so that the sanctuary has baby animals for the foreign volunteers to care for. So-called orphanages where, in many cases, children have parents, but parents are paid for their children to live in these “orphanages”, and foreigners come for a few days or weeks to “care for” the “orphans.” And cases where volunteers harm people they are supposed to be caring for, including harming women and children in the worst ways imaginable.

(You can read all my blogs about volunTOURism here. And you can read my resources for all kinds of volunteering abroad here.)

I started to change my mind about all volunTOURism being all bad when I noticed a few programs that seemed to be designed by local people themselves, where there were written standards for both volunteers and for the kinds of work volunteers could, and shouldn’t, engage in, where there were strict rules regarding safety and safeguarding for both volunteers and those served, and where the work by the volunteers was needed and not being done by anyone else. Like Africa Fire Mission, a nonprofit that brings together experienced firefighters from developed countries to train firefighters in various African countries regarding effective emergency response and fire prevention and response services. Or HistoriCorps, a program in the USA where volunteers pay a fee and help restore a historic site on public lands, sometimes in very remote places.

The one volunTOURism program that stood out most was the Global Village program by Habitat for Humanity. Through this program, local Habitat programs in impoverished areas in South America, Central America and Asia receive much needed funding, in part per the fees paid by international volunteers, and an intense, hyper-productive week of labor: the volunteers get an incredible amount done in a week, working right along side local contractors (which the volunteers’ fees have helped fund). The additional goals of the program are that there is an increased understanding by the visiting volunteers of home ownership challenges globally and the role Habitat for Humanity plays in such, that volunteers become better advocates for Habitat’s vision where everyone has a decent place to live, and that people from different cultures get to come together and work side-by-side, leading to greater understanding and appreciation of each other – what Habitat calls God’s love into action, what I call humanism in action and necessary for our survival.

In all my years as a volunteer management consultant, long before I started working for a Habitat affiliate here in Oregon, I was a fan of Habitat for Humanity and its model for volunteer engagement locally. Habitat fully acknowledges that it is not going to solve the housing crisis anywhere by volunteers coming together when they have some time and building some houses here and there; the much needed resolution in the global housing crisis will come only through drastic and impactful policy changes and enforcement of those changes. But those changes will come only through the will of a mass of people, and one of the best ways to get people on your side, to turn people into advocates for your cause, is to get them involved as volunteers at your organization.

Habitat has strict guidelines for volunteer engagement on a local level, and when those principles are well applied, they are, IMO, the best in the “business” of volunteer engagement. Habitat’s engagement of groups of volunteers, when done in alignment with Habitat rules and policies, are models for other organizations. For the volunteer, the bar to participation should feel quick and easy, but behind the scenes, if done properly, a lot of thought, time and care goes into the volunteer feeling that way.

But what about Habitat’s volunteering-abroad program? How do I think it measures up in terms of ethics and impact? I’ll cut to the chase and it won’t be a surprise: this was a model group volunteering endeavor. This is the standard every short-term program should aspire to, whether it’s a local or international program:

  • Volunteers were provided all the materials beforehand, with all the information they needed to know exactly what they were getting into.
  • Volunteers were provided details on exactly what the money they had to raise, or pay, would pay for.
  • Volunteers knew exactly what to pack, what would be provided and what would not.
  • The group leader, also a volunteer, stayed in touch regularly, but not overwhelmingly, before departure. She sent regular reminders and had answers to all questions. And then after the trip, she sent an outstanding followup message that explained how we could continue to support Habitat and how we could get involved in advocacy efforts.
  • A WhatsApp group was set up for all volunteers just before we departed, so we would know who was arriving when, we could easily share links to photos, and we could further build community (and trust) with each other (that makes this a virtual volunteering effort, BTW!).
  • Volunteers always knew where to be and when to be there.
  • We were warmly welcomed at the work site.
  • The work was ready for the volunteers to do immediately, every day.
  • There were several people providing guidance whenever needed.
  • The safety and safeguarding briefing was clear and provided exactly the information needed, clearly and without any ambiguity.
  • Volunteers’ time was never, ever wasted.
  • Drinking water was provided (I can’t believe how many group endeavors don’t provide this).
  • A bathroom was provided (again, I can’t believe how many group endeavors don’t have this).
  • The volunteers worked like freakin’ machines. Unstoppable, ever-fueled machines. Get. Out. Of. Their. Way. The team leader definitely recruited exactly the right group for this gig (with one exception: me. I was no where near as productive as the other volunteers. But I had an excuse: I was so sick the week before that I almost had to cancel my trip, and the very strong antibiotics I was on those first days did NOT help).

In all fairness, I have to point out that this group of volunteers in Paraguay was full of ringers: there were 11 volunteers in all, and four were employees of Habitat for Humanity International, and all but two – and one of those two was me – were veterans of the Global Village program. So I was the only person starting from absolute zero. And given that I’m a rather seasoned international traveler, and a volunteer management consultant and trainer, I was a bit of a ringer myself.

But, of course, Habitat’s global volunteering program is more than a group volunteering gig abroad. It’s volunTOURism: volunteers are paying to go abroad and paying a fee to participate. How did THAT aspect measure up in terms of my oh-so-picky list of volunTOURism ethics?

Habitat’s Global Village program was put on hold during COVID so the program could be redesigned to be more locally-focused, more impactful for local communities, and less about tourism. I can’t compare my experience to before the pandemic. But here’s what I can say about my experience, in terms of the changes Habitat said they wanted to implement in the program:

In changing the program, Habitat said they wanted these volunteer activities to be focused on volunteers engaging in mutual learning and exchange with local people, rather than tourism activities. I think they nailed this. There were tourism activities, which took place on the day or two before work began, and in the evenings. But the focus of this trip was on the work itself, and the work took place right alongside the local contractors and local staff.

I was never so happy at my meager Spanish skills: I got to talk a lot with local staff, the local construction workers, the family we served and even some of the local kids gathered to watch. Each day when we arrived at the site, I would greet each member of the family that had come out to watch us work, holding hands, giving greetings and kissing each other on the cheek. One volunteer told me that, while I was feeling envious of the energy and strength of all the volunteers (I really was not nearly as productive as they were), she was envious of me having conversations with the Paraguayans. She said she felt like there was a wall between her and them, and she didn’t know how to bridge it, and she was envious every time I walked over and started chatting with local folks. I definitely got the “mutual learning and exchange with local people” aspect, but I’m not sure all the volunteers did (but those who didn’t were the ones why were hyper productive in building the foundation of this house, and that’s what they seemed to want to do most).

The redesigned program does not want international volunteers to enter a community with their own ideas of what needs to be done. The “agenda of change” needs to be defined by and led by the local people being served, not the outside volunteers coming into a community. I think this was adhered to, but not because volunteers were ever told this priority; the volunteers I was with in Paraguay were all veterans of these kinds of Habitat programs, save one person besides me, and they already knew better than to walk in to a work site and say things should be done differently.

Per the programs’ redesign, a promotion of safeguarding was supposed to be much more emphasized throughout the experience than before. I don’t know what it was like before, but I can say that what I experienced was a MODEL emphasis on and explanation of safeguarding and safety, one that the affiliate I work for still hasn’t mastered. Kudos.

Habitat Global Village projects are supposed to be designed by local communities and the focus should be on local ownership and local sustainability. They nailed this goal too. There was no doubt who was in charge – and it was NOT us, the volunteers – and whose project this was – NOT ours, but the local people themselves.

Also per the redesign of the program, from the beginning, volunteers were supposed to learn about the need for adequate housing around the world, so we can become advocates regarding the cause and champions for equitable housing long after their trip has ended. For me, this goal came up just a bit short. Why is there a shortage of housing in Paraguay? What policies and practices are keeping people from having housing in Paraguay? What’s the unemployment rate? How much would a family need to make to build their own house without NGO assistance? Are all kids in school? How does lack of housing affect education in Paraguay? Where is Paraguay in the UNDP Human Development Index? Where does it rank in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index? I don’t think it would have taken a huge amount of time to touch on answers to these questions, so we could get more context to why Habitat is needed in Paraguay (and other countries). But that said, the followup message from Habitat, after we returned, was spot on: it provided information on how we could be continued advocates for Habitat, how we could become involved with our local Habitat affiliates, etc. There’s an entire paragraph in my blog about the trip for the local Habitat affiliate I work for about advocacy and its importance, and it wouldn’t have been there had we not gotten this follow up email.

Personally, I felt uncomfortable at the stark contrast of our accommodations and our morning and evening meals to the lives of the people in the neighborhood where we worked in Paraguay. I’m a motorcycle traveler, including in developing countries, and I don’t stay in hotels as nice as what we experienced in Paraguay, and I don’t eat at restaurants nearly so nice when traveling. But from what I understand, our level of accommodations in Asunción were necessary because of the security situation in the region where we worked – we were very obviously a big group of relatively wealthy Americans, and we REALLY stood out in the countryside. As for the food at very nice restaurants, I think Habitat is dedicated to volunteers not getting sick, as they have just one week to work (and did I mention it is REAL WORK?). No one wants any volunteer to spend their week mostly in a hotel room bathroom. So, I get why our accommodations and food were as they were.

With all that said, let me be clear: this was an amazing experience. I cried when it was over. So. Much. Hugging. One of the local staff told me, “You were my favorite” and I nearly collapsed in weeping. This experience ticked all the boxes: international volunteers really were needed and really did make a difference, the effort was locally led, I know things about Paraguay I didn’t know before and I am in love with the country, I had an amazing experience, and I am even more committed to the mission of Habitat than I was before. I have a stronger connection to Habitat than ever before – and I intend to turn these feelings into more effective action at the affiliate where I work.

And a few days after I returned home, the homeowner that we had helped had “liked” my Facebook page, and written on one of the posts about Paraguay, “Gracias por todo Ojalá algún día vuelvan las puertas de mi casa siempre estará abiertas para todos ustedes Dios los bendiga.” (Thank you for everything I hope one day you come back the doors of my house will always be open to all of you God bless you.)

That comment, and so much of this experience, is what is too often missing almost entirely in professional international development work. I have worked for the United Nations three times. The first time was at a UN program HQ, and I rarely got this moving emotional experience there like I had in Paraguay, because I was so far removed from the people actually being served, and there were times that this kind of inspiration would have made me much more motivated – something very much needed amid the stress and bureaucracy of the UN work environment. When I worked in Afghanistan and Ukraine, I made a point to get beyond the office space, to get to know Afghans and Ukrainians, and as a result, I loved that field work so, so much more than HQ work. And I cried when I left those countries. And still cry for them.

When I worked at United Nations Volunteers HQ, part of UNDP, the head of UNV, Sharon Capeling-Alakija, said that the reason she was passionate about the UN’s Online Volunteering service, which I managed, was because it gave far more people a chance to be involved in the work of the UN. She felt it unfair that the ONLY way to be involved in the UN was to have a Master’s Degree, 10 years of experience and a job at a UN agency; she wanted a way for people with less experience, but with just as much interest and passion and good ideas, to get to be involved, to get an idea of what the UN does beyond what they read in the media, and maybe it could create a more caring world. Her words came back to me as I was a part of this Habitat experience. It’s still a rather exclusive experience: you have to pay all of your travel costs (or some angel in your life has to pay such for you) and you have to fundraise your program costs, or pay those yourself, and that means it’s not something just anyone can participate in. But it’s an avenue into working abroad with a much lower bar than getting a paid job and giving up your home and all your friends and family for a few years. And it really does have impact. It really does make a difference.

Any program that’s creating a greater feeling of solidarity and understanding among people, that cultivates empathy and caring and learning, is worth supporting, because oh how the world needs that right now.

Local volunteers in Paraguay will now begin to work on the site along those same wonderful contractors we worked with. The staff at Hábitat para la Humanidad Paraguay will update their Facebook and Instagram accounts about this family, so we – and YOU – will be able to see the progress and the finished product. They already have photos and videos there of our volunteer group in action.

And back here where I live in Oregon, I hope that we can incorporate the practices of Habitat Paraguay in making sure volunteers feel supported and prepared, that volunteers feel like they’ve made a real difference by the end of a day of work, and that they feel a part of Habitat for Humanity, so much so that they want to learn more about why there is a lack of affordable housing and why so many thousands and thousands of hard working people in our community cannot afford a house.

One more thing: there were a group of pre teens on bicycles, pretty rough, who came to watch us almost every day. They would call out words in English to see if we would respond. And one day, one of them yelled, “W.W.E!” That stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. One of the volunteers turned around and yelled back the name of a well-known wrestler. And BOOM, that volunteer was The Greatest American To Ever Visit This Village. The kids yelled wrestler names, the volunteer yelled back other wrestler names, imitating how the wrestlers get introduced in the ring. The kids could not get enough of him. At one point, I looked over and the volunteer was helping to repair one of the kid’s bicycles, with the kids all gathered around him. I bring this up because I have blogged about how much kids worldwide, from Kabul to Kansas, LOVE professional wrestling, and I cannot for the life of me understand why international development agencies and governments don’t leverage this. Yeah, People Magazine, I will never forgive you for all but mocking me when I dared to mention wrasslin’ in that project back we worked on in the 1990s…

Here’s my original announcement about this Paraguay trip.

And here’s a blog about Packing for Paraguay which I did primarily because I got paid for a product placement (SELLOUT!).

Habitat is seeking people to become Global Village Team Leaders. Candidates need to be from organized groups, such as university classes or clubs, social clubs, communities of faith, volunteers or staff from local Habitat affiliates, employees from a company, etc. Candidates take the Global Village online trainings and then lead their organized group of co-workers, club members, students, congregation members or other association on a Global Village program trip abroad. Visit the Global Village team leader FAQ to find out if leading a team is right for you. The option for independent volunteers to join teams with whom they do not already have an association is not currently available, but you should sign up at the Habitat web site for updates in case this changes.

New Global Village build dates for 2026 will be released in July! Now is the perfect time to take the team leader trainings and to talk to your co-workers, fellow students, fellow members of your community of faith, other members of your civic club, or your local Habitat affiliate where you already volunteer about this program, to generate interest among your associates for possibly joining your team. That will help you to be ready to book early and secure your team’s spot in the Habitat program. Global Village groups usually consist of up to 16 individuals. Potential participants should understand that each Global Village volunteer raises funds among their associates or contributes a donation ranging from US$1,625-$2,700 that supports Habitat’s housing programs. Volunteers are responsible for paying for their own on-site accommodations (arranged by Habitat), meals, ground transportation and transportation to the country, as well as arranging for any necessary visas.

Volunteering: not a black & white subject

In the same day, I’ve been accused by a person of being unfairly opposed to all forms of voluntourism (paying to volunteer abroad) and accused by another of promoting voluntourism.

In the same week, I’ve been accused of pushing an agenda that makes volunteering too difficult for most people to access and also pushing an agenda that makes volunteer involvement too easy and puts clients at risk.

Some people have said I think people paid to do work are better than volunteers, and others have said I want to eliminate paid roles and replace such with unpaid volunteers.

Most people who bother to actually read what I write know exactly where I stand on voluntourism (I do think there is such a thing as ethical voluntourism, but I think such ethical experiences are rare), know exactly where I stand on volunteer engagement (I don’t trust any nonprofit that doesn’t involve volunteers while also believing that organizations have every right NOT to accept every offer to volunteer) and know that I don’t think volunteer engagement should be used as a way for job elimination (but that I DO think some roles are best done by volunteers).

Talks about volunteerism are, and should be, full of nuance. Volunteerism is a complex subject. If you want to see a fight break out, ask a room full of managers of volunteers to define the word volunteer. Which is right? In many ways, they ALL are. There’s nothing simple about this subject – that’s why it’s held my interest for a few decades.

And I do change my mind. Over many years, I went from being okay with voluntourism to being totally opposed to it to being back to being okay with it, with certain qualifications. I change my mind because I’m always reading opinions from other people, testimonials from volunteers and those that involve such, and most importantly, those served by volunteers. I hope you do the same.

But quit trying to put me in a box.

Updating my resource on volunteering abroad: your help needed

Images, in the style of petroglyphs, of people doing various activities, like writing or construction.

For many years, I’ve maintained a resource to help people understand the various types of volunteering abroad programs and to evaluate a program they might be interested in. I’ve also included two lists on that page:

  • one is a list of volunteering abroad programs where participants do NOT have to pay (these are all long-term volunteering gigs, like the Peace Corps, UNV, etc.), and
  • the other is a list of where participants DO pay but the programs also meet the criteria for an ethical volunTOURism company (they don’t take absolutely anyone so long as they can pay, they vet participants, the activities are designed by local people, no “white saviorism” type activities, no working with orphans or wildlife, etc.).

That resource is here.

But I’m sorry to say that COVID seems to have taken away a lot of programs, particularly on that second list. I just updated the page, removing those now defunct programs. But I’d like to add to the page, if there are additions out there.

If you know of a volunteering abroad program that you think meets the requirements to be listed on my page, either DM me or use this form to contact me. Please FIRST view my page and see if I already have it listed.

Do NOT use the comments to recommend a company – I’ll delete it as soon as I see it. I will accept ONLY DMs or recommendations on the contact form.

Breaking down online barriers for online volunteers with disabilities

images meant to look like cave drawings, one of a woman using a smartphone and one at a desktop computer.

Online volunteering – virtual volunteering – creates new avenues for people to be able to volunteer for causes they want to support, but online environments present challenges for people with disabilities.

Many adults with disabilities are excluded not just in onsite situations, but in the digital world as well, further limiting their ability to engage in paid work and voluntary service. But just as by removing onsite barriers and enhancing accessibility, we can foster environments where everyone feels welcome and empowered to contribute, we can do the same online.

The UK’s Bridging the Digital Divide: Challenges and Opportunities for Disabled Adults in Volunteering report from September 2023 uses data from NCVO’s Time Well Spent survey to explore these issues. It shares recommendations for both government and agencies that involve volunteers. You can read a summary of the recommendations here.

Also see my own resource, Make All Volunteering as Accessible as Possible: advantages for your program & how to do it.

And, of course, this topic was covered in detail in The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook: Fully Integrating Online Service Into Volunteer Involvement, available both as a traditional print book and as an e-book. 

Me participating in a volunTOURism activity? Yes, it’s happening!

A drawing of Jayne, with wild hair, jogging while pulling a suitcase on wheels behind her.

I’m well known in many corners of the Interwebs for speaking out against unethical voluntourism, where people from North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand pay money to a company to go abroad for a week or two for a feel-good experience and lots of photos, doing things that can actually be harmful: interacting with orphans and refugees (who need long-term relationships and should never be used as Instagram props), interacting with wildlife (who should never be exposed to repeated human interactions, especially tourists), doing activities that local people want to do themselves and paid for (building a school, building a well), and undertaking activities that aren’t a priority for nor led by local people. Unethical voluntourism is vanity volunteering at it’s WORST.

But there is such a thing as ethical voluntourism: where local people define the activity and lead it. Where the focus is on educating the visitors so they can become advocates back in their own countries. Where the activity actually creates jobs for local people. Where short-term visitors are kept away from vulnerable people, like orphans, and view wildlife from afar, not interacting with them as though they are pets. Where intercultural learning really does happen. And, yes, volunteers might have fun and take lots of photos, but in an ethical matter: no photos of children without parental permission, for instance.

I’ve long promoted the idea of transire benefaciendo, “to travel along while doing good.” When I travel abroad, I try to eat at locally-run restaurants, eat locally-sourced food, drink locally-produced beer, book local guides, and stay in locally-run, small guest houses as much as possible. I try not to create a lot of waste. I refuse to have my photo taken with supposed “orphaned” or performing wildlife. I find an adult to ask permission of before taking a photo with a recognizable kid in it. As I say on my web site,

I think transire benefaciendo is also about traveling with purpose. It’s a trip, a journey, with the intention of learning, with an intention of local interaction. It’s travel that is mutually beneficial for both the traveler and the people in the place where the journey will take place. transire benefaciendo is purposeful travel, about widening a traveler’s understanding of the world rather than ticking something off a bucket list.

But I’ve never thought about a voluntourism trip for myself… until now.

In May 2025, if all goes as planned, I’m going to Paraguay with Habitat for Humanity. And if I know you – as in, we’re linked in LinkedIn or my personal Facebook page, or we have worked together, YOU CAN COME WITH ME.

Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program was revamped during the COVID epidemic. I sat in on the official video call going through the program. Some things I learned:

  • From the beginning, volunteers participating in this program will learn about the need for adequate housing around the world, so they can become advocates regarding the cause and champions for equitable housing long after their trip has ended. 
  • Habitat wants to avoid, specifically, “voluntourism” and “white Saviorism.” International volunteers should be “partners”, not “saviors.” The program is moving away from the charity mindset to a community-partnership mindset. Community-centered volunteering focuses on local leadership and local impact. International volunteers should to enter a community with their own ideas of what needs to be done. Local people should be listened to. The “agenda of change” needs to be defined by and led by the local people being served, not the funder, not the outside volunteers coming into a community. 
  • Habitat Global Village projects are designed by local communities. Focus will be on local ownership and local sustainability. Local leaders will be identified and will be leaders in these Habitat projects. The goal of the builds will be to support existing projects in the country.
  • Local partners will be front and center in communications and marketing.   
  • Habitat wants to be involved in more than just the creation of a structure – it’s also the support for “development,” like better safety and security, children doing better in school, etc.
  • Volunteer activities will be focused on volunteers engaging in mutual learning and exchange with local people, rather than tourism activities.
  • A promotion of safeguarding will be much more emphasized throughout the experience.

I was thrilled as I sat through this presentation, especially when the research cited for these changes was from UN Volunteers (my former employer) and VSO (one of my former consulting clients). And I was even more thrilled when I got the invitation from the team leader to go to Paraguay!

So, what will it take for you to come with me?

  • You need to email me and say you are interested. If you know me, you have my email.
  • You need to read the information I send you. And if you decide you want to go, you let me know and I will connect you with the group leader.
  • You will have to fundraise a certain amount of money for Habitat, just as I had to (and I will help fundraise on your behalf), and you will to pay your own expenses (airline tickets) for your part of the trip, just as I have to. Habitat makes it SUPER easy to fundraise. I also made a video to help promote my trip and support for such. So, yes, this trip is going to cost you money. You will find out how much when you contact me.

Let’s go to Paraguay!

(but what if I do NOT know you & you want to go? Then you are going to have to do some very effective convincing for me to know you are a good, reliable, appropriate person to recommend for this trip).

Nonprofits & NGOs: your social media should focus on volunteering as much as possible.

What the headline says.

Why?

Images, in the style of petroglyphs, of people doing various activities, like writing or construction.

If people aren’t coming into your organization regularly and seeing what your nonprofit does, first hand, and the difference it makes, the things it accomplishes, and why it is essential, they are not going to donate and they are not going to support any local, regional or national government funding your operations.

There are an extraordinary amount of outlandish beliefs about the work of nonprofits, how they operate and how they are funded. No amount of social media messaging and press releases is going to change that without a great deal of trust building, and volunteer engagement is an outstanding way to build trust in your nonprofit.

And who knows… maybe you might even build some bridges around a common cause between people who otherwise don’t care about each other very much.

Also see:

Volunteering & social cohesion in a post Brexit world

My Blogs re: social cohesion, building understanding

Note: because of a backlog of blog posts to publish, I’m going to be posting three times a month instead of just twice for a while.

Your nonprofit WILL be targeted with misinformation; prepare now.

a primitive figure, like a petroglyph, shots through a megaphone

Watching misinformation and disinformation related to the fires in Los Angeles spread exactly like wildfire has been a reminder of just how bad things are regarding public relations and truth. Instead of an army of newspapers, local radio stations and TV stations and other credible media ready to debunk it, the media landscape is as decimated as the actual landscape of the area, and lies about government funding and action, spread by the owner of the site formerly known as Twitter and other people with a political agenda. And no amount of fact-based debunking seems to matter.

As someone that’s studyied misinformation and disinformation campaigns against governments and cause-based organizations since the 1990s, it’s been as horrifying to watch as people losing their homes. And as I’ve watched, I am reminded that nonprofits, no matter how small, no matter how beloved, need to be thinking about their strategy NOW for if and when they are targeted by misinformation. It doesn’t matter what your nonprofit’s mission or size: it can be a target for misinformation, on a local or even national level. And given the incoming Presidential administration, the power of misinformation should never be under-estimated.

I’ve used the example of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before: it was a collection of community-based nonprofits and programs all over the USA that advocated for low- and moderate-income families and worked to address neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing and other social issues for low-income people. At its peak, ACORN had more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the USA. But ACORN was targeted by conservative political activists who secretly recorded and released highly-edited videos of interactions with low-level ACORN personnel in several offices, portraying the staff as encouraging criminal behavior. Despite multiple investigations on the federal, state, and county level that found that the released tapes were selectively edited to portray ACORN as negatively as possible and that nothing in the videos warranted criminal charges, the organization was doomed: politicians pounced and the public relations fallout resulted in almost immediate loss of funding from government agencies and from private donors.

Public libraries are another good example of how misinformation campaigns can work: more books were challenged in public libraries and school libraries in 2024 than ever before, according to the American Library Association. The vast majority of that increase came from groups or individuals working on behalf of national efforts trying to censor dozens or hundreds of titles at a time, part of a push across the country by those supporting the incoming Presidential administration to ban certain books based on the unfounded claims that they are inappropriate for children, as well as to defund and close public libraries altogether.

Goodwill is a frequent target of misinformation regarding senior staff salaries – and from what I see on a local level, makes no effort to counter that misinformation, resulting in people choosing not to donate items to their thrift shops nor shop at such. Which is so sad, as Goodwill does amazing work regarding training people to enter or re-enter the workforce (which most people don’t know is their mission).

There are nonprofit theaters, including community theaters, that have mounted a production that has resulted in community protests and a loss of donors, and seemed utterly unprepared for the groundswell of controversy, a groundswell that’s often started by just one person spreading misinformation about the play, and the people protesting often haven’t actually read nor seen the play. But they are loud, organized and committed, and the theater is often left utterly unprepared for the negative attention.

I have an entire blog about how to train staff so that your organization doesn’t become a victim of GOTCHA media?, so I won’t repeat those tips here. But you need to have a plan for what to do when there is even a hint of misinformation starting about your organization.

Misinformation about nonprofits usually targets their budget, what they pay staff, how they have or haven’t helped someone, how they make their programming decisions, how they carry out their work and their plans for the future. Therefore:

  • Make sure your web site is up-to-date regarding all of the above.
  • Your social media needs to regularly updated the public about all of the above.
  • ALL staff, including volunteers, need to be regularly briefed (at least twice a year; once a quarter is better) on all of the above.
  • All staff, including volunteers, need to know what to do if they see or hear misinformation related to your organization.

Your entire staff, including volunteers, need to be on the lookout for misinformation: a post on an online community, a comment at a church meeting, a reference at a civic group, a comment from a new volunteer, even a comment at a family gathering. If they see it or hear it in a public setting, or from an elected official or community leader or influencer, they need to NOT respond themselves – they need to know who at your organization they need to tell (it’s probably the executive director, the communications manager or their immediate supervisor). If it wasn’t a public comment, there’s no need to say exactly who said it, but do say what was said.

When was the last time you told your entire staff what to do in case they see or hear misinformation? If you don’t have an answer, create a strategy NOW and meeting dates and times. If it was in the last six months or more, it’s overdue to do it again.

When you hear misinformation, the next step may not be to have a meeting next week to discuss what’s happening; it may be to start drafting responses IMMEDIATELY, to be shared online within hours, even minutes. Who is going to be involved in that? Just the Executive Director and communications person? The board president too? Do you have all the contact information you need for these people so this can happen quickly?

If you had a message that needed to spread quickly online, do you have that system ready to go: do you have a board member who will be in charge of calling all board members to tell them to share an urgent social media message? do you have a manager of volunteers or volunteer leaders who will be in charge of contacting certain volunteers to encourage them to share that urgent social media message? Do you have more than one person who knows how to update your web site, in case your communications manager is on vacation?

And here’s the reality: if you are just thinking about this for the first time, right now, as you read this blog, or if you haven’t done anything to prepare yet, then you are already behind schedule. Most of the recommendations above cannot be done quickly without many weeks, even months, of preparation and refreshers. This is an URGENT need your nonprofit needs to address now, no matter its focus.

One more thing: you need a photo of your executive director, and any other staff, with as many elected officials as possible: the mayor, at least one city council member, at least one county representative, your area’s state representative, your area’s state senator, your areas US Representative and, if possible, your US Senators. It makes it more difficult for an elected official to criticize an organization when there is a photo of that person smiling with your staff, particularly at one of your events. See more at Nonprofits: look at local election results & prepare to reach out.

Also see

How to handle online criticism.

Could your organization be deceived by GOTCHA media?

Growing misconceptions about the role of nonprofits in the USA.

Mission-Based Groups Need Use the Web to Show Accountability

Governments cracking down on nonprofits & NGOs.

Nonprofits: look at local election results & prepare to reach out

image of a panel discussion or a presentation in front of people at a long desk

An election has happened in the USA and, by now, even tight local elections should have been resolved and winners named. And that means, nonprofits, that you have some relationship building and sustaining to do:

Update your lists of elected officials – city councils, county officials, your state legislative representatives and your US congressional representatives. They don’t take office until January, however, so don’t change the lists prematurely if you have information to send out before the end of the year.

Newly-elected officials should get at least a card of introduction from your nonprofit. An invitation to meet face-to-face would be even better. They need to know who you are and why you matter.

For officials who did not choose to run for re-election, or lost the election, especially if they ever attended any of your events or somehow showed support for your nonprofit. Thank them for their support and consider offering an invitation to continue to be involved with your nonprofit in some way – at least signing up to continue to receive your newsletter. 

Relationship building with elected officials has never been more critical for nonprofits’ to survive. You ignore doing all of the above at great risk to your nonprofits’ future.

Folks need post-election reassurances from your nonprofit – here’s what to say

four people standing in a circle, holding hands.

Nonprofits in the USA: there are people among your clients, your donors, your volunteers and employees who are deeply worried right now, per the November 2024 election. You don’t have to get political, but you do need to demonstrate to those you work with and for that your organization has a commitment to respect and inclusion in its work. And your employees in particular need to know you have their back in case they need to start job hunting.

Start by reaffirming your organization’s mission, vision and code of conduct, all of which should be in writing, to employees and volunteers. All of your volunteers should be signing new liability waivers and photo releases at the start of each new year – so why not have an official re-orientation when volunteers arrive to renew their paperwork that reminds them of your organization’s mission, vision and code of conduct? If your organization has a written commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), that should be noted as well. Most of your staff will greatly appreciate the reminder and the demonstrated affirmation.

Post reminders to your organization’s social media about your organization’s mission, vision, code of conduct and commitment to DEI. Don’t just do one post for all of this: create a series of posts. A post once a week, or every other week, would make the point clear to your various audiences.

Make sure you have signage in break rooms and work sites that clients, paid staff and volunteers will see that reminds them of your organization’s mission, vision, code of conduct and commitment to DEI. If you are a part of a national network, your national HQ may have posters already made for this.

One caveat: you may lose a volunteer or some supporters because they disagree with your organization’s values – and never realized it fully until you reminded them of such. They may leave quietly or they may express their displeasure in “finding out” that your organization is so “woke.” The reality is that, if they have this reaction, you haven’t done a good job of making sure that everyone has buy-in to your organization and how it works. Do you really want people interacting with clients and potential clients who are not fully bought into your organization’s mission and culture?

Many of us work for nonprofits where our positions are funded in part, if not entirely, by federal funding that is being targeted for elimination starting July 2025. So, nonprofit executive directors: pay attention to staff morale, respect staff that have started job hunting. Be an enthusiastic and supportive reference for employees applying for other jobs.

Also see:

Nonprofits: be honest with yourself, your staff & the public about how the November 2024 elections may affect you

Governor Bevin & Donald Trump Are Wrong on Community Service Requirements (January 2018)

Trump wants to eliminate national service (February 2018)

Trump’s War on Volunteerism (July 2018)

Trump is trying to eliminate national service – again (March 2019)

time for USA nonprofits to be demanding (January 2018)

A plea to USA nonprofits for the next four years (& beyond) (January 2017)

No excuses: give employees & volunteers all the time they need to vote tomorrow

A woman holds her ballot up proudly and is standing in front of the ballot drop box where she will drop it. She has a dog on a leash next to her.

Tomorrow, November 5, is election day in the USA. Millions of people have been able to vote early and have already submitted their ballot – as you see me doing in the photo at the right – but millions more could not do that, and the only way they are going to be able to vote is to go to a polling place on election day and probably stand in line for a very long time.

Please don’t limit your employees and volunteers to trying to vote before or after work, or over their lunch hour, if you are in a state requires voting at a polling place. Executive directors: tell your staff to let their managers know what three hour slot they will need for voting during the work day, and have managers tell YOU what three hour slot they will need.

Tell staff this is done on the honor system because OF COURSE you trust your staff to take only the amount of time they actually need to vote and to come back to work when they are finished – they won’t take three hours unless that’s what they actually need. Do NOT require things like a photo of them standing in line waiting to vote.

If your nonprofit won’t do this, if you refuse to do this, then let me be blunt: unfollow this blog, and unfollow me on social media. You don’t deserve my advice on anything.