When you donate to charity, you want all your money to go to the needy, right? Wrong. Low overheads don't guarantee good work is being done and often encourage bad programs, argues Weh Yeoh.

Many non-governmental organisations advertise that a high proportion of money donated by the public will go toward programs — the good work that charities, aid organisations and the like do — and not to administrative costs. Donors are encouraged to think…

Originally available on UpLook

Manika Jha was in the UK with Peace Brigades International, who do great work protecting human rights defenders all over the place. They also…

1. ergh: used when in a state of disgust, confusion, frustration, or convulsion. "ergh, I just threw up all over the keyboard." "ergh, that's wrong." (from Urban Dictionary)

It’s proposal purgatory time at the aid agency where I’m currently working. And one of the joys, the inescapable joys of this time, is completing the accompanying …

Re-posting this series from the early days of how-matters.org…

After doing some research here and here and here and here and…

I'm new to this site but get the sense there's genuine community being built here. I'm still navigating around the site for groups etc but I suppose it's fitting I use this first post to intro myself in the hopes of meeting like minds, good folk, what have you.

I come from a communications and public information background and have experience in advocacy. I am not a seasoned, in-the-field practitioner but I have been dispatched to the field to do emergency comms support and other…

In 2008 I started investing money in MyC4, a platform that lets you give out microcredits to entrepreneurs in Africa. It was a mixed experience, with financial losses and satisfying social profit along the way. Now I will return to the platform. Read why: http://ow.ly/9aJho…

My latest post starts a series on agency-level results measurement. Chime in if your org does something interesting.

Find What Works: What does it all add up to? Measurement at the agency level, part 1

Over on the excellent "Waging Nonviolence" Blog you can find my latest article on the current protests in Senegal.

http://www.peter-doerrie.de/2012/02/16/waging-nonviolence-senegalese-protest-to-prevent-a-dynasty/…

We don’t talk about our hearts nearly enough in international aid and philanthropy. But this Valentine’s Day seems like a good time to do so. Our hearts draw us to this work, and if we keep them open enough, they are what tie us to this work when the frustrations and obstacles seem insurmountable.

A community leader and member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska,…

(This is a cross-post from the official external AidSource blog, AidSpeak - the original post is here.)

There’s a good chance that unless you’ve been intentionally following what has come to be affectionately known in some circles as Three-Cups-of-Tea-gate, you missed this update on the KPLU website (KPLU is a local NPR affiliate based in Seattle,…

Co-written with Shana Montesol Johnson of Development Crossroads

Last week, we published a post on whydev about the importance of peer coaching as a means to overcome challenges that many aid and…

Al Shabaab just announced that it has merged with al Qaida. That is of course a sad development and hints at further escalation in the conflict(s) taking place in Somalia. But it is also the culmination of a failed strategy of the West and its regional allies to contain terrorism:…

Is it ethical to work as a freelance journalist and communications consultant at the same time? I think so, but had an interesting discussion about this topic today: http://www.peter-doerrie.de/2012/02/07/ethics-and-freelancing/…

A regular Conflict Round Up that covers developments in Sub-Saharan Africa. This time I discuss Mali, Nigeria, the Sudans, Somalia and Senegal: http://www.peter-doerrie.de/2012/02/05/warisboring-africa-round-up-2/

My new blog post on participatory video for monitoring and evaluation: http://bakingpowder4change.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/oh-dear-are-we-already-in-stage-3/

We’ve all experienced it. The eyes soften. The lips purse in a gesture of understanding. The inner parts of the eyebrows curl upwards, as if a fast-acting, emergency shot of Botox has been delivered right between them. Sometimes, the head tilts. Even more rare is the slow, rhythmic nodding that may occur as you continue speaking. It’s as if moving the head up and down gently will somehow coax your words into their ears, swirl them through the auditory canals, and facilitate entrance into the…