Allison Smith

About: Allison Smith

A news junkie and compulsive list-maker, Allison Smith is a communications professional in the Canadian non-profit sector. She is passionate about the Oxford comma, improving non-profit communications, and looking at everything with a critical eye. She also blogs over at www.allisonjanesmith.com.

Blood pensions: how your retirement savings fund war

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Ethics in development | March 11, 2013 | No comments yet.

Have you ever paid into a government pension plan? Invested in a mutual fund? Then you may have funded conflict around the world. Allison Smith examines the disturbing facts concerning global arms sales....

Moving from stew to stewardship: eating sustainably in 2012

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Agriculture, Environment, Ethics in development, Reflection | October 4, 2012 | 5 comments so far.

Food. It used to be so simple. Now we’re burning corn for fuel, making meat in tubes, subsidizing cattle for more than many people’s incomes, refusing food not grown locally, and swearing off meat altogether. Allison Smith reflects on her relationship with food and what it says about the intersection...

Celebrating 200 posts: our favourite WhyDev posts of the past year

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Blogs | August 16, 2012 | One comment so far.

Three months after the second birthday of the blog, the WhyDev team celebrates its 200th post by choosing a few of their favourite posts from the past year, covering everything from sustainable development to international volunteerism to disaster relief and more. What are your favourite WhyDev posts?...

Three reasons you may be dissatisfied with your job in development

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Career Advice, Reflection | July 27, 2012 | 4 comments so far.

Do you feel constrained, bored or disillusioned with your job in development? Whatever dissatisfaction you're feeling, it can be traced back to three needs for autonomy, mastery and purpose. Drawing on Daniel Pink's book "Drive," Allison Smith examines how you can meet these needs and rekindle the love for your...

On dreams and those who live them

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Career Advice, Reflection | May 9, 2012 | 3 comments so far.

As part of a blog link-up on dreams with over 20 other bloggers from around the world, Allison shares her thoughts on how her dreams have found her, and what she’s learned from others living their dreams. Are you living your dream in aid and development?...

Why I became involved with whydev and why you should too

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Blogs | March 29, 2012 | One comment so far.

We have a very exciting announcement to make. We’ve been on the whydev journey for 2 years now, and the time has come to expand the team. When whydev was started in May 2010, we weren’t really sure about the direction in which the site would go. Fortunately, whydev has...

The problem of donating to disaster relief efforts (and how NGOs can start to solve it)

By Allison Smith | Posted in: Fundraising, Humanitarian Relief & Post-Conflict | January 11, 2012 | 8 comments so far.

It is inevitable that a major disaster will lead to an outpouring of donations in response. However, is this the best way for NGOs to utilise donor money? In her first post for whydev, Allison Smith explores why giving to NGOs post disaster can be problematic, and what NGOs can...