Welcome to Smart Donors… Make a Difference – International Edition, the short course that will empower you to make more thoughtful and effective decisions about your charitable giving overseas – and feel more satisfaction about the difference you are making.

• Chapter One - Global Interdependence = Global Responsibility
  

  In this chapter, we’ll see why it’s an exciting time to be involved in international development. We’ll also cover the basic vocabulary you’ll need for the course. (7½ min)

• Chapter Two - Why Generosity Feels Good
  

  We’ll start by reviewing how our brain reacts to giving and what we can do to feel enduring satisfaction. (5 min)

• Chapter Three - The Smart Donor Funnel
  

  The seven modules of the course represent seven steps needed to make thoughtful and effective international giving decisions, as illustrated by this funnel diagram. (1½ min)

• Case Study - The Mistakes We Make
  

  This video reviews common mis-steps in international giving and how to avoid them. (8 min)

This section is an overview of the evolution of international assistance over the past decades, as well as challenges and opportunities for the future.

• Chapter One - Today
  

  This chapter provides a landscape scan to give you a sense of who are the major players, where the money comes from, and how it flows around the globe. (9 min)

• Chapter Two - Tomorrow
  

  This chapter looks at the past accomplishments, the current trends, and the future challenges facing international development assistance. (15 min)

The single most important decision you can make to ensure your gift makes a difference is choosing the right cause and, especially, the right issue area within that cause.

• Chapter One - Choosing a Cause
  

  In this chapter, you will choose the cause(s) about which you feel most passionate. (3 min)

• Chapter Two - Selecting an Issue Area
  

  To better select the issue you should focus on within your chosen cause, you will learn about three simple tests to determine where you can make the most difference. (7 min)

• Mythbuster - The Overhead Myth
  

  This video debunks one of the most destructive misconceptions in charitable giving and demonstrates the importance of supporting an organization’s operating costs. (7½ min)

This module offers simple tools for donors to better understand the issue they have selected before deciding which solution to support.

• Chapter One - Framing an Issue
  

  First, we review why properly framing an issue is so important (and what happened when a large international organization failed to do so). (5½ min)

• Chapter Two - Understanding an Issue Within it's Ecosystem
  

  Our world is made of complex relationships, so we can’t simply look at one problem and one solution. We must zoom out to look at all the factors that influence an issue to determine at which points intervening may have the most positive influence. (2½ min)

• Case Study - Youth Unemployment in Kenya
  

  This case study illustrates the range of choices a donor faces when deciding which interventions to support. (10 min)

• Chapter Three - Drawing Your Landscape Map
  

  In this chapter, we will show you how to draw your own landscape map using the previous case study as an example. (3 min)

This module will show you different the different approaches international funders can use to help make change happen through the organizations or initiatives they support.

• Chapter One - Three Pathways to Change
  

  After reviewing the critical importance of seeking “great” rather than just “good” solutions, we will look at the characteristics of community based (direct services), policy based (advocacy, communications campaigns), and market based (social enterprises) pathways to change. (15 min)

• Case Study - Advocacy on a Shoestring
  

  This case study will illustrate how the right small investment in advocacy can go a long way to foster change. (3½ min)

• Case Study - Beyond a Woman and Her Cow
  

  There was a time when microcredit (allowing one woman to purchase one cow) was considered a silver bullet for the Global South. This case study reviews the evolution in approaches to financial inclusion and suggests how you might engage with this exciting topic. (7½ min)

“Impact” is one of the most misused (and misunderstood) terms in charitable giving. This module is a primer on the basic concepts smart donors should grasp to understand if they are making a difference.

• Chapter One - Measuring Results
  

  Using the example of a program to develop social and emotional skills in Colombian youth, this chapter explains the different ways to measure change. (6½ min)

• Chapter Two - Evaluating Results
  

  We’ll use the same example to demonstrate a “Theory of Change,” a method to determine if a program or activities are leading to improvements and ultimately solving a problem. (4½ min)

• Chapter Three - Analyzing a Website
  

  Many donors get much of their information from a charity’s website. This video is a guide to understanding (and questioning) the information communicated on a website. (8 min)

• Mythbuster - Cost per Head
  

  This video focuses on more common misperceptions about impact. (3½ min)

By this point, you will have chosen a cause and issue area within it, performed enough basic research about the issue to know which approaches and solutions you wish to support, and created a short list of organizations that fulfill these criteria. In this module, you’ll learn how an American donor can engage in international initiatives. We’ll also look at powerful ways to make the most difference by supporting grassroots organizations. And we’ll end with a review of buzzwords and concepts you may encounter as you launch your international giving journey.

• Chapter 1 - Ways to Give Overseas
  

  This first section explains the legal logistics of international giving by American donors. (5½ min)

• Chapter 2 - Funding Grassroots Initiatives
  

  This chapter shows you why supporting grassroots organizations directly is so impactful, and how an American donor can engage in this approach. (6 min)

• Chapter 3 - Buzzwords
  

  This last session helps you understand the jargon and concepts you may encounter. (9 min)

This final session will help you complete your roadmap and will also highlight ways – beyond making donations – you can make a difference globally.

• Your Engagement - Finalizing Your Roadmap
  

  This final session will help you complete your roadmap and will also highlight ways – beyond making donations – you can make a difference. (5 min)