The world doesn’t need another new non-profit | Kirk Bowman | TEDxPeachtree

Summary

The speaker reflects on the challenges of global development projects, emphasizing the importance of resisting the urge to start new initiatives and instead supporting existing local efforts. They share their experience of working in Fiji and highlight how many well-intentioned projects fail due to cultural and logistical complexities. The speaker advocates for the 'community bank' model, which focuses on expanding successful local organizations rather than launching new ones. Through examples like a badminton program in Rio's favelas, they illustrate how local innovation can lead to transformative success when properly supported.

Takeaways

• 🌍 New global development projects often fail despite noble intentions due to the complexity of on-the-ground realities.
• 📉 Many global development startups, similar to high-risk ventures, face failure rates comparable to those of Silicon Valley startups.
• ❌ Failed development projects leave behind donor fatigue, distrust, and environmental harm, especially in the Global South.
• 🏦 The community bank model has proven to be more successful in development projects, focusing on existing successful organizations rather than new startups.
• 🤝 Long-term partnerships with effective local leaders increase success rates by amplifying existing projects rather than launching new ones.
• 🎯 The experiment conducted by the speaker focuses on identifying, investing in, and inspiring existing organizations with a record of success.
• 🏅 Inverting the traditional global development model shifts leadership and innovation to local leaders, making them the 'superheroes' while outside partners act as support.
• ⚽ One example of local innovation is a badminton program in the favela of Rio de Janeiro, which used Samba dancing to train athletes who have since become national champions.
• 🎥 The speaker’s experiment also involves producing powerful documentary films to inspire communities and showcase the success of local initiatives.
• 💡 The main message is to resist the temptation of starting new projects abroad and instead support and amplify the work of local leaders and organizations already making a difference.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the speaker's talk?

The main topic of the speaker's talk is about resisting the temptation to launch new global development projects with great ideas, instead focusing on supporting and amplifying existing successful local initiatives.

Why does the speaker advise against launching new global development projects?

The speaker advises against launching new projects because they often fail when faced with the complexities on the ground, as seen in past examples like One Laptop Per Child. Instead, it’s more effective to invest in existing local organizations with proven success.

What lesson did the speaker learn from their decade of work on development projects in Fiji?

The speaker learned that even with a great idea and strong funding, development projects can fail when they meet the chaos and complexities of real-world conditions. This experience shifted the speaker’s perspective on how to approach international development.

What does the speaker compare new global development projects to, and why?

The speaker compares new global development projects to venture capital startups because both are high-risk and often fail, especially when implemented in unfamiliar cultures and environments.

What model does the speaker propose to increase the success rate of global development efforts?

The speaker proposes using the community bank model, which focuses on providing expansion capital to existing successful organizations and fostering long-term relationships with effective local leaders, which increases success rates dramatically.

What does the speaker’s experiment aim to do, and how does it work?

The speaker’s experiment aims to identify, invest in, and inspire existing organizations that are making a positive impact. The process involves identifying organizations, investing money to help them expand, and inspiring others by showcasing their work through documentary films.

What is the importance of local leaders in the speaker’s proposed model?

Local leaders are crucial in the speaker’s model because they have the cultural knowledge, ideas, and innovation needed for success. Instead of imposing external solutions, the model amplifies and supports the work of these local leaders.

How does the speaker’s model ‘invert and twist’ traditional global development practices?

The model inverts the traditional practice by making local leaders and ideas from the global south the superheroes, while external organizations play the supporting role. It twists the model by focusing on expanding existing organizations rather than starting new ones.

What example does the speaker provide to illustrate the success of local innovation?

The speaker shares the story of Sebastiao and Ramos, who built a successful badminton training facility in a favela in Rio de Janeiro. Despite initial doubts, their innovative approach using Samba dancing to train the kids led to significant success in national and international tournaments.

What advice does the speaker give to people who want to contribute to international development?

The speaker advises people to resist the urge to start new NGOs or projects. Instead, they should connect with and support local organizations already doing great work, as even small contributions can make a big difference for these groups.