Three Cups of Tea... or None?

I read a very inspiring book a couple of years ago.  A lot of people did.  It was called Three Cups of Tea, and it was written by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.  It told an amazing story of one man's mission to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly for girls, some in extremely remote villages, some in places occupied by the Taliban.  I decided to buy three copies of the book and hand two out as gifts.  After all, a portion of the proceeds would go to Greg Mortenson's non-profit, the Central Asia Institute and would help build more schools for more girls.

Many of us got excited.  School children around the country organized Pennies for Peace and gave their donations to the CAI.  President Obama donated $100,000.00 to the efforts.  Thousands of people donated thousands of dollars.

So you can imagine our shock and horror when 60 Minutes released a story on Greg Mortenson just two weeks ago, revealing that CAI's funds appear to be mismanaged and there are alleged exaggerations, perhaps even lies, written in his books.  Even with all of the evidence stacking against his honesty, it is difficult for some, including myself, to write him off as a complete fraud.  Afterall, his efforts seem to have produced many schools, and certainly his books and speeches have put a spot-light on the need for girls' education in the Middle East. 

Nevertheless, for those involved in non-profit work, such as Shalini Nataraj, vice-president of programs for the Global Fund for Women, his story has cast shadow upon the integrity of non-profit organizations and has added to the skepticism that many feel when asked to donate their money to a certain cause.  People want to trust where their money is going.  They want to know it is being put into the right hands and is actually making a difference somewhere.

I do, too.  That is why I really appreciated listening to Shalini Nataraj's comments on NPR's Forum program.  She reminded the public that there are many good non-profits worth giving donations to, but we must make a little effort to get to know them.

First of all, we must look at their financial integrity.  Do they have open-access to their records?  Are they given high marks from non-profit watchdogs like Charity Navigator or the American Institute of Philanthropy?

Secondly, how long have they been around?  The Global Fund for Women, as Shalini Nataraj points out, has been around for almost 25 years and has been making very successful strides in educating girls and women in the Middle East.

Thirdly, who is leading the work?  It seems the most successful NGO's are those that are led locally.  The Global Fund for Women differs from Mortenson's work because it puts money directly into the hands of local women leaders who know best how that money should be utilized for their communities.

This unfortunate story of a fallen "hero" is a lesson to me to be more vigilant when looking into donating to charities in the future.  There are many good people doing many good things.  May we continue to support their efforts as we are able.