Giving in kind: Why money isn’t everything

I have been a life long fund-raiser, but recently I have been a confused giver.  This short article may help me (and others) see through the mists of great causes towards building a personal giving strategy.

Back in the day (that will be the 1970s), charities had “flag days” – once a year I would stand outside Gateway Supermarket on the Gloucester Road in Bristol and wave a Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) tin under the noses of passersby, and they would exchange a few coins for a paper flag on a pin.  If we were lucky, we got a one pound note folded into the slot. Together with two friends, our efforts extended to carol singing, putting on shows and even a fete in our back garden.  We were thanked for our charitable efforts by the Lord Mayor of Bristol with tea and cake at City Hall on College Green (known then as The Council House). Life was simple: even though we were children, we did what we could for the one charity we cared about most.

Fast forward a few decades and I have helped to raise funds for tsunami survivors, villagers to ride bicycles in Africa, the conflict-effected of Syria, journalists at war, children’s homes in Sri Lanka, air ambulances, homeless charities, hospitals, flood victims in Pakistan, and widows in Iraq (to name a few).  These charities have all had a special place in my heart for one reason or another.

But there is another growing list – charities which mean something to my friends and I feel unable to resist giving to.  In recent years, everyone I know seems to be growing a moustache, climbing a mountain, being an Ironman, running 10km or 20km or across a desert.  Some of them throw iced water on themselves (yes, I did that one, too). They write blogs, film themselves and take amazing photos of their charitable endeavours, making it harder to say no. Furthermore, some of my friends just want to make a record, write a book or print a wonderful collection of photographs of elephants.  They need my help, too, it seems, as crowd-sourcing now seems to be how creative pursuits survive.

My government also appeals to me to help other countries in a crisis – floods, earthquakes, war, typhoons, Ebola.  I try to dig into my pocket for every tragedy as dreadful pictures of the world’s unfortunate are thrust on my screens. There are phone calls, too, and people who stop you in the street to test your resolve.  Can I just spare a small amount every month?  I won’t even miss it.  Can I possibly live with the guilt if I don’t?

Don’t get me wrong.  Raising money for charity and giving to charity is noble.  It also makes one feel good about oneself, despite it sometimes feeling like an endless pursuit.  Let’s not be fooled either, as well as making individuals look wonderfully kind on Facebook, businesses big and small now embrace “corporate social responsibility” and giving to charity is very much embedded in the fabric of our capitalist society as a worthy marketing exercise.

But perhaps it is time to give a little smarter and crucially not be motivated by guilt, as I have been in recent years. I want to go back to the ethos of the fund-raising days of my childhood and encourage people to really think about dedicating themselves to what is closest to your heart and to think about how they give.

One of my major quandaries in recent years is that I have really struggled financially myself, yet have given thousands to charity.  So rule one, I think, is to ensure you are debt-free before you think about giving cash.  Who knows, this might even motivate you to attempt to be debt free.  Something I have done in recent years is give a percentage of sales from paintings to related charities, another thing I have done is provide artwork for free to charities who can use it to promote their work.  I have also organised events and exhibitions that raise money.  So think about what your skills are and how you can help your charity in non-monetary terms.  Can you spare half a day a week to work in a charity shop or become a hospital visitor?  Could you mentor young people, become a trustee or help out with the accounts of a small charity?  Once you know what you are able to give, you can match this to the right charity.

Consider very carefully the charity you support.  Some are run badly.  Some have aims that might not actually work.  Some are providing services which frankly should be delivered by a government – perhaps your efforts might be better spent lobbying that government instead of feeding a system that doesn’t work.  You might find several charities who work towards the same goals.  Find one that works best for you and get to know them – whether they are local or global.

My arts business regularly supports a range of good causes, and that won’t stop. But recently I have been looking very closely at a number of candidates to support more thoroughly on a personal level – instead of my haphazard approach to sponsoring friends with moustaches on Facebook. I might not be any good at standing, waving a charity tin outside supermarkets these days to persuade people to give, but hopefully I can find an organisation that not only tugs on my heart strings and works well, but can also make use of my experience and skills.

This article is published in collaboration with The World Bank’s People, Spaces, Deliberation Blog. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Caroline Jaine is involved in International Relations through consultancy, lecturing at London Metropolitan and Anglia Ruskin Universities, and as Director of Cambridge International Arts.

Image: A woman undergoes an eye examination using a smartphone at a temporary clinic by International Centre for Eye Health at Olenguruone in the Mau Summit 350km (217 miles) west of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, October 29, 2013. REUTERS/Noor Khamis.