Working with diaspora donors: trust, reporting and care
How NGOs can work with diaspora donors: build trust, report clearly, manage expectations, check the rules and protect people and partners.
Short answer
Diaspora donors give from abroad to causes in their home country. They often care deeply but may distrust institutions and want proof. Build trust with open information, regular short reports and honest answers about problems. Agree expectations early, check legal and banking rules on both sides, protect communities and staff, and thank donors properly. Trust is the real asset.
Key points
- Diaspora donors are motivated by connection, and often worry about trust.
- Share your mission, funding and results openly, with regular updates.
- Agree expectations in writing: use of funds, reporting, communication.
- Check legal, banking and tax rules in both countries, and use qualified advice.
- Protect the people you serve and your staff. Share stories with consent and care.
Who are diaspora donors?
Diaspora donors are people who live abroad and give money, time or skills to their country of origin. The Migration Policy Institute describes diaspora philanthropy as private donations by diaspora populations to a wide range of causes in countries of origin, with motivations, objectives, capacities and impacts that vary. Some give alone and choose causes themselves. Others give through intermediaries such as hometown associations, faith-based groups, professional networks or online platforms.
For a Myanmar NGO, diaspora supporters may be former colleagues, community networks, faith groups or professionals. They bring flexible funds, ideas and contacts. They also bring high expectations, because they care and they feel distant.
Why is trust the main issue?
The MPI handbook on engaging diasporas notes that diaspora philanthropists face particular difficulties in setting priorities, stating objectives and outcomes, and overcoming a lack of trust in the nonprofit sector. It adds that this mistrust may lead migrants to give to family members and established institutions instead of new organisations. The fundsforNGOs article on diaspora giving agrees: many individuals may have been disappointed by organisations before, and transparency must come first.
Alliance magazine lists practical questions diaspora donors ask: How do I give to an organisation I trust? How do I make sure my giving follows the rules of my home and host country? How can I be confident the money will arrive and be used well? Your work is to answer these before they are asked.
How do you build trust in five steps?
- Be open about who you are. Share your mission, registration status, governance, staff and main funding sources. Keep a short, current organisational profile ready.
- Explain exactly how funds are used. Show what share goes to direct activities and what to running costs. Do not hide overhead.
- Report regularly and plainly. FundsforNGOs advises regular updates and reports to reassure donors that contributions are used effectively.
- Report problems too. A delay explained early builds more trust than a success story that hides a gap.
- Involve diaspora leaders. FundsforNGOs suggests involving diaspora leaders in decisions and forming advisory groups of diaspora representatives for ongoing dialogue.
Our guide on writing a clear project report shows how to structure updates. Use the same facts and figures in every channel.
What should you agree at the start?
Put the basics in a short written understanding. This protects both sides.
| Topic | What to agree |
|---|---|
| Purpose | What the gift will fund and what it will not |
| Amount and timing | How much, when, how it will be sent |
| Reporting | What, how often, in which language and format |
| Visits and contact | Whether visits are possible and safe, and who manages them |
| Communication | How stories and photos will be used, with consent |
| Changes | What happens if plans must change, and who decides |
| Recognition | Whether the donor wants to be named |
Expectations can differ. As fundsforNGOs notes, regular check-ins give donors a chance to share needs and concerns and help both sides stay aligned on goals.
What legal and practical rules apply?
Rules on sending, receiving and reporting money differ by country, and they change. Alliance magazine reports that diaspora donors regularly face complex rules on overseas giving, and recipients face domestic rules on foreign funding, exchange and reporting. This double exposure raises effort, cost and perceived risk. It also describes intermediaries that help donors comply, verify registration and governance, and sometimes allow tax deductions in the host country.
For your team: check what Myanmar rules apply to receiving foreign contributions, which banking channels are available, and what records you must keep. Do not rely on informal channels without understanding the risks. Ask a qualified adviser, and do not give legal or tax advice to donors yourself. If a donor wants to use an intermediary organisation, ask how it will verify and report.
How do you protect people and partners?
- Consent for stories. Use names, photos and details only with informed consent. See ethics and consent in data collection.
- Safety first. In sensitive areas, do not share locations or identifiable details. Explain this to donors early.
- Fairness. Do not let one donor's preference distort how aid is shared among people in need.
- Neutral language. Describe conditions factually. Avoid language that takes sides or could expose staff.
- Beware of pressure. Be careful with requests that you cannot meet safely or that breach policy.
How do you keep diaspora supporters for the long term?
Say thank you quickly and specifically. Send a short note of what the gift achieved. Invite supporters to a regular online briefing. Offer different ways to help: skills, introductions or advocacy as well as money. Keep a simple donor list with a contact owner. Include these supporters in your donor map and your plan to diversify funding.
How EMPO can help
EMPO is a reliable, Yangon-based training and consultancy provider and one of Myanmar's leading names in practical NGO training, with 1,200+ people trained and 15 partner organisations. We offer a professional organisational profile service and training in report writing and proposal writing, online or in person across Myanmar, in English and Burmese. See our services or contact us.
Sources
- Diaspora Philanthropy: Private Giving and Public Policy — Migration Policy Institute
- Challenges in Tapping into Diaspora Giving — fundsforNGOs
Questions people ask
How often should we update diaspora donors?
Agree a rhythm at the start. Many NGOs do a short monthly or quarterly update and a fuller report each year. Keep promises you can keep.
Can we share photos and stories of beneficiaries?
Only with informed consent, and only when it is safe. In sensitive settings, use no names or identifiable images. Never put people at risk to please a donor.
What if a donor wants to direct funds to a specific person or village?
Discuss it openly. Explain what your programme can and cannot do, and what rules apply. Do not agree to anything that breaks your policies or creates unfairness.