How Can You Scale the Charitable Impact Through Online Learning

Since the pandemic's start several charities have had to rethink how to scale their impact and maintain their physical presence using virtual methods.

The charitable space isn't an industry famous as an early adopter of new technology though as per Thrive For Good's International Executive Director, James Woller. "Charities are more conventional and cautious in their attempts to expand. It was necessary for Thrive to employ an alternative approach in order to go ahead, which involved taking on a risk by providing training via virtual ," he explains.

The introduction of online learning has allowed this charity to scale its reach. "Before , we were impacting close to 30,000 people. In the present, we're affecting nearly 80k. From 550 communities to close to 800, seven nations to 47 and now we're expanding into places which we've never dreamed of," says Woller.

Another charity that's had be creative to stay ahead of the challenges posed by covid-19 can be found in Vayu Global Health Foundation. Prior to the epidemic, Burke was traveling every couple of weeks to teach medical professionals in the field. Because traveling was not feasible so the Vayu team developed an online program to provide training for people all over the world.

"We exclusively use it for education purposes," says Vayu's executive director, Thomas Burke. "Without  all of our efforts, we could have been brought in a stop due to the spread of the pandemic ."

We spoke with Thrive for Good's James Woller and Vayu Global Health Foundations' Thomas Burke to discuss the ways they managed to expand their reach in an uncertain time in the world. We discovered they could achieve this through two methods: By teaching online and examining the world of charity from a more progressive lens. Here's how they scaled the impact of their charity work:

1. Teaching online

Thrive For Good

2 billion people aren't getting enough nutrients. Thrive For Good equips individuals and communities around the world with tools to sustainably grow healthy, organic foods for the long haul by providing those who want to learn how to grow food for themselves as well as their family, as well as organisations that can incorporate the principles of Thrive into their initiatives. In the average, the company produces close to a million Canadian dollars per month of foods in their community gardens based on 50 cents per meal.

Through partnerships in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, Woller says they couldn't have scaled their impact without the advent of online learning courses.

Not only has online learning helped the organization scale but it's helped to deal with the issues posed by covid-19. "Just this morning, I am on the phone with my partner from Uganda in a country where border is locked and mobility is severely restricted... It would be extremely difficult to arrange an instructor in-person right now, which is the reason online education can ."

Woller claims that the company has saved a lot of money after converting to online. "We're saving thousands of dollars by the use of . If we were to send an Thrive trainer to every member of our partner's organization over the course of a month, it would be impossible to expand in the manner that we have," he says.

Vayu Global Health

Thomas Burke, emergency doctor and professor of the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, runs both branches of his organization on : Vayu Global Health Foundation and Vayu Global Health Innovations.

The Vayu Global Health Foundations is a trust for charitable purposes that concentrates on identifying and implementing breakthrough solutions that have a transformative effect to improve newborn, maternal and the health of children. The Vayu Global Health Innovations arm of the trust is a publicly-owned company that means they're registered with the World Health Organization as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and fully dedicated to global good and community.

In Vayu They've designed medical devices to ease CPAP that Burke claims is one of the most deadly killers for young children younger than five. The device used to treat the condition is able to decrease mortality by 66 percent. Since most devices require electricity, they're too expensive to be used in countries that are poor. The Vayu team came up with a solution for $300 -- a fraction of the price for the standard CPAP device that costs $12,000which provides the same high-quality. The device doesn't need electricity or bioengineering assistance making it easy to those who have limited resources to use. By using , they're able to train local doctors on how to utilize the gadget.

Since the CPAP training has been a huge success They're currently in the process of creating an additional course that will teach medical professionals how to use their newest device, called an oxygen mixer. Normally priced at $1,200, they've designed the exact device at just $50, which can help children with pneumonia or difficulty breathing.

In addition, the virtual platform allow to reach more people, it also assists in establishing a standardization of the medical device training. "We are able to have master instructors in each country however, it's not enough. The training allows us to standardize the quality of teaching methods along with testing. will be with the rest of us." the trainer says.

2. Using a progressive lense

Thrive For Good

Woller claims that conventional methods can prove difficult to scale charitable impact. "The very nature of a charity's existence is dependent by donations and charitable giving. Traditional relationships between a donors or philanthropists and the charity delivering the program presents some challenges when scaling," He explains. "Donors don't necessarily want their funds going to technology upgrades... It's their preference to prefer have their money going to programs... However, by building up capacities through technological advancements, we can be able to expand ."

Thrive's innovation has come from taking a look at companies that are already focused on organic farming and nutrition and then expanding their work. "We didn't have to double the budget in order to make a double impact. We've shifted from a B2C model to a B2B one. We prefer to think of ourselves as Java within your personal computer. we don't have to be Dell or Apple. We are able to white-label what we offer. This is a new approach within the charity space. ."

The company has been able to expand their activities since launching on the internet, Woller explains. "We were recently contacted by an organization located in India with a number of training centers, 18,000 staff and community workers and millions of people who benefit. We were contacted by them with concerns about food security in India along with the issue of covid-19 and asked us to move all of their training through the Thrive. That's scale."

Woller strongly believes that charities are crucial to exploring new ideas and taking risk. The online learning was an experiment which paid off with great results. "I consider that two moments of ingenuity within the area of charity is required. To make a difference, you must take risks. I'm really glad we took the risk to try online learning," He states.

Although Woller acknowledges that taking risks can be scary However, he thinks that the outcomes can be awe-inspiring and is a normal element of the entrepreneurial experience. According to him "Ninety percent of businesses fail, yet entrepreneurs maintain their moving forward ."

Vayu Global Health

The Vayu Global Health Innovations approach is based on developing a rigorous revenue base in order to grow and self-sufficiently expand their efforts without relying on donations. "This is an unusual model for charitable organizations," he says.

Through the use of a progressive lens, they've been able to deliver online training. They're now able to access a much larger audience than they could the case if they only depend on training in person. "We are able to think bigger with across populations and health systems much more easily than the demonstration programs that ."

When it comes to online education, Burke believes that the results are only as good as the work you put in. "You need to be aware of the fact that it's not simple to develop educational materials of high quality," he says. "Teaching involves some kind of entertainment as you try to grab the attention of your students. This shouldn't be just about giving information. You need to think outside the box and have amusement with your ."

Burke recommends charities work with locals within the populations in which they're educating when building out the materials they use. "It's good that charities collaborate on projects with local people instead of having the same idea of an Americanized instrument which you're trying to throw over the Atlantic. I doubt that it can be successful," he says.

For a brief overview, implementing an online class is an exciting stage in the world of charity which can dramatically increase the capacity of an organization to grow. Being bold, taking risks and stepping outside the norm can help a charity increase their influence and reach.