23-Feb-10 3:00 PM  EST  

Corporate Lunch & Discussion with Jill Lester, CEO, The Hunger Project 

Jill Lester, President and CEO, The Hunger Project addressed an audience of corporate business leaders on February 18th on the issue Global Hunger and a Role for Business Leaders.  The lunch was sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

The Hunger Project (THP) is a global non-profit organization committed to the sustainable end of world hunger.  THP operates on three continents - Africa, South Asia and Latin America and seeks to end hunger and poverty by empowering people to lead lives of self-reliance, meet their own basic needs and build better futures for their children.

In the last 12-18 months the number of people with chronic hunger has increased, largely affected by a combination of rising global food prices, the global financial crisis and global warming.  Currently, one in every six people in the world goes to bed hungry and wakes up hungry.  Most of the world’s chronic hungry are ironically found in rural communities and of these people the bulk are women and children. 

THP operates at grass roots levels in rural communities and teaches people to develop a new mindset (that I can change my lot and that of my children) by having a visionary action plan which involves setting a future goal and saving toward that goal, for example, saving a portion of a crop to use as seeds for the next season.

Ms. Lester suggests that corporate assistance is essential, but needs to be offered in the form of a partnership that respects the dignity and humanity of people.

Why Should Corporations Focus on Humanitarian Causes? 

• It offers brand differentiation from competitors; creates customer loyalty, i.e. customers like that the company supports a particular cause; gains a company wider public support; and aids in retention of staff.

Tips and Traps for Choosing a Charitable Partner

• Does the proposed charity’s mission have resonance with your company’s philosophy?

• Is the organization effective and efficient at what they do?  
   Charities should have demonstrable figures that show whether their targets are being met.  Corporations can also use an independent ratings source, for example www.charitynavigator.org to determine the financial health of a charity.  A good ratio of spending should be in the vicinity of 30 per cent on overheads and 70 per cent on programs.  Beware of programs than claim to be administratively run on a shoestring budget for example 2 per cent, as these programs will be sloppily run and ill-managed.  

• Does the organization have a methodology and strategic approach versus just a good idea?  
   Look for charities that aren’t causing people to become aid dependent.  A good charity should help people to become self reliant and look after themselves.  Charities should have an exit strategy and ideally not stay in a community for longer than 5-6 years.

• Does the program have an auditor?  
   Look at independent assessments on programs to see that the target goals are being met.

• Is the organization transparent? 
When you are on a charities website, check if offers you all the information you need, for example, program, financial, governance information - information that you could reasonably expect to find on a commercial website.

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For additional information on this Member News article, please contact:

Debbie Chappel

Source: Debbie Chappel

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