1. Pilot
A project we tried once. It didn’t work. But we’ll talk about it in all funding proposals for the next five years.
2. Corporate social responsibility
A flashy PR exercise that saves taxes. (And sometimes, tree plantation drives that actually make everything significantly worse.)
3. Resilience
The ability to work on a project even though its funding has just been abruptly cut because of a paperwork error.
4. Capacity building
A workshop with a 40-slide presentation and 20 people who look like they’d rather be anywhere else. Everyone gets a tote bag and a notebook, though.
5. Evidence-based
A study we found from a decade ago that vaguely supports what we were already pretty set on doing.
6. Innovation
The same thing we’ve been doing for years but now we have an app for it.
7. Board
A two-hour-long Zoom call where you make a long list of really important decisions you’ll most definitely not be able to get through before the next call.
