Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

kind. This process exposes the community to practical aspects of planning and governance.Ensure management teams are inclusive, incorporating women and youth. Examples of CSRpilot projects could include constructing fences, building a classroom or a toilet, paintingclassrooms, or providing school supplies.• Step 4 - Assessment of the AreaUndertake an assessment of the area to understand needs so that any projects that areundertaken will be need-driven and not donor-driven. The assessment can be done throughworkshops or expert studies but the key is to have community participation. The outcome of theassessment should be a ‘community voicing report’ where aspirations and expectations of thecommunity are captured. This report should be used by the business to identify potentialprojects suitable for support through travelers’ philanthropy. The report will also help to identifyother people already working in the area. This is necessary to avoid conflicts, competition, andduplication of efforts.• Step 5- Scanning Potential ProjectsIdentify individuals,, groups, or institutions that may have an interest in selected projects thatyou have identified through your assessment Engage in a dialogue with these stakeholders sothat you can begin to understand their expectations, and the roles and contributions they mayoffer. Through these consultations, scan the project forsustainability, level of impact, community participation,and level of transformation. Overall it has to be SMART:Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound. The scanning exercise should result in a writtenreport covering each proposed project. Thesedocuments don’t need to be long but should cover allthe aspects of your SMART scan.• Step 6 - Develop AgreementsIt is important to have written agreements (in thelanguage or languages understood by the partiesinvolved) that will govern implementation of the project.Depending on the nature of the project, these mayrange from simple statements to complex memoranda ofunderstanding (MOUs). These agreements alsoreinforce commitment from the parties that are involved(the business, the local organizations, and/or communityleaders) and define relationships.Village craft market, Phinda, South Africa.Credit: Zoe Chafe• Step 7- Design a Travelers’ Philanthropy ProgramWhen designing a travelers’ philanthropy program, you should build on the consultations,project documents, and agreements designed above. Remember that travelers’ philanthropyprojects must be grounded both in community and company plans.These documents should also be used to develop materials to communicate about a project totravelers and assure them that the project is well-conceived and executed. The program must160