Humanitarian Studies

Charity Indeed Begins at Home

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:33:13 +0000

Most of us must have heard the famous saying, “charity begins at home.” But how many of us really care about it. It is a strange human behavior to advice on things that they never care to do themselves. Same is the case with charity. With every given chance we are ready to give a speech on the importance of charity, but we never really do something that will help others. However, recently I came across a person who believes in doing what she says.

She is Carol, a friend of mine who is getting married next month. Yesterday, when we were deciding about the favors that we should purchase for her wedding, she came with an excellent idea. She said that she is not interested in presenting wedding favors to the wedding guests. Instead, she will spend the money kept aside for favors in purchasing the items for charity.

When her family members objected, she asked how many of the guests in the wedding really care about wedding favors. Many of them will just keep it in the cupboard and will never remember it again. In fact the guests will be more than happy to know that they are making a charitable donation in return of the wedding favor.

Although this small gesture of her may not change someone’s life miraculously, but this is a perfect example of how we can change our small actions to bring a difference. Participating in charity is a very easy job, all you need is to change the way you think. You may not be an expert in boiler repair, but you can spare some hours in weekend to visit an orphanage and feed the children with delicious homemade food or help a children in your neighbor get admission in a school he/she likes. This may not change the entire society, but it will bring a difference to someone’s as well as your life.

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Charity: a Human Attribute

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:33:09 +0000

It is always sad to know that there are many who have collected so much that a lot of what they have will remain unused even after they die, while there are many who are using the same things over and over again simply because they are unable to buy new ones. The difference between the rich and the poor is ever increasing in the world today and while there are many economic reforms that aim to decrease the difference, most of the effective work is being done by charitable organizations and people who directly help others. I was excited to hear that a team from Crown Oil Uk recently climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in an attempt to raise funds for MedEquip4Kids. We need to do more and more of these kinds of activities, both to promote and help charities.

Recently when I asked a friend why he gets angry, he told me that anger is a human attribute and it is there to be used. I was stunned by his answer and in fact to some extend he was true and I believe if anger is used in a controlled way it can fetch positive or constructive results. Then I started to wonder is charity not a human attribute and is it not there to be used, then why do many find it very difficult to extend their help to the needy.

Last week when I was sitting in the church the Pastor discussed about the work that’s being done in Uganda to help the poor. There are many poor villages in Uganda that do not have proper access to drinking water. He described how people from the church had gone to Uganda and were helping in building wells in Uganda and unfortunately they might have to come back due to lack of funds. And he requested the church to contribute. All of a sudden I could feel the high spirit of the people in the church go down and everybody started to sit quietly. When the offering buckets came I could hear many coins thrown in, I guess these were the coins that would have been otherwise lost in the house due to their insignificant buying power. Charity is a human attribute and if you have the right to be angry, happy or sad, then you also have the right to give to the needy.

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Donating a Car

admin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:33:05 +0000

Last week when I was looking for some solar panels at solar panels surrey right next to it was the office of a charity organization that was accepting cars as a donation. It suddenly hit me that I could donate my old car which I don’t use any more. Once I decided the solar panel I wanted to buy, I rushed back home to discuss with my wife about donating the car. I found a few things online about donating cars that I found very interesting.

Firstly, you can donate any kind of car, truck, or even motor cycle to the charity. Every charitable organization has its own policies as to what kind of vehicles it receives, according to that you can find an organization to donate your car.

You don’t have to worry regarding the condition of the car. Even if your car has failed the emission test, or any other minor problem and its repairable then the charity will gladly receive your donation. They will spend money on it, fix it and use it properly.

Before donating your car make sure you have all the papers of the vehicle, clear the title of the car, however if you are not able to find them, then your DMV documents can also be accepted.

Sometimes depending on the charity policies, you may have to arrange a pick up or drop the car off to them. When you do so, you will give them your car key, title and all the required documents. Of course dropping the car off to them would be most appreciated!

All donations made to a not-for-profit charitable organization are commonly tax deductible. So this is not only a noble thing to do, it also helps your taxes.

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Russian Politeness

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:03:33 +0000

Russians are not namely the most polite people and hardly are they the most reasonable ones. They are rather famous for people who hate the hybrid cars, who drink more than an average person can consume and survive, as people living as harsh as possible and still being strong. So charity is the least you can expect from such people especially after they are mostly working alone without any international support in certain areas. They, however, are rich and their billionaires are currently discussing a major project to help Ukraine.

Ukraine was one of the countries that suffered the most during the decades of our modern history. Their latest and most devastating event was the Chernobyl explosion and too thousands of lives and still poisons the Ukrainian country with radiation. The nuclear power plant exploded more than 20 years ago but yet it is unsure whether it would ever stop damaging the state. This is the reason why, as reported by the Russian news agency “Novosti”, some of the richest men in Moscow would be working on proving support for Ukraine.

The support would consist of nearly 100 million dollars - it would be enough to cover expenses for cleansing the nuclear site with special chemicals and to reduce its negative impact over the environment. It would also cover the construction of a modern sarcophagus that would cover the old one and would prevent any future leaking. The charity donation would also be used for research and the delivery of new cleansing techniques that would ensure the stability of Chernobyl region and its slow improvement after more than 25 years of suffering have brought Ukraine the negative fame of being one of the world’s most polluted nations.

Ideas for fundraising with Kids

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:33:07 +0000

We are living in a world where time is money. Everybody wants to make money, wants the best house, best family car, best education for their kids and the list goes on. Gone are those days when we were sensitive to others needs or stood by someone to show some kindness. These days'people don’t even have the time for their near and dear ones. That’s the reason why it’s important and essential for these values of kindness and goodness to be inculcated at a young age.

Kids should participate in fundraising activities, may it be for church, charity or school. This makes them to think about “community” and not to be selfish and self-centered. In fact there are several ways we can get kids to be a part of charity.

Making greeting cards and selling them is one of the fun fundraising activities for the kids. You can get all the children together at an outdoor location like a park or garden to make greeting cards. You need to get good number of pencils, colors, paints and other things necessary. This will keep the kids busy throughout the day. Eventually you can sell these cards to raise funds.

Organizing talent events are another way you could use kids to raise funds. The activities could be singing, drama, dance, recitation etc. By selling tickets to the parents and for other audience for these shows you could raise funds.

Sports are another fun-filled fundraising event. You could organize matches for different sports like carom, scrabble, baseball, soccer etc. Kids love playing games and surly will have a lot of fun. Charity money could be raised by selling tickets to kids who want to participate and also to those who wants to be in the audience.

These are some of the ways you could make the kids think about others and not just about themselves.

Giving More

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:03:09 +0000

I am one of those people who believe that giving can never be too much. There is no law guiding against the act of giving and I have never heard of a place in the world where givers are prohibited, injured or killed. Giving is a wonderful act that comes with its own benefits, but the act of philanthropy is not a reward seeking endeavour. I have read people saying that I will give or give more when I become rich or richer. My response to this statement is that the giving heart starts early and not necessarily when it is most comfortable. A number of people today see giving as a religious duty but many non-religious individuals even have their own charity organisations. What I am saying is that you do not have to be religious in order to give.

Once you are determined to do it, giving becomes like paying Diesel Swansea to fuel your engine which ends up being for your own good. A giving hand like they say never lacks. Another misconception is the belief that you always have to give big sums or contribute hugely. While you are thinking that one pound is too small to give, that is all a little girl somewhere around the world needs to eat her daily meal. Nothing is too small. While we all cannot give like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, we can really start from somewhere. For those who are very rich, the American billionaires are worthy of emulation. Billionaires around the world are signing up with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to give more of their money to good causes around the globe. People are trying to give more.

Global warming or global warning?

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:03:06 +0000

In over the next 50 years millions of species of plants and animals are going to become endangered thanks to global warming. The automobiles and manufacturing structures of our world could push the temperature of the earth to levels that haven’t been seen in millions and millions of years.
Global warming is caused by more and more carbon dioxide being released into the air. Some of the best ways to cut global warming are by reducing pollution that comes from cars and industrial buildings.
If we increase our dependence on renewable energy like sun, wind, and geothermal instead of fossil fuels we will be able to turn back the tide of warming. This way more appliances can be made energy-efficient. All this will take a lot of time so we also should consider simple measures like carpooling, preserving electricity and using fuel like CNG.

We can’t wait for some miracle cure for our environmental issues; we have to implement goals in our own personal lives every day that will inspire others to do the same. When fuel-efficient vehicles become in higher demand then we will see change until then we have to do something using all existing technologies.

If we do not reverse Global warming then in the near future there will be many problems that will arise. Here are just a few problems that will affect the world:
• Glaciers will melt and droughts will occur across the world.
• Sea levels will rise and coasts around the world will be flooded.
• More hurricanes and tsunamis'will occur with warmer water temperature.
• With the continuous changes in the climate new pests like mosquitoes will invade other areas that they are not normally found in.

If we do not do something now, our environment will be destroyed and there will be no one to blame except for us. Like a shop fitting display makes a shop look better our daily efforts will make our environment look better.

Dame Vivien

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:34:49 +0000

It was inspiring to read about Dame Vivien Duffield’s 8.2 million pound gift to the arts and education. She has been hailed as one of the great philanthropists of our time. In the multitude of writing that came out with her bequest, there were some very interesting comments on the nature of philanthropy in the United Kingdom versus that in the United States. If people listened to what she said it would be like a great gu10 lighting up the art world. In New York City, a large part of the social life for the very rich, revolves around charity fund raisers. Attending these events are status symbols and can involve several thousand dollars per ticket for a charity gala. A major portion of the budget of important museums and cultural institutions is funded in this way. It is interesting to think about if you realize that a large number of arts organizations in the United Kingdom receive lottery funding. It is highly ironic that instead of the very rich paying large amounts of money each to attend an event, it is the very poor who would like to gamble on a brighter future that are funding a great proportion of the high culture in the United Kingdom. If you go to any deprived area you will see people regularly spending money on lottery tickets while in better off areas this is less likely to happen. The poor are paying for the rich to see the opera. Is that really fair?

Checking your Charity

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:33:02 +0000

In the current economic times, the contributions from charities are significantly going down. This is not necessarily due to lack of funds but could also be due to the mismanagement of the funds by the organisation. Donors have to make major sacrifices to be able to continue their donations, but this also makes them want their donation to be used for the right purpose. Many donors who are not able to donate in terms of cash also donate with substance like heating oil. But the question is how we can make sure that the money we donate is used in the right manner.

There are quite a few organisations out there who rate charitable organisation. This is both good and bad for these organisations. Good in the sense that, donors would find it easier to donate to organisations which have a good rating, bad for those who are not able to contribute effectively or are not able to manage the funds properly. Organisations like charity watch dog and American Institute of Philanthropy have done a good job in keeping these charitable trusts on their toe. While the American Institute of Philanthropy grades the charities, the Better business bureau simply does not mention the ones that does not meet there standard. As per them you either meet the standards or you don’t. There is not third option.

I have been working with a charitable organisation and I know it’s very difficult to determine the effectiveness of the organisation or even the success of a certain humanitarian projects. There are real challenges faced that are many times not reportable. I believe there can be scenarios where one organisation is good at the paper work and the other good at the field work. And trust me this is nothing like business where you simply calculate the profit and determine the success. As per me the best way to find out if the organisation you donate to is doing a good job or not, is to spend a minimum of one week with their projects. If you can’t spend a week then try and spend couple of weekends. This way you will not only understand the working of it but will also be of a great help for them.

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Financial crisis hits charities too

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:33:07 +0000

Unsurprising really, that charities have had their income affected by the financial crisis. Not only is the government cutting grants and public spending, that previously went to support these voluntary organisations, but now a new study has found that donations by the public have fallen dramatically too.

Of course, charity bosses expected this and understand the reasons for it too. But that doesn’t help them feed another homeless guy or support a child from an abusive home or help a disabled woman get work. With donations falling, it is these people who suffer, not the charity itself.

Not every charity has reserves of cash they can fall back on. I was in the London headquarters of a charity (which will remain nameless) last week, and in the same breath that one of their staff was complaining about budget cuts, she was showing me their impressive collection of artwork, including a couple of genuine Debra Stroud paintings. Now, I’m no art expert, but I suspect selling a couple of them would help boost the charity’s coffers significantly!

According to the report I mentioned earlier, charitable donations make up the same proportion of the household budget as it did in 1988, a paltry 0.4%. This did go up in the late 90s and early 2000s, but has now slipped back to the level we last saw when greed was good. Interestingly, the report noted some telling differences between the richest and poorest donors. The richest 10% of givers donate 1.1% of their income to charity, while the poorest 10% give a massive 3.6% of their budget; a massive nine times the national average. Seems fancy London charities aren’t the only ones who are willing to make some sacrifices to help out their fellow man.