[For 25 years, the What If donor community has supported our partner in Haiti, Na Rive (aka OSDE, the acronym for their registered Haitian nonprofit name, Organisation Sociale pour le Développement Économique).
But now there’s a new structure to support Na Rive/OSDE and their food and education programs. You can read Margaret’s letter explaining the transition below.]
Learn more about the new structure and the OSDE Haiti Fund on our New Path page.
Dear Friend,
I wish we could be together and talk instead of me sending you this long email. But since that’s not possible, I hope you’ll spend time with me here so I can share some important news.
I’m writing to tell you about a transition the What If Foundation is going through this year, one that promises a new beginning and an exciting step forward for our longtime partner, Na Rive, and for the food and education programs in Haiti.
Since my return to the What If Foundation Board of Directors last year, and inspired by the 25th Anniversary of the food program, the board and I have collaborated with Na Rive to focus on these key questions:
How can we help ensure the sustainability of the programs in the years to come?
How can we support Na Rive’s continued success in a way that strengthens their autonomy, honors their vision, and broadens their opportunities?
And how can our beloved community of donors stay directly connected to the school and food program they helped create?
This work has led us to a new vision for the future — and flowing from that, a new partnership arrangement for Na Rive, set to begin later this year. It’s a complete transformation of the way we’ve worked together, yet we all agree it’s a natural and exciting evolution.
You and everyone else in the What If donor community are an integral part of this new vision. Your love and support have made the food program and Father Jeri School possible all these years, and your continued support will help ensure this important transition is successful.
The first 25 years… humble beginnings and incredible growth
When I created the What If Foundation 25 years ago, soon after returning from my first trip to Haiti, I never imagined what was to come. Inspired by Father Jean-Juste’s vision of a food program for the children in Ti Plas Kazo, I prayed and asked the question, “What if I could help?” It wasn’t long before a miraculous $5,000 gift arrived, and that got everything started.
That first check led to many other gifts over the years, including your generous donations, making the meals and scholarships possible. As the What If donor community grew, the food and education programs grew. Our partner Na Rive grew as well, becoming a Haitian nonprofit organization. Together, we built the Father Jeri School, and today 710 children are enrolled, and the food program serves about 5,000 meals every week — even in the midst of Haiti’s current heartbreaking crisis. Looking back, I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished together.
The need for a new way to support Na Rive
The What If Foundation has always been a small organization, dependent on just 1-3 people to conduct our fundraising and administrative operations. For many of the last 25 years, this work largely depended on me, as is often the case for small founder-led nonprofits. But I’ve always known this wasn’t sustainable in the long term and made the programs in Haiti vulnerable. If something happened to me or another key person at the foundation, what would happen to the programs?
In recent years, we tried to move beyond this small, founder-led structure by hiring executive directors, but we haven’t had the resources needed to make the organization grow. Equally important, Na Rive is at a point in their evolution where they are looking for specialized training and additional support to help navigate the complex challenges they currently face in Haiti.
As the board and I explored the issues about sustainability and the future of the programs, it became clear that a new way to direct resources to Na Rive is needed — one that doesn’t depend on the What If Foundation. I’m very happy to share that we have found what we were looking for.
A new path forward with the Haiti Development Institute (hdihaiti.org)
A few years ago, we were introduced to the Haiti Development Institute (HDI), which helps grassroots organizations in Haiti grow stronger and become more sustainable. Lavarice Gaudin, Na Rive’s Program Manager from 2009-2022, was in conversation with HDI about working together, but when he passed away unexpectedly, the plans were put on hold.
In 2024, we restarted those conversations, and this is what has led us to a completely new idea:
Create a partnership between Na Rive and HDI, with a designated fund for the food and education programs, then begin the process of winding down the role of the What If Foundation.
The board, Na Rive, and I all agree that this is the best way forward, and we feel it’s in harmony with what Father Jean-Juste and Lavarice would want for Na Rive and the children in Ti Plas Kazo.
Here’s a summary of how the new partnership arrangement will work:
- The Haiti Development Institute (HDI) makes it possible
Formed as an initiative of The Boston Foundation, HDI is a well-respected Haitian nonprofit organization with a ten-year history of empowering community-based organizations in Haiti by providing training, coaching, and grantmaking services. HDI has offices in Boston at The Boston Foundation and in Haiti, with an expert team of Haitian staff working there to address the specific challenges that local nonprofits encounter every day.
HDI will serve as Na Rive’s capacity-building partner — in fact, they start working together this month. Then beginning January 2026, HDI will manage the routine transfer of donor funds to Na Rive for the food program and Father Jeri School.
There’s an excellent four-minute video about HDI on the homepage of their website that I highly encourage you to watch. (hdihaiti.org) When you do, I’m sure you’ll see why they are the ideal partner for Na Rive in this new transition.
- A new fund for Na Rive at The Boston Foundation (TBF)
The Boston Foundation will create a special, designated fund that will make it easy for What If donors to continue supporting Na Rive and their programs in Haiti. Staff at TBF will work with HDI to manage the fund, which is exclusively for use by Na Rive. The fund will have its own webpage with a special donation form, and donors will receive charitable tax receipts for donations made online or by mail. The funds raised will be distributed to Na Rive in quarterly payments to support the food and education programs.
- Na Rive evolves and expands
Na Rive will continue the programs in Ti Plas Kazo while working closely with the team from HDI to strengthen their organizational capacity. HDI will also help them develop new partnerships that may lead to additional resources for the programs, lessening their dependency on the What If Foundation donor community. An HDI training course specifically designed for Na Rive is about to begin, with a focus on governance, leadership, financial management, fundraising, communications, and partnership development. In 2026, Na Rive will begin sending news and program updates directly to donors, rather than going through the What If Foundation.
- A new path for our donors as the What If Foundation winds down
When this new structure is in place, it will be time to lovingly wind down the What If Foundation. But this won’t diminish Na Rive’s determination to keep the programs going, and it won’t lessen our donors’ desire to be of service and express their love and concern for the children of Haiti. My hope is that you’ll join me in continuing the flow of donations through the new fund at TBF. It’s a new financial structure, but the same life-giving meals at the food program, the same top-quality education at the Father Jeri School, and the same courageous, devoted team at Na Rive.
Timeline and next steps
The new fund for Na Rive at TBF should be ready to use in time for this year’s holiday fundraising season. In the coming weeks, I will send you all the information you need to begin donating in this new way. Until then, please continue to send your donations to the What If Foundation.
This transition will take time, so I’ll remain as Board Chair and President in 2026 to support the shift to the new fund at TBF and Na Rive’s partnership with HDI. When the transition is stabilized, likely towards the end of next year, we will close the What If Foundation as a California nonprofit organization — with our hearts full of gratitude as we celebrate this new beginning.
Na Rive’s message to you… they’re ready and determined
In a recent Zoom meeting with Na Rive’s leadership team, they talked about their readiness for this transition. Everyone on the team worked with Father Jeri and Lavarice in the past, and four members received college or technical school scholarships paid for by What If Foundation donors — so they deeply feel the value of the programs and are determined to keep them going for future generations.
Every time I speak with Na Rive, I am inspired by the strength of their faith, their profound courage, and their unwavering commitment to serve the children and families in their community. They all said they are looking forward to working with HDI and wanted to make sure I express to you how grateful they are for your support of what Rosie calls “this mission of the heart and great circle of Love”.
Natural endings and new beginnings… a prayer for grace and abundance
I know and deeply trust that this new beginning is full of promise for Na Rive and is an ideal next step on their journey. It’s also the next step on my journey, as I prepare to retire and bring the What If Foundation to a close.
I will always hold Na Rive and the children of Ti Plas Kazo in my heart, and I look forward to continuing my support of the food program and Father Jeri School as a donor through the new fund at The Boston Foundation.
This work has always been guided by faith and love, and this is what guides me now. My prayer is that this new transition is full of grace and abundance, and that the food program and the school will continue to serve the children and families of Ti Plas Kazo for many decades to come.
Thank you for your love and support, your prayers, donations, and all the other ways you’ve encouraged me and supported the programs through so many seasons, including this new, hope-filled time of growth that is just beginning for Na Rive.
And thank you, too, for your time and thoughtfulness in reading this letter. As always, please feel free to email me with any questions.
With love and gratitude, piti piti na rive,
Margaret Trost
Founder and President
What If Foundation