A Personal Philanthropy Debate: When Giving Back Isn't So Easy

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Career Development  

The topic of PM philanthropy has been a recurring year-end theme here at ProjectManagement.com. I like to try and write things that are a bit different from the normal, that offer a different view, even if that’s slightly contentious. But that’s kind of difficult with philanthropy, so I wasn’t really looking forward to it (don’t tell the editor). And then 2020 happened. COVID-19 happened. And now I really don’t want to write this article.

But I have to. Because what I have been thinking is probably what a lot of you have been thinking, and it needs to be explored. My ego isn’t so big as to think that I am going to make some kind of difference with this piece, but if it helps you process some of what you are thinking, then I’ve done my job.

In my career, I have always tried to give back to my profession, industry and community. Since I moved to an island off the coast of Honduras a little over three years ago, that’s become even more important because I am exposed to the need for meaningful philanthropy every day. This is not a wealthy country. If I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can give back, then I feel it is my duty to do so. Or at least, that’s what I thought until this year.

COVID-19 hit this island hard. Initially, our position of isolation from the mainland meant that we had no confirmed …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.