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Where does the mission money go?
When you write a check for “clean water” or “orphans in Africa,” what actually happens on the other side of the wire?
In this episode, Todd Turner sits down with longtime Africa practitioner Jason Miller to talk honestly about the dark side of global generosity: dependency, staged photo ops, buzzword-driven proposals, broken “sustainability” projects, and a charity mindset that quietly damages the very communities we say we care about.
Jason has been working in East Africa since the mid-90s, from backpacking and hauling fax machines into Tanzania to walking slums, village wells, schools, farms, and “sustainable” projects across the continent. Together, Todd and Jason unpack how Western money interacts with local culture, government corruption, and survival ethics on the ground. They tell real stories of empty chicken houses, stolen wells, abandoned greenhouses, and ministries that exploded with donor money and then collapsed under the weight of it.
Most importantly, they explain why U.S. oversight tools like Guidestar, ECFA, and clean audits are necessary but not enough. Once money leaves the country, the paper trail gets fuzzy and the real story is told in dusty fields, rural schools, and village churches, not on a glossy PDF.
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
- Why “don’t feed the bears” is a painfully accurate picture of some mission models
- How well-intentioned donors can destroy local businesses and jobs without realizing it
- Why buzzwords like “sustainability,” “water is life,” and “women’s empowerment” raise money but often hide shallow work
- How cultural views of truth, honor, and family boards can completely change what “accountability” looks like
- Why schools, wells, fish farms, and orphanages often fail once the team flies home
- The limits of 501(c)(3) audits, Guidestar stars, and ECFA seals when funds are wired overseas
- What real donor due diligence looks like when you actually “watch the money in action”
- How Open Trust Global helps close the gap between donor stories and donor reality
If you’re a pastor, foundation leader, missions pastor, family office, or everyday giver who supports overseas work, this episode will help you ask better questions, fund better projects, and avoid doing unintentional harm with generous gifts.
Open Trust Global exists to put eyes and boots where the dollars go so that every gift has a fighting chance to become the good it was intended to be.
View all episodes
By Todd Turner, Creative Digital Guide
5
66 ratings
When you write a check for “clean water” or “orphans in Africa,” what actually happens on the other side of the wire?
In this episode, Todd Turner sits down with longtime Africa practitioner Jason Miller to talk honestly about the dark side of global generosity: dependency, staged photo ops, buzzword-driven proposals, broken “sustainability” projects, and a charity mindset that quietly damages the very communities we say we care about.
Jason has been working in East Africa since the mid-90s, from backpacking and hauling fax machines into Tanzania to walking slums, village wells, schools, farms, and “sustainable” projects across the continent. Together, Todd and Jason unpack how Western money interacts with local culture, government corruption, and survival ethics on the ground. They tell real stories of empty chicken houses, stolen wells, abandoned greenhouses, and ministries that exploded with donor money and then collapsed under the weight of it.
Most importantly, they explain why U.S. oversight tools like Guidestar, ECFA, and clean audits are necessary but not enough. Once money leaves the country, the paper trail gets fuzzy and the real story is told in dusty fields, rural schools, and village churches, not on a glossy PDF.
In this conversation, you’ll hear:
- Why “don’t feed the bears” is a painfully accurate picture of some mission models
- How well-intentioned donors can destroy local businesses and jobs without realizing it
- Why buzzwords like “sustainability,” “water is life,” and “women’s empowerment” raise money but often hide shallow work
- How cultural views of truth, honor, and family boards can completely change what “accountability” looks like
- Why schools, wells, fish farms, and orphanages often fail once the team flies home
- The limits of 501(c)(3) audits, Guidestar stars, and ECFA seals when funds are wired overseas
- What real donor due diligence looks like when you actually “watch the money in action”
- How Open Trust Global helps close the gap between donor stories and donor reality
If you’re a pastor, foundation leader, missions pastor, family office, or everyday giver who supports overseas work, this episode will help you ask better questions, fund better projects, and avoid doing unintentional harm with generous gifts.
Open Trust Global exists to put eyes and boots where the dollars go so that every gift has a fighting chance to become the good it was intended to be.