What We Learned from Listening: The Realities of Diaspora Engagement Online

When we relaunched the Haitian Diaspora Engagement and Philanthropy Survey, our goal was ambitious yet simple: to better understand how members of the Haitian diaspora are contributing to Haiti’s future — not just through donations, but through their time, skills, and community leadership. We’ve made meaningful progress, with strong visibility and growing momentum, but we know we’re not there yet. As we work toward our target of 200 responses, we’re reflecting on what’s working and what’s not and how we can better engage the community moving forward.

The Challenges We Faced

High Drop-Off Rates

Many individuals viewed or clicked through to the survey, but many did not start or complete it. While awareness was strong, retaining people through to completion was our greatest challenge. This highlighted a need to better align the survey’s user experience with audience behavior.

Targeting Misalignment

Although our ad campaign was configured to reach Haitian diaspora audiences in the U.S. and Canada, the majority of Facebook impressions were delivered in Haiti — especially in the Ouest Department. Thankfully, none of the survey completions came from Haiti, preserving our dataset’s integrity, but it exposed a technical challenge: algorithms don’t always align with intent.

Real Engagement Came from Real Relationships

The most consistent and committed participation came from our trusted networks—colleagues, partners, and community members who shared the survey directly. These responses didn’t come from algorithms—they came from connection, trust, and personal engagement.

What This Taught Us

• Simplicity Wins: People are far more likely to respond to a clear, short ask. We’re now exploring ways to simplify or split our survey into two quick phases for the future.
• Trust Is the Real Currency: People don’t respond to ads — they react to people. That means investing more in community-led outreach, ambassador toolkits, and personal invitations.
• Learning Out Loud Matters: Instead of hiding behind polished metrics, we’re choosing to share the full story. This process of reflection is how we — and our partners — grow stronger.

The conversation isn’t over — and neither is the campaign.

The Haitian Diaspora Philanthropy Survey remains open until June 24, 2025, and we’re still inviting members of our global community to share their insights. If you haven’t completed it yet, there’s still time to shape the narrative, inform the data, and help us build a more inclusive roadmap for the future of giving.

Take the Survey Now 

Want to share your experience with diaspora giving or engage further? We’d love to hear from you. Email us.