WokeOnPaperWhen Jargon Meets a Donor
Sometimes the problem is not the work. It is that nobody understands the explanation.
Development work has its own vocabulary. Theory of change, systems strengthening, capacity building and stakeholder engagement can all describe real ideas. But too much jargon can make those ideas harder to understand.
A donor who does not understand the language is not necessarily the problem. Sometimes the organisation has simply failed to explain its work clearly.
Clarity is not the enemy of complexity. In fact, difficult work often deserves simpler language. If we can explain an idea to the people affected by it, our colleagues and our funders, we probably understand it better ourselves.
