International Giving: Changing Lives Far from Home

I woke up this past New Year’s Day to an email from Flying Kites Executive Director Leila de Bruyne titled, “New Year’s Resolution.” I met Leila four years ago when I lived in Boston, and she had been keeping me updated on the work of Flying Kites, whose mission is to transform primary education for young students in rural Kenya. She let me know that her New Year’s resolution was to convince my daughter and me to visit their schools, learn more about the impactful work being done to change lives, and climb Kilimanjaro in support of Flying Kites. She wrapped up her email with a request for an in-person meeting when I was next in Boston.

I laughed when I read it, and after reading the email to my husband, he said, “Well, you’ve got to take a meeting.” Soon after, my daughter reached out, “Did you see Leila’s email, Mom? What do you think? Kenya this spring?” I was intrigued, but like most people, my philanthropy has been heavily weighted toward local and national nonprofits. I was open to making an international nonprofit donation, but, like many donors, choosing among so many international causes to commit to seemed overwhelming. I didn’t know where to begin.

I agreed to meet Leila, and I did my homework. First and foremost, I liked that Flying Kites was an established organization with a track record and tangible results. It was established 12 years ago and operates a model school and teacher training center, while supporting a network of five other schools that serve more than 3,500 students. It tracks and reports its results with professionalism and transparency. I was also excited by the fact that its mission aligns with my passion for tackling food insecurity and supporting at-risk youth. Getting involved provided an opportunity to extend my charitable goals in these areas globally.

Six months later, I found myself in Kenya with my daughter visiting the schools and meeting the teachers, many of the students, and even the families of two students. But no amount of homework could have prepared my daughter and me for the difficult circumstances these children endure in their lives. We saw their lives up close by touring the schools, visiting students’ homes, and seeing their lives firsthand. It was clear that Flying Kites, which partners with educators, government leaders and other nonprofits, serves as a dynamic force for good in their lives. But hunger is still widespread in the area, and some of the children were visibly malnourished—most do not have access to lunch or breakfast. Being there really underscored for me the case for donors broadening their vision for giving.

At the end of the day, how a person allocates the money they give away is often a personal decision. Most U.S. donors lean heavily toward supporting domestic causes. It is, after all, easier to see impact close to home. When I give to help the homeless in my community, I can visit the homeless shelter and see that meals are being prepared, beds are available, and the heat is on in the winter. I can also see the results in the media when, for instance, the Red Cross helps flood victims in the Midwest.

Although some philanthropists follow the rough 40-40-20 rule of thumb to distribute their philanthropic giving (meaning that 40% of their giving goes to the local community, 40% to larger domestic causes, and 20% to international organizations), Giving USA estimates that only about 5% of all charitable dollars in the United States goes toward international causes.

All the more reason to consider nonprofits that help people, often people in dire need, in far-off places—Africa, say, or Southeast Asia. As my colleague Elaine Martyn likes to share often: There is the obvious adage that donated dollars go further in an international context. And there is a ripple effect when giving to grassroots organizations, like Flying Kites, because they are working in concert with the bigger systemic issues in the region. As my trip to Kenya showed me, for example, you can’t separate issues like hunger and health from education: A hungry or sick child can’t concentrate in school.

There are many tools and resources to help donors decide how and where they want to give, including Fidelity Charitable’s Boost Your Giving IQ, which aspiring givers can use to determine or narrow down areas of interest, and websites like GuideStar and Charity Navigator that show exactly how donated funds are used. And, for those who want to focus on communities, there are ways to direct donations toward community-based projects in foreign countries. Organizations like CAF America, King Baudouin Foundation, Give2Asia, and GlobalGiving specialize in various regions of the world and act as intermediaries to help you support the causes you care about. If you’re a Fidelity Charitable donor, here is a page explaining our international giving options.

The trip to Kenya was a special one for my daughter and me. We learned more there than any presentation, website, or letter could have taught us about an organization we are now truly invested in. My daughter even went the extra mile, literally, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. And, as the Flying Kites people know, there are a lot of mountains you can climb when you put your heart into it.

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