The issue of poverty this week was very fascinating. I thought, on Thursday especially, we were able to discuss an issue that I have often wondered about and struggled with: the issue of donating. There are so many different issues that need resources and general support, but are they all valid issues that need our help? Do some necessitate more of our support than other issues? These are all tough issues to work past. However, the one point I always question myself on are the merits of the people who donate money to charities, especially the internationally-focused charities, and the motives of the charities themselves.
A lot of the people in our class felt as if, frequently, the people who donated to these charities were doing so in order to feel better about their own personal wealth (a version of “white guilt”, almost) or to look impressive to their neighbors and community members. To an extent, I had to agree. There are obviously many people who care very deeply about the issues they support and give money to, and it would be very inappropriate to generalize the entire population, but giving to charities seems to be almost a fad among the privileged and affluent members of American society. However, do the motives even matter? As long as they’re giving money to causes that need the support, do the motives of the givers matter?
We also questioned the motives behind the charities, and the actual effects they had on the people they were claiming to help. One of the issues that sprung to mind, personally, was Bono, the lead singer of U2. He established the ONE foundation, which was created to help both alleviate poverty and help the AIDS crisis, and gained a great deal of support. The foundation raised £9.6 million, but news sprung up in September that the foundation used £5 million to pay the salaries of the people working for the foundation. Only 1.2% (£118,000) went toward helping the needy (The Daily Mail).
It is very admirable that people want to give money to causes that need the support and resources. To a certain extent, I could care less if they are only doing it to impress their friends, because the money is still going to people who could use it. However, I wish people would investigate very carefully the organizations they are choosing to give money to, if only to make sure that their money is going to where the organization says it is.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question do motives matter, I do not believe so. I mean, money is money, no matter what background it comes from. Lets look at an example. Cindy is a middle class woman who feela very passionate about the homeless since she grew up poor. So she saved up her paychecks and is donating $100 to a charity after saving up for so long. While Cathy just donated $300 to the same charity without knowing anything about it, for no particular reason, just to feel better about her day. Does it matter the different motives? No, money is money. And in the end of the day Cathy's donation will be better appreciated since it was more than Cindy's.