Broadly, stability operations can be considered successful if the state in question sees a decrease in violence from initial kinetic intervention and then a move toward normalization as NGOs enter. The U.S. military bases all its stability operations on four guiding principles that, when combined and executed effectively, produce long-lasting stability.
Read MoreOur world is increasingly complex. Gone are the days when an NGO could operate in conflict zones or areas of instability without significant risks and physical, reputational and/or unintended consequences. Today more than ever, militaries and NGOs are embracing the need for stability operations that deliver a holistic interagency approach unified behind the common goal of sustained peace.
Read MoreFocused on breaking cycles of poverty by offering humanitarian aid, empowering communities and advancing empathy, Linking the World is not your average NGO. Their methods are unique: forward-thinking partnerships that maximize the effectiveness of both parties, and innovative programs designed to render their own company's presence obsolete.
"The old models that are created by charities and donors have put pressure on organizations to raise and spend money to ensure the continuation of projects. Many charities are funding these programs just to be sustained as organizations, with programs that are not really even needed or effective but are sexy to a donor,"
Read MoreWomen in nonprofits have long been perceived as needing different skills and holding different life goals than women in the for-profit sector. But as corporate responsibility takes hold and more for-profit organizations become mission-driven, the line between nonprofit and for-profit is blurring.
Read MoreThe response to the disaster made history, too: It marked the first time that unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, were used to save lives and provide relief in the aftermath of a storm.
UAVs were sent into the disaster zone to provide 3D mapping of the devastated landscape and to locate survivors. The UAVs were even loaded with supplies such as water, medicine, and radios. All of this happened before boots ever hit the ground.
Read MoreEmpathy is misunderstood. It's confused for pity, and it's associated with victims, "soft skills" and fuzzy feelings.
Even "experts" from a well-intentioned nonprofit can get it wrong. They'll land in a poverty-stricken community and start building schools, flying in foreign volunteer teachers, donating truckloads of school supplies and shipping in biweekly deliveries of grain. But in trying to end the cycle of poverty, the organization only creates another devastating cycle--one of dependency.
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