two birds, one stone: charity and employing persons with disabilities ???

they say the majority of what you donate to charity just goes to admin. hence, that’s why NGOs like Doctors Without Borders ( i just refer to them as MSF as i can never remember their real name in French ) are ‘good’ in that most of the money actually goes ‘directly’ to the cause you want to support.

someone probably already previously had this thought, but wouldn’t it be an option to ‘outsource’ this part of the ‘operation’? wouldn’t it be a ‘good alternative’ to have an organisation where the primary persons with disabilities did the brunt of ‘backroom functions’ and performed ‘shared services’ among several charities?

in my mind, this would be ‘cheaper’ as:

1. The ‘running cost’ would be spread across several organisations,
2. Some workers would be volunteers, and
3. Because hours of the workers may be less than the ‘typical work-week’ , the rates may be ‘reduced’ (given what industry is likely to charge) .

and this would result in the following ‘benefits’:

1. The actual spend for the cause would be greater,
2. For volunteers, this can make them ‘job-ready’ and provide much needed ‘on-the-job training’ to prepare them to be integrated into the workforce,
3. For paid employees, ‘unavoidable’ admin costs would go to supporting persons with disabilities and
4. Help address some of the fears and hesitancy of potential charitable donors.

of course, a pilot may be necessary as a ‘proof of concept’ to test the viability and limitations of the model.

any ‘constructive’ feedback is welcome – concerns, comments, and suggestions would be much appreciated in developing the idea further.