Sarah Eustis-Guthrie, cofounder of the now-closed Maternal Health Initiative in Ghana, shares her heartfelt journey through founding and shutting down a charity. She discusses the emotional toll of accountability and the difficult decision to close when impact fell short. The conversation reveals the significance of transparency in charity work, the complexities of postpartum family planning, and the challenges of distinguishing genuine insights from misconceptions in developing healthcare programs. Sarah emphasizes the need for reevaluation and adaptability in the nonprofit sector.
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Quick takeaways
Sarah Eustis-Guthrie's decision to shut down her charity highlights the emotional complexities and pressures faced by nonprofit founders.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of evaluating a charity's impact and being open to pivoting based on evidence and feedback.
The psychological toll on charity leaders underscores the necessity for supportive networks to foster resilience amid successes and failures.
Trust-based philanthropy is proposed as a solution to nonprofit funding inefficiencies, balancing flexibility with accountability in charitable efforts.
The cautionary tale of PlayPumps demonstrates the need for rigorous assessment to avoid unintended consequences in global health interventions.
Deep dives
The Burden of Impact
The speaker discusses the pressure associated with running a charity that relies on donated funding, particularly when it is perceived that the program might not be benefiting those it aims to help. The fear of not meeting the expectations of donors creates an internal conflict, leading to concerns about whether resources could have been more effectively allocated elsewhere. The example of funding other promising projects instead highlights the responsibility that comes with accepting support from grants. Consequently, the challenge lies in navigating the ethical implications of their charity's efficacy while reconciling personal commitments to those who generously invested in their mission.
The Importance of Bold Career Moves
In the podcast, bold career shifts in pursuit of greater impact are celebrated, acknowledging that not every attempt will succeed. The speaker emphasizes that even when individuals take risks but do not achieve their goals, they still embody bravery and ambition. By sharing a specific example of a failed health charity, the conversation reinforces the importance of learning from these experiences. By doing so, the dialogue encourages others to consider that the pursuit of meaningful work should not solely focus on success but also on personal growth and insight gained from failures.
Lessons from Maternal Health Initiative
Maternal Health Initiative aimed to deliver postpartum family planning services in Ghana but ultimately decided to shut down after analysis revealed that the intervention was not as effective as hoped. The discussion delves into the learning process, including the early signs that indicated the program might not meet its objectives. It reflects on the emotional challenges faced while dedicating time and effort to an initiative that ultimately would not benefit its target population. The candid recounting of the struggles and lessons learned highlights the importance of sharing failure experiences in global health to foster transparency and improvement.
Focus on Decision-Making
A significant part of the conversation revolves around the process of making informed decisions regarding the charity's direction and the interventions chosen. The challenges of measuring impact and the hesitance to label a program as a failure are explored through the lens of charity effectiveness. The discussion stresses the necessity of evaluating multiple aspects of the decision-making process, including evidence gathered from implementations and the input received from beneficiaries and healthcare providers. The importance of maintaining open communication and being willing to pivot when faced with strong evidence against one's assumptions becomes central to this narrative.
Community and Individual Reflection
The psychological toll of leading a charity can weigh heavily on individuals, making it essential to foster a supportive community for charity founders. In navigating successes and failures, the speaker emphasizes the necessity of having trusted teams and meaningful support systems in place. The importance of regularly reflecting on one’s choices and experiences allows for personal and professional growth while potentially reducing feelings of guilt or disappointment. Emphasizing the value of honest, open discussions about failures cultivates a healthier environment and encourages others in the community to share their own experiences.
The Shift in Family Planning Perspectives
The speaker reflects on their evolving views around postpartum family planning and the necessity of continual assessment of health interventions. They note that initial assumptions regarding effectiveness may not hold true after further analysis and evidence collection. The realization of reality versus expectation lies at the heart of focus areas, challenging widely accepted norms in health initiatives. By prioritizing autonomy and beneficiaries' well-being over dogmatic adherence to previous models, unintended consequences of programs are recognized and addressed proactively.
Trust-Based Philanthropy
The discussion introduces trust-based philanthropy as a potential solution to inefficiencies in nonprofit funding. This approach emphasizes reducing burdensome reporting requirements and empowering organizations to operate flexibly based on trust rather than micromanagement. Although promising, the speaker raises valid concerns about the need to ensure accountability and measure the true impact of charitable work in existing frameworks. Finding a balance between trust and oversight is essential to ensure that organizations remain focused on achieving genuine, measurable outcomes for beneficiaries.
Learning from PlayPumps
The case of PlayPumps serves as a cautionary tale regarding the assumptions made about innovative interventions in global health. Despite initial enthusiasm and significant funding, the outcome demonstrated multiple failures in addressing the actual needs of the communities involved. The lesson is clear: without proper evaluation and research grounded in beneficiaries’ realities, seemingly effective solutions can result in unintended harm. Ongoing skepticism combined with robust monitoring is essential to ensure that the programs we implement genuinely assist and empower those they are meant to help.
Reflections on Career Decisions
Reflecting on career decisions, the importance of embracing uncertainty and being willing to pivot is underscored. The speaker encourages openness to opportunities and remaining confident in one's capabilities, even in the face of setbacks. They remind listeners that rejection and discomfort are common experiences, but growth occurs by actively pursuing passions and interests. Realizations that personal strengths lie in adaptability and resilience shape not only the potential for success but also facilitate exploration into impactful work.
"I think one of the reasons I took [shutting down my charity] so hard is because entrepreneurship is all about this bets-based mindset. So you say, “I’m going to take a bunch of bets. I’m going to take some risky bets that have really high upside.” And this is a winning strategy in life, but maybe it’s not a winning strategy for any given hand. So the fact of the matter is that I believe that intellectually, but l do not believe that emotionally. And I have now met a bunch of people who are really good at doing that emotionally, and I’ve realised I’m just not one of those people. I think I’m more entrepreneurial than your average person; I don’t think I’m the maximally entrepreneurial person. And I also think it’s just human nature to not like failing." —Sarah Eustis-Guthrie
In today’s episode, host Luisa Rodriguez speaks to Sarah Eustis-Guthrie — cofounder of the now-shut-down Maternal Health Initiative, a postpartum family planning nonprofit in Ghana — about her experience starting and running MHI, and ultimately making the difficult decision to shut down when the programme wasn’t as impactful as they expected.
The evidence that made Sarah and her cofounder Ben think their organisation could be super impactful for women — both from a health perspective and an autonomy and wellbeing perspective.
Early yellow and red flags that maybe they didn’t have the full story about the effectiveness of the intervention.
All the steps Sarah and Ben took to build the organisation — and where things went wrong in retrospect.
Dealing with the emotional side of putting so much time and effort into a project that ultimately failed.
Why it’s so important to talk openly about things that don’t work out, and Sarah’s key lessons learned from the experience.
The misaligned incentives that discourage charities from shutting down ineffective programmes.
The movement of trust-based philanthropy, and Sarah’s ideas to further improve how global development charities get their funding and prioritise their beneficiaries over their operations.
The pros and cons of exploring and pivoting in careers.
