- Problem:
- How do I bring my program on par with the world’s best.
- Solution:
- Do not reinvent the wheel but go to and learn from the best.
- The best environmental funds worldwide are situated in Latin America. So I made exchange visits to Fondo Ambiental Nacional (FAN), the Fund for the Protection of Water (FONAG), the Fund for Paramou Management and the Reduction of Poverty, the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (FUNBIO), and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (Redlac).
- Outcomes:
- My program was able to tap into resources representing years of work and thousands of dollars, such as operation manuals for marketing, fundraising, investment, and operations.
- My program could leapfrog to be amongst the best as witnessed by its achievements.
- Funds visited learned from our focus on profitability and sustainability; and the project management data base and photo report systems I developed.