rude and pushy. In other cultures, spitting is not considered bad mannered but blowing
your nose into a hanky and stuffing it into your pocket is truly rude. Even seemingly trivial
things such as the colour of the ink that you choose to write in can cause offence. Showing
the soles of your feet can be taken as an insult, and touching (or not touching) the person
you’re speaking to can be taken amiss. You must also be aware that within any one country
subcultures exist based on factors such as gender, ethnicity and social status and that dif-
fering communication strategies might be required within these.
Kalene Caffarella is an Intercultural Consultant with Caffarella Cross Cultural
([email protected]) in Australia and offers some great starting points for successful
exchanges:
Showing respect for the local community in which you are volunteering is the first step
in avoiding cross-cultural miscommunication. It is crucial not only to see things from
the local point of view, but to be able to respect that point of view as valid and logical.
Ask yourself how a local person would go about accomplishing the task that you want
to accomplish. Would they communicate in a direct manner, or would they use indirect
communication to get their message across? Would people need to build trust with oth-
ers before they begin working together, or would they focus on the task alone?
For example, you may want to go into a meeting with local community members to
brainstorm new ideas or give feedback on how a project is going. If locals see the purpose
of a meeting as simply getting information from the local head, then chances are you may
not get any input. Think, instead, of how locals would gather suggestions. Be aware of the
strategies local people use and adapt to doing things their way.
While communicating across cultures is likely to lead to at least a few misunderstandings,
there are ways to minimise them. Many adult educational institutions offer cross-cultural
introductory courses and, depending on where you are planning to work, you may find
that a cultural centre exists in your home country where you can discuss possible barriers
or differences. Also check out chapters on culture and etiquette in guidebooks, and visit
the country’s official tourism website. Arm yourself with as much knowledge and aware-
ness as possible and remember to keep an open mind.
getting It rolling
Committing Your Time & Money
How long it takes to set up an aid organisation, the amount of money you’ll need, and
the number of hours you’ll need to commit depends greatly on the size and breadth of
the project you’re setting up and whether or not there’s already an infrastructure in place
upon which to build. For example, when Catheryn Goodyer (see the case study on p254)
established a small organisation, she had an appropriate business on which to base it and a
facility in place overseas where the project was needed, wanted and ready to be played out.
She therefore only had to commit a small amount of money, which was easily fundraised,
and she worked on the project for only around five hours per month. Katherine Tubb,
on the other hand, spent a year researching, developing and planning and had this to say
about her experience of setting up a larger organisation:
The actual registration of the organisation and starting trading was really easy – it was
building the foundations that took time... People used to say to me that it would be
a slow process setting up an organisation and that it would take time to build. I never
believed them and thought I would be up to speed in a few months. The reality is that it
has taken two to three years to get to a stage where I feel we are placing a good number
of volunteers and that the organisation is running in a way that I am happy with. I see it
like a wine maturing: it takes time and actually, the slower you take things, the better they
often are in the end.
These days, Katherine works 40 to 50 hours per week and makes enough to fund the
organisation’s immediate overheads. Such long hours are common among people running
aid organisations. Anthony Lunch works ‘never less than 50 hours’ per week and describes
his biggest challenge as, ‘The time it takes to do things the way they need to be done, when
staffing is minimal and the activities are full on!’ Despite the hours he commits, he assures
us that it’s a labour of love rather than a road to wealth:
I do not make a living from the charity. In fact nobody does, as there are no employees!
However, I do earn my living from the MondoChallenge volunteer organisation (a
not-for-profit company)... But the expression ‘earn one’s living’ is somewhat of an exag-
geration! Everybody employed at MondoChallenge is earning substantially less than the
market rate and thereby making their own personal contribution to the work we do...
Consider at the outset how much time you have and how much you’re willing to devote to
your organisation. If you’re planning to dedicate your ‘free time’ to it and work it in around
your present job, think seriously about what you’ll have to give up and whether you’d be
willing to do this for an extended period of time. If you are placing volunteers overseas, it is
not at all unusual for it become a seven-day-a-week job. As Alex Tarrant explains:
When we are in England, it’s usually about 40 to 50 hours a week, but there is a need to
be flexible as we have volunteers overseas at all times of the year and need to be available
at any time to provide assistance if required.
The amount of money you’ll initially need varies immensely; the type of equipment you’ll
require, whether you’ll need to pay rent or have administrative overheads all play a role.
Initial set-up costs are almost always one of the biggest hurdles you’ll have, with marketing
and running costs quickly adding up. You might consider fundraising to cover the initial
set-up cost, getting a bank loan or applying for a grant. See Getting Help (p252) and Get-
ting Funding (p247) for more on this. You may also want to pay an accountant to crunch
your budget: a good accountant can set you up with a bank that is sympathetic to the
needs of a fledgling non-profit organisation. Keep in mind that the not-for-profit scene is
just as competitive as any industry, so being realistic about fundraising potential is crucial.
Penelope Worsley reflects on how she overcame the financial hurdles involved in setting
up her organisation and gives some invaluable advice:With thousands of charities in existence, it is a sound idea to ask whether it’s worthwhile
establishing yet another one, as the need you’re proposing to address may already be met
by an existing organisation. A better alternative may be to plunge in solo with some hands-on
action or an environmentally sustainable business.
Former Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD, see p113) Amber Rowe
worked as a research development officer with the Centre for Environmental Awareness
and Education (CEAE) in the Philippines, where she spent 12 months researching and writing
an environmental education module with a local counterpart. The work she began greatly
influenced her work practices and future direction. Amber created an environmental educa-
tion portal with the assistance of the RAYAD Development Internship. She also established
the fair-trade business Trash Bags (www.trashbags.com.au), offering an attractive range of
environmentally friendly and ethical products made from recycled materials by livelihood and
community organisations in the Asia-Pacific region. Amber says:
Our collection of bags and homewares are made by community-managed and operated
organisations who, by the creation and selling of these wonderful products, are securing
a better future for their communities and our shared environment.
Amber currently also works for the Australian Human Rights Centre and volunteers at the
FTAANZ (Fair Trade Australia and New Zealand) New South Wales branch.Going into Business
10: Start Your Own Charitable Project :Getting It Rolling