Two Awards for Putting Theory into Practice
One of the unique aspects of Beyond Borders and our sister organization in Haiti, Fondasyon Limyè Lavi, is our non-traditional, non-hierarchical structure. We make major decisions by consensus and encourage staff members to take responsibility for their dreams. We use Open Space Technology and other participatory approaches to planning and managing our work.
Democracy in the workplace is important to us not simply because we like to work in an environment where our voices are heard, it's important because it gives better long-term results. It also allows us to model democratic and participatory habits and structures for our partner organizations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Because participation and democracy are so important to us, it gave us great pleasure to learn that Beyond Borders, for the second year in a row, was chosen as one of 25 organizations included on WorldBlu’s list of Most Democratic Workplaces. WorldBlu is an Atlanta-based organization that promotes organizational democracy.
Over the years we've often faced sceptics who recognize democracy in the workplace as a lofty thing to aspire to, but believe it can't be very practical or efficient. While there are certainly challenges to a participatory structure, this second award recognizes that Beyond Borders has also been faithful to its commitment to efficiency and managing funds responsibly and with integrity. For the fourth consecutive year, Beyond Borders has been awarded a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities.
In the letter announcing this award, Charity Navigator wrote:
Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that your organization excels, as compared to other charities in America, in successfully managing the finances of your organization in an efficient and effective manner.This consistency in your rating is an exceptional feat, especially given the economic challenges many charities have had to face in the last year.
For more about this award, see Charity Navigator’s article about Beyond Borders.