Every little thing counts! Does it?

I guess it's in the nature of some/many MBA aspirants, students & alumni (but of course not limited to that group) to ask themselves "How can I make a difference in this world? How can I make it a better place?". Some really mean it, others might just do it to make a good impression to the ad-com and/or future employer and the rest have their own versions: "How can I make a difference in MY world? How can I make it a better place FOR ME?"

But I am not here to call out people, I just want to write about some of my thoughts.

One way of doing something is to donate/support organizations that focus on some of our worlds/nations issues. Today I came across Kellogg's - Feeding America campaign. That's just one company/organization that tries to make a difference. Others you likely heard of or found after a quick search on the web are...

• WorldVision
• Tools for Self-Reliance
• Feed the Children
• One laptop per child
• KIVA
• United Nations Development Program
• UNICEF
• Doctors without borders

That are just a few - so many more can be found. Each of those organizations (also the ones I didn't mention) deserve my utmost respect. However, I tend to question things and am not a believer in the nice phrase: "every little thing counts".

There are many ways to look at it, but I figured one major factor is to realize how many people are/will be on earth, how many of them need help and how many are able and willing to give. So I did some research...

.According to Wikipedia (reference) our world's population was...

• ~300,000 people in 1000 A.D.
• ~1 billion in 1800
• ~1,65 billion on 1900
• ~2,5 billion in 1950
• ~6,07 billion in 2000

I think that's amazing & actually couldn't believe it when I saw those numbers for the first time - in 50 years the world population more than doubled!

. According to the United Nations World Populations Prospects report, the world population we will reach...

• 7 billion in the next 3 years
• 8 billion around 2025
• 9 billion around 2045

..., all assuming that overall the world's fertility rate goes down from 2.5x to 2.0.
The good thing is that the number really showed a decrease in the last couple years.

North America and Europe together are around 1 billion people and that's predicted not to increase, but actually decrease slightly, in the next 50 years. And that while all the predicted growth (mentioned before) will take place in third world countries.
That means the answer can't be to feed people in the third world and provide medical help, but to help them feed and support themselves. We can just jump-start it, but the rest must come from inside the country.

A Chinese proverb by Lao Tzu says...

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

While I believe that 'Feed America' is a great idea and makes sense for a country that can afford having 'wealthier' people (+industry) support less fortunate, third world countries will require a different strategy. Otherwise the ones that give will become more and more outnumbered.

What I am taking away from my (brief) research is that I believe some of the organizations have a better chance of success than others. Education & seed money has to be the key for change in the long-term. Also, it's important to understand that it will take time and continuous support to really make a difference. Quotes that say "We can stop hunger today!" sound great, but the reality is that this is only temporary. The problem must be tackled at its core.

If I save a child today, I should also accept the responsibility to make sure this child can support him-/herself tomorrow + all the children this one individual will bring to the world. If I don't do that, then the next generation has to cover for me, because I started something and then walked away.

I am by no means an expert, that's just how I feel about it after doing my little research. Also, don't just accept/refuse what I've written - do your own research and find out how you feel about it. Awareness is the first step to change something. It will help to choose an organization that supports what you think is important. Not just throw money 'in' so you can convince yourself you did your duty and then walk away.

Let me repeat what I said earlier - I don't think that "Every little thing counts."! Make sure what you can give counts.

Don't forget to share your thoughts and/or even promote other organizations by leaving a comment.

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But donation/support of organizations and their big scale goals are only one way to make a difference in this world. You should never forget what difference you can make in the lives of the people that surround you, that live in your community, that work for you, that look up to you. This topic will have to wait for another post.


Take care,
bizwiz