When I volunteered at KCSC (Korean Community Service Center) in high school, I spent close to one academic year working with the same group of children. Watching them grow over the year was a rewarding experience and over the span of 10 months, I found myself attached to each child so much that it was hard to leave in the summer. But donating money to UNICEF gives me the same satisfaction too. Although I couldn’t form any attachment and personal connection with children UNICEF are aiding, knowing that my donation would help someone is enough for me. Whether it was a one-time donation or a year’s worth of giving, I felt rewarded and happy because I know I made a difference.
This class has introduced so many topics and discussions of philanthropy and giving that I would have never thought of. I remembered our vibrant discussion of giving and the debate over Buffett’s results-oriented giving versus Verdad’s giving. I had always believed that giving is giving and there is no distinction or hierarchy of philanthropy. While the results may be different, giving is essentially the same to me; giving time or money makes me feel compassionate. Needless to say, the debate in class was so intense and everyone defended their arguments so well and I can’t help but wonder why people give and what motivates them to give. What is philanthropic giving ? So I did some research and found the article, “Why Do People Give to Charity?” by Sean Stannard-Stockton on the Stanford Social Innovation Review (http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/why_do_people_give_to_charity/). The article concludes that people give because they want to make meaningful connections with others. While the article is entertaining to read, I was left with many questions, like if we’re all giving because we want to connect to others and because we’re all striving to make meaning in life, why are there so many forms of giving? Why are there strategies and intelligent giving?
I can honestly say that giving for me is measured by intuition. Of course I would rather my giving be productive and intelligent, but giving to me is more than just results; giving money or time or energy to someone sends a strong message of empowerment to both the giver and receiver. Maybe to a receiver, knowing that someone cares is more important than knowing how or how much is given. So what you guys think is more important, results-oriented giving or giving for the sake of giving? What kind of giving do you think is meaningful? And why do you give?
This class has introduced so many topics and discussions of philanthropy and giving that I would have never thought of. I remembered our vibrant discussion of giving and the debate over Buffett’s results-oriented giving versus Verdad’s giving. I had always believed that giving is giving and there is no distinction or hierarchy of philanthropy. While the results may be different, giving is essentially the same to me; giving time or money makes me feel compassionate. Needless to say, the debate in class was so intense and everyone defended their arguments so well and I can’t help but wonder why people give and what motivates them to give. What is philanthropic giving ? So I did some research and found the article, “Why Do People Give to Charity?” by Sean Stannard-Stockton on the Stanford Social Innovation Review (http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/why_do_people_give_to_charity/). The article concludes that people give because they want to make meaningful connections with others. While the article is entertaining to read, I was left with many questions, like if we’re all giving because we want to connect to others and because we’re all striving to make meaning in life, why are there so many forms of giving? Why are there strategies and intelligent giving?
I can honestly say that giving for me is measured by intuition. Of course I would rather my giving be productive and intelligent, but giving to me is more than just results; giving money or time or energy to someone sends a strong message of empowerment to both the giver and receiver. Maybe to a receiver, knowing that someone cares is more important than knowing how or how much is given. So what you guys think is more important, results-oriented giving or giving for the sake of giving? What kind of giving do you think is meaningful? And why do you give?
I can completely understand your point about all giving is good. As many debates as we've had in class, I think it's important for us to come away from the disagreements with the understanding that we all have the same good motives and intentions, and we are all in the class to learn about helping people and making the world a little bit better, however we choose to contribute. On the other hand, I think that to some people, there are certain causes that are of a higher priority. This gets back to Doris Buffet labeling arts as SOB giving. It's not that the arts are unimportant, it's just that some people believe providing people with their basic needs to survive is more important than broadening cultural experiences of people who are doing well enough to survive (or thrive) on their own. You also bring up the issue of giving just to give and feel good about it, or giving to an organization you have researched and who has proven that they have been successful in the past and should continue to be. I personally believe that giving should be about results just as much as it is about making the donor feel good. If your money doesn't do much, or doesn't go where you intended it to go, would you still feel just as good knowing this? I, like most people, don't have unlimited funds to give, so I want to try my hardest to make sure the money that I am able to give goes in the right place and makes as big of an impact as it can. I think this is accomplished by researching the success of an organization before donating to them. I think this is the point of our class, where we have to make evidence-based arguments instead of just expressing our emotions or personal experiences. Intelligent giving is effective giving, and I think we can all agree that when we give to a particular cause, we want to be effective in helping alleviate that particular community need.
ReplyDeleteSaruta,
ReplyDeleteI think your questions bring up a number of interesting points. For one, I do not agree with giving blindly, merely for the sake of giving. If a person's philanthropy is not intelligent, or at least directed in some respect, I don't understand how the philanthropy can be deemed as effective. I think that results-oriented giving is good, but it is risky to only focus on results-oriented giving, since this would take away funds, focus, and a fair chance from smaller organizations. That being said, organizations which produce positive results on a consistent basis ought to be given the same amount of attention as smaller organizations.
I think the kind of giving that is meaningful is the kind that is clearly targeted at making some kind of difference, whether by giving money or time. The kid of giving that intends to reach results in both the long and short term is the type of giving that I believe is the most meaningful. To a certain extent, this kind of giving is emotionally detached, and may not have as much of an emotional investment as emotional or impulsive giving.
This is one of the main reasons that I give. I give so that people who do not have a chance, or are not in the advantageous position that I am in, can get one step closer to my position. I believe that I am extremely lucky, and other people clearly deserve to have this opportunity. If I can provide them with this kind of opportunity, there is no reason that I cannot, nor should not do so.
I completely agree with you, Max. Giving blindly is not effective, but if individuals focus solely on results-oriented giving then we limit the number of funding opportunities available to smaller organizations. While I find myself going back and forth between the two options, I still believe in funding organizations even if they fail to demonstrate their effectiveness. This, however, only applies to new organizations. With the rate at rich nonprofit organizations are being created, it is possible that many organizations have yet to find the approach that works best for them. In a previous class, we discussed how organizations create programs and initiatives with the intentions of said programs and initiatives being successful. However, if for whatever reason they fail it does not mean that the organization itself is a failure; it just means that they have the wrong approach. And while the concept of playing with people’s lives is a bit scary, it ultimately is a case of trial and error.
DeleteThe idea of running a new organization is much like running a new student group at BU. My freshman year here, I helped found WE SPEAK BU, which is an HIV/AIDS awareness group on campus. When the student group originated back in 2010, I believe our budget was less than a hundred dollars. But since then our budget has grown. Every organization needs funding in order to be given the opportunity to prove its effectiveness. The same goes for nonprofits. While the idea of giving blindly is scary, it might be better stop looking at it in terms of what the organization can do for its target population (as crazy as that may sound) and start looking at it in terms of what the organization can do for itself to better assist its target population. Conclusively, I think giving for the sake of giving is a beautiful gesture, and while results-oriented giving may be most effective NOW, giving for the sake of giving may grow to be effective in the long-run.
Dana and Max summed it up pretty well. As a college student with limited funds, I believe that at this point in my life, donating my time is more valuable. Not only can I have an influence on an individual, but they can have an influence on me as well. To add on to Max's comment about directed giving, I completely agree. I believe that an organization with a very specific mission is more successful because they are able to target the exact need. They are able to see results because they focus their attention on a detailed mission. I would feel very comfortable giving to an organization that makes a clear difference as opposed to one that is only able to scratch the surface of many issues.
ReplyDeleteSaruta, I think it is really cool that you spent an entire academic year with Korean Students. Similarly, in my trip to Miami with City Year, I was able to work closely with students, however, I had a limited amount of time to spend with them; only 4 days. Looking back on the experience, I wish that I could have spent more time with the children. How much of an impact can you have on a child that you only spend 8 hours with? I think that a connection takes time. Although I was able to find out the interests, strengths and weaknesses of the student that I worked with, I only scraped the surface. I wonder if the impact that I had, no matter how little, was a lasting one. What if I had spent more time with her?
Saruta,
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I have also struggled with these questions each week since the beginning of the semester. Who I am as a philanthropist and what I consider to be a meaningful gift has changed and changed as each class discussion gave me something to think about. Right now in this moment, I believe that as long as you are giving, it is a meaningful contribution. Whatever you have that you can donate to someone else does make a difference, it is providing something they did not have before. It is hard in college, like everyone else has said, to give a substantial amount and sometimes that does make us feel small or helpless. But, there are so many out there who don't give at all and the fact that we care enough to have these thoughts, already makes all the difference. I don't think it really matters where you give your money or time, as long as the organization is doing something productive with it and it is going towards a positive goal, then it is a helpful contribution that we can be proud of. I can't promise that I will feel this way a month from now, or even tomorrow. Someone will probably say something in class that makes me rethink everything I have just written. But, at the end of the day, giving is giving. We are doing something with the intention of helping someone else and that is what really matters.