tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/charity-44/articles
Charity – The Conversation
2024-03-28T12:50:10Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/226355
2024-03-28T12:50:10Z
2024-03-28T12:50:10Z
69% of US Muslims always give to charities during Ramadan, fulfilling a religious obligation
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/583547/original/file-20240321-28-vegr40.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C988%2C5620%2C4421&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Members of the Muslim community gather for the first Taraweeh prayer of Ramadan in New York City in 2024.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/members-of-the-muslim-community-gather-for-the-first-news-photo/2066798836">Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/items/ecaeeffb-5441-4b96-a2f6-ea8220571f22">Nearly 70% of Muslim Americans</a> say they always <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-zakat-a-scholar-of-islam-explains-170756">give zakat</a>, a yearly donation of 2.5% of one’s wealth that Islam encourages, during Ramadan according to a new study I worked on.</p>
<p>Ramadan is a month-long period of fasting and spiritual growth during which Muslims refrain from all food, beverages and sexual activity from dawn to dusk.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://lakeinstitute.org/research/muslim-philanthropy-initiative/">Muslim Philanthropy Initiative</a> research team at Indiana University surveyed 1,136 Muslims across the country in 2023 to assess the connection between Ramadan and zakat. We also looked into demographic differences in Muslim giving <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-ramadan-is-called-ramadan-6-questions-answered-77291">tied to Ramadan</a>.</p>
<p>We found that women, married couples, those who consider themselves to be very religious, people with incomes in the US$50,000-$75,000 range, people in their 30s, and those who are registered to vote are most likely to give the bulk of their zakat during Ramadan.</p>
<p><iframe id="Byain" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Byain/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Billions of Muslims across the world observe Ramadan.</p>
<p>Zakat, one of the <a href="https://crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/islam-five-pillars">five pillars of Islam</a>, is aimed at redistributing wealth and alleviating poverty within the Muslim community. Muslims can give to the poor, people who owe big debts, stranded travelers and those <a href="https://www.zakat.org/zakat-foundations-ceo-wins-lincoln-anti-slavery-award">seeking to free people from slavery or captivity</a> to meet the requirements of zakat.</p>
<p>Muslims often offer zakat during Ramadan through fundraising at <a href="https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/iftar-eftari-iftar-iftor-and-its-socio-cultural-traditions-01984">iftars</a>, which are gatherings held at sunset where people break their fast together.</p>
<p>Nonprofits that are not led by Muslims tend to focus their fundraising efforts on <a href="https://neonone.com/resources/blog/year-end-giving-statistics/">giving in December</a> and important secular days for campaigns, such as <a href="https://missionwired.com/insights/giving-tuesday-2023-final-report-11-takeaways/">Giving Tuesday</a>. But if these organizations don’t do outreach to Muslims during Ramadan they are less likely to raise money effectively from a <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-muslims-gave-more-to-charity-than-other-americans-in-2020-170689">small but generous population</a>.</p>
<p>Muslim-led U.S. nonprofits do spend a significant amount of time and money on fundraising during Ramadan. But they may not realize the importance of stepping up their efforts to seek zakat from Muslims in their 30s, women, married couples, active voters and those who regularly pray at a mosque.</p>
<p>In previous research projects, we’ve found that <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1805/29947">U.S. Muslims support both Muslim and non-Muslim nonprofits</a>, donating at least $4.3 billion in 2021, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-muslims-gave-more-to-charity-than-other-americans-in-2020-170689">including about $1.8 billion in zakat</a>. </p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>We are partnering with <a href="https://irusa.org/O">Islamic Relief USA</a>, the largest Muslim-led humanitarian charity in the United States which serves people in the United States and internationally, and our colleagues at Indiana University’s <a href="https://philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu/institutes/lake-institute/index.html">Lake Institute on Faith and Giving</a> to conduct annual surveys of Muslims in the United States to better understand Muslim giving starting in 2024.</p>
<p>We’re also conducting surveys and focus groups across the world to have a global understanding of Muslim giving. We aim to release data from Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Qatar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Bangladesh and India, in addition to the United States by the end of 2025.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Additional research is needed to better understand what motivates these donors to give during Ramadan, how much money U.S. Muslims give to charity during Ramadan and the best ways for nonprofits led by Muslims and non-Muslims to engage donors who are moved to support charitable causes during Ramadan.</p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226355/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shariq Siddiqui receives funding from The John Templeton Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts, Pillars Fund, Proteus Fund, Islamic Relief USA, Zakat Foundation of America, PennyAppeal USA, Mirza Family Foundation, Helping Hand Relief and Development, Nama Foundation and WF Fund. This research study was funded by Islamic Relief USA.</span></em></p>
During the month-long period of fasting, the obligation of zakat takes on heightened significance.
Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor & Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, Indiana University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/225152
2024-03-11T12:24:50Z
2024-03-11T12:24:50Z
Ramadan will be difficult for those in Gaza or other war zones – what does fasting mean for those who might be already starving?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580797/original/file-20240309-20-1w4qtd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C11%2C3730%2C2144&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Palestinians gather at the area where aid was distributed in Gaza City on Feb. 19, 2024.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/palestinians-struggling-with-hunger-gather-at-the-area-news-photo/2015671793">Karam Hassan/Anadolu via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ramadan in the Gaza Strip this year will be anything but “normal.” </p>
<p>Malnutrition and disease are claiming dozens of lives. The Gaza Health Ministry said on March 6, 2024, that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/famine-gaza-hunger-israel-hamas-war-rcna141891">at least 20 people had died</a> of malnutrition. Many others, it said, were “dying silently,” unable to reach medical facilities.</p>
<p>According to humanitarian organizations, the proportion of people in Gaza deprived of food <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/06/colleagues-starvation-gaza-no-precedent-famine">exceeds any other place in the world</a>. </p>
<p>What meaning can the holy month’s fast have for those who have nothing to eat? </p>
<h2>Ramadan and the Quran</h2>
<p>Fasting in Islam requires believers to abstain from certain acts that are necessary for sustaining life – mainly eating, drinking and sexual – from dawn to dusk. But it is not just about food. It also requires that people abstain from lying or criticizing others behind their backs. </p>
<p>Muslims access “the sacred” primarily through the Quran, which is recited collectively from cover to cover in <a href="https://gulfnews.com/uae/ramadan/ramadan-2023-all-you-need-to-know-about-taraweeh-prayers---when-why-and-how-to-perform-it-1.1618320387277">communal night nighttime vigils during Ramadan</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://keough.nd.edu/people/mahan-mirza/">As a scholar of Islam</a> and as a practicing Muslim, I often think of how Islamic scripture describes the purpose of this sacred month. “Fasting is prescribed to you,” <a href="https://quran.com/2/183">says the Quran</a>, “that ye may learn self-restraint.”
The revelation of the Quran to Muhammad commenced in Ramadan, and Muslims take this time of the year to renew their connection to God’s words. </p>
<p>Fasting in Ramadan was prescribed in 624 C.E., the second year of Islam. This was shortly after the Prophet Muhammad’s emigration from Mecca to Medina in today’s Saudi Arabia to escape persecution. This episode, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Hijrah-Islam">known as the Hijra</a>, came to mark the first year of the Islamic calendar. </p>
<p>While Muslims may fast voluntarily throughout the year, it is mandatory in the month of Ramadan. Sick or pregnant people, as well as travelers, must make up missed days. The chronically ill or elderly must make amends by feeding others. </p>
<p>Fasting in Ramadan is believed to rejuvenate spiritual strength. The <a href="https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:1690">Prophet Muhammad said</a> the mere ritual of fasting without inner transformation results in nothing but hunger.</p>
<p>“Goodness does not consist in your turning your face towards East or West,” <a href="https://quran.com/2/177">the Quran cautions</a>, in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/qiblah">reference to the orientation</a> that is required in ritual prayer. Rather, goodness consists in caring for the neighbor and stranger. These are principles that <a href="https://www.acommonword.com/the-acw-document/">all religions have in common</a>. </p>
<h2>Ramadan and charity</h2>
<p>In Muslim culture, Ramadan is experienced primarily as a month of prayer, ascetic practice, family life and generosity. A select few engage in a practice known as “<a href="https://www.zakat.org/on-ritual-retreat-itikaf">i’tikaf</a>,” a voluntary retreat in partial seclusion at the mosque, typically during the last few days and nights. </p>
<p>A highlight of Ramadan is increased acts of charity and the feeding of others. Many mosques offer meals, which is believed to be an act of particular virtue at sunset to facilitate breaking of the fast, at this time of the year. Muslims often pay their <a href="https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious-dues/ramadan/zakat-facts/">annual mandatory alms known as zakat</a> during Ramadan in order to reap the special rewards of this month. </p>
<p>Islamic educational and humanitarian organizations increase their appeals for donations every year in Ramadan, and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2022/apr/11/ramadan-2022-around-the-world-in-pictures">rhythm of life in Muslim communities transforms</a> with pre-dawn family meals, lazy mornings, working afternoons and communal feasts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Several children and adults share a meal while being seated in a circle on the floor where a number of dishes are placed in the center." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580575/original/file-20240307-28-ap9at8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A family living in a tent breaks their fast during Ramadan 2021 in Deir Al Balah, a city in Gaza, on April 19, 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tawfik-al-akraa-and-his-family-are-seen-during-the-iftar-news-photo/1232406941?adppopup=true">Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ramadan in Gaza</h2>
<p>The meaning of Ramadan in a war zone is poignant for Muslims who are suffering directly. War is neither prescribed nor prohibited during Ramadan. <a href="https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2406">Muhammad urged</a> his troops to break the fast when entering into battle in order to preserve their strength. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Badr">Battle of Badr</a>, the first of many military confrontations under Muhammad’s command, which became a turning point in early Islamic history, took place in Ramadan. </p>
<p>For those who witness that suffering on screens from the comfort of their homes, the question of moral responsibility still remains. Muslims who seek to fulfill <a href="https://quran.com/2/3">God’s command</a> are “to spend out of what God has provided for them” in worthy charitable causes in Ramadan. Many of them will ask what more could be done to feed the hungriest of hungry in the world, who are <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/80-of-world-s-hungriest-people-live-in-gaza-palestine/3156190">now in Gaza</a>.</p>
<p>Religions help us come to terms with our mortality. They help us make sense of life beyond this life. In a time of war and famine, when death is near, <a href="https://quran.com/50/16">Ramadan can remind us that God is nearer</a>: “closer than the jugular vein.”</p>
<p>For countless innocent victims of all ages and every gender who are breathing their last – in the direst of circumstances and the deepest of anguish – this thought can be a source of solace, if not joy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225152/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mahan Mirza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Ramadan encourages acts of charity. This also poses a question for many Muslims as they consider what more could be done to feed the hungriest in the world, many of whom are in Gaza.
Mahan Mirza, Executive Director, Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, and Teaching Professor of Teaching Professor of Islam and Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221789
2024-01-29T12:51:00Z
2024-01-29T12:51:00Z
Over half of charity campaigns for international causes focus on Africa – here’s why that’s harmful
<p>The images used by charities and NGOs can become deeply ingrained in the memories of supporters, donors, development partners and the “beneficiaries” themselves. These stories colour what is generally known about global poverty and the developing world. </p>
<p>One of the most notorious examples was the media and charity coverage of the <a href="http://www.imaging-famine.org/papers/UK_Report_Section_1.pdf">Ethiopian famine</a> in the early 1980s. Powerful and disturbing images brought the reality of the famine into the lives of millions of British people and fast became the currency of the media and NGOs.</p>
<p>But there’s a problem with this. The use of such imagery seems to confirm rather than challenge traditional perceptions that Africa is underdeveloped and not capable of dealing with its own problems.</p>
<p>In 2021, I purchased 17 national newspapers in the UK every weekend over a period of six months. The aim was to explore whether charity adverts have changed in recent years and what kinds of characters are represented in fundraising campaigns. </p>
<p>After analysing a total of 541 fundraising images, one of the <a href="https://charity-advertising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/charity-representations-of-distant-others-report-2024.pdf">major findings</a> was that Africa continues to be over-represented in charity adverts supporting international causes. Over half of the images (56%) focused on countries in Africa. And almost none of these images contain whole family units – rather they are set in rural areas and feature women and children.</p>
<p>But there is also evidence that charities are actively responding to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2018/jan/12/charities-stop-poverty-porn-fundraising-ed-sheeran-comic-relief">previous critiques</a> of using shock tactics, dehumanisation and employing images to evoke emotions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A charity advert in a newspaper with a picture of women and children in rural Ethiopia." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571441/original/file-20240125-21-l248se.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Example of an advert by EthiopiAid in the Guardian using images of women and children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Girling</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why does it matter?</h2>
<p>By constantly focusing the spotlight on African countries, charities reinforce historical stereotypes of underdevelopment that equate Africa with poverty. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/67684/public-attitudes-april10.pdf">report</a> from 2010 that was commissioned by the Department for International Development, for instance, found that the UK public view “developing countries” as synonymous with “Africa”. They associate Africa with poverty and misery, reflecting some of the representations used in charitable appeals. </p>
<p>The consistent portrayal of these depictions in various campaigns has promoted the view among the British public that there has been little to no progress in economic and social development across Africa since the 1980s. This has contributed to the belief that Africa is a “<a href="https://academicjournals.org/article/article1379931879_Andrews.pdf">bottomless pit</a>” in terms of charitable efforts and the constant need for foreign aid.</p>
<p>But, in reality, this is not the case. Africa is developing fast. It has the world’s <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/reimagining-economic-growth-in-africa-turning-diversity-into-opportunity">youngest and fastest-growing population</a> which, by the middle of this century, is expected to hit 2.5 billion.</p>
<h2>Addressing stereotypes</h2>
<p>Nevertheless, my findings do suggest that the sector is making strides towards decolonising narratives and addressing its use of damaging stereotypes. In 2016, a study found that 34% of all <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jid.3235">British charity adverts</a> used “pitiful images” that explicitly emphasised human suffering. </p>
<p>However, by 2021, only two out of the 27 charities that placed adverts used pitiful images in their fundraising appeals. This amounted to 11% of all adverts as these charities repeatedly used such imagery over the six month study period, but it still represents a significant decline.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A fundraising appeal by Sightsavers depicting an African child suffering from trachoma." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571442/original/file-20240125-15-h61b6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Image from a Sightsavers fundraising leaflet which was used 20 times during the six month period.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Girling</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Women and children continued to be the most popular characters in newspaper adverts. But, compared to similar studies from <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/representations-of-global-poverty-9780857722492/">2013</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jid.3235">2016</a>, there was a significant reduction in the use of images of children. In 2021, 21% of charitable campaigns featured images of children, down from 42% in 2013.</p>
<p>By 2021, 20% of all the images used in charitable campaigns were also of people characterised as professionals or leaders from developing countries. These people included doctors, nurses and other development workers, offering a more realistic view of people from Africa.</p>
<p>Several factors have prompted charities into reconsidering the potential damage of the representation they use and the stories they tell in recent years. One of the main factors is the need to decolonise narratives by reducing the use of negative stereotypes.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Lives-Matter">Black Lives Matter</a> protests in 2020 were a significant catalyst in charities rapidly adopting or updating their ethical imagery policies. The protests alerted people and organisations to the injustices of colonial histories. </p>
<p>The COVID pandemic was also instrumental in charities being forced to employ local photographers and filmmakers in the countries where they deliver programmes. Travel restrictions that were imposed during the pandemic meant charities were unable to fly in their own staff.</p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Images have the potential to inflict damage. So communications professionals in the charity sector must strive to diversify the characters they portray.</p>
<p>But the public has a level of responsibility too. We all need to be careful about making assumptions of other countries and cultures when viewing charity images in newspaper adverts. Photographs may not always provide a complete picture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221789/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Girling does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Charity advertising often reinforces historical stereotypes of underdevelopment that equate Africa with poverty.
David Girling, Associate Professor and Director of Research Communication in the School of Global Development, University of East Anglia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221605
2024-01-29T02:29:41Z
2024-01-29T02:29:41Z
Who we care about is limited – but our research shows how humans can expand their ‘moral circle’
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571787/original/file-20240128-23-p9w2if.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C65%2C5005%2C3571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/help-concept-hands-reaching-out-each-1588320151">Bignai/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing impact of COVID, climate change, and numerous global conflicts and refugee crises. When it feels like so many people are doing it tough, how do we decide where to direct our compassion? </p>
<p>In a world that seems <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-01012-5">increasingly fractured</a>, we wanted to find out if people can bridge the divide between “us” and “them” – to grow their feelings of wanting to help others, who would be typically beyond their “moral circle”.</p>
<p>We discovered that a surprisingly short period of compassion training can expand how much someone cares about people far beyond their immediate circle. </p>
<h2>Measuring who matters most to us</h2>
<p>Not all moral connections are equal. If the person suffering is our child, our partner, our friend, we are quick to help. But when faced with the suffering of a complete stranger, or someone on the other side of the planet, our motivation to help is likely reduced.</p>
<p>Taking this further, what if the person suffering was actually someone we disliked, or even someone who may have caused harm to others? Would we care then? </p>
<p>Philosophers such as Peter Singer have developed the popular term “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_circle_expansion">moral circle</a>” to refer to those we consider worthy of our concern and those we do not. Typically we prioritise the moral needs of our family and <a href="https://dictionary.apa.org/ingroup">ingroup</a> (the social group we belong to) first, and we care much less about those different or distant to us.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-decide-who-and-what-we-care-about-and-whether-robots-stand-a-chance-91987">How we decide who and what we care about – and whether robots stand a chance</a>
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<p>Researchers have found we order groups <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/pspp0000086">in this fairly predictable way</a>: family/friends, ingroup, revered, stigmatised, outgroup, animals (high sentience), environment, animals (low sentience), plants, and villains. </p>
<p>Research also shows <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221101767">Australia is not particularly high</a> in terms of moral expansiveness – the size of one’s moral circle. In a 2022 study, Australia ranked 32nd on a moral expansiveness scale (MES), with countries like Canada, France and China ranking much higher.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=926&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571790/original/file-20240128-27-zdt35n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1163&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Average moral expansiveness scale (MES) scores per country. Higher numbers indicate greater moral expansiveness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221101767">Kirkland et al. (2022)</a></span>
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<p>But are our moral boundaries fixed, or can we move up the moral expansiveness ladder? The question of whether our moral concern for others is stable or zero sum (that is, “my concern for someone comes at the expense of another”) is an empirical one.</p>
<h2>Can we expand our moral circles?</h2>
<p>When thinking about ways to grow our moral circle, things like empathy and mindfulness may come to mind. But our work shows that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34279046/">compassion is stronger than both</a> at predicting the size of one’s moral circle.</p>
<p>Our work also shows that compassion predicts our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-022-01900-z">willingness to help those we dislike</a>. And other research shows compassion training increases <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-45363-1">feelings of closeness toward a disliked person</a>. </p>
<p>Building on this, our latest research found that a brief <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02300-7">compassion training intervention</a> can increase our moral expansiveness. </p>
<p>In this study, 102 participants were randomly assigned to complete a brief two-hour seminar on compassion training, or to a control group who didn’t attend a seminar.</p>
<p>In the seminar, we focused on defining compassion. The message was: things like anger, anxiety and sadness are normal human emotions, but we have a responsibility to learn and practice how to work with these feelings in helpful and supportive ways.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in tshirt and jeans sitting on the forest floor listening to earphones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571792/original/file-20240128-23-ly0d61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Participants in the moral expansiveness study spent two weeks listening to audio exercises.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-forest-lean-against-tree-headphones-1889602081">Aleksandr Pobeda/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Participants then had two weeks to continue to practice what we did in the intervention by listening to guided audio exercises, which were a combination of compassionate breathing and imagery exercises, as well as meditations.</p>
<p>Compassion meditations typically follow a set structure. We begin by expressing compassion to a target – someone we like – but then expand out to other targets, such as strangers or disliked others, to other sentient beings like animals, and to elements of the natural environment, such as coral reefs or forests.</p>
<p>We found that two weeks after the program, participants who had completed compassion training has greater moral expansiveness towards family and revered groups in society (for example, charity workers). </p>
<p>At the three month follow-up, these outcomes improved further. Moral concern for others had increased across the board, including towards outgroup members (such as political opponents), stigmatised members of society, animals, plants, the environment – and even towards supposed “villains” in our society (for example, convicted criminals).</p>
<p>This shows compassion and moral expansiveness are closely connected. We don’t know for sure, but the improved results at the three month mark may have been due to continuing the audio exercises, or perhaps due to a “sleeper effect” – it takes time for people to shift their moral view.</p>
<h2>A hopeful future?</h2>
<p>The year 2024 is full of big choices, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-4-billion-people-are-eligible-to-vote-in-an-election-in-2024-is-this-democracys-biggest-test-220837">4 billion people eligible to vote</a> on who should lead their country.</p>
<p>Election years often spiral into divisions of “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12227-0">us” and “them</a>”, with “we” the public having to choose between the people and policies we hope will improve our world. </p>
<p>Compassion might offer one way to ensure we don’t fall into the trap of turning against one another. We can all recognise the right for people and sentient creatures to live a life free of suffering. </p>
<p>And if compassion helps guide us in our decisions and actions, and even expand our moral sensibilities, we may be better placed to tackle some of the big challenges we are facing – and ensure those who are suffering most don’t get left behind. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-gooders-conservatives-and-reluctant-recyclers-how-personal-morals-can-be-harnessed-for-climate-action-164599">'Do-gooders', conservatives and reluctant recyclers: how personal morals can be harnessed for climate action</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221605/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Kirby receives funding from the Mind & Life Institute and is a board member of the Global Compassion Coalition. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charlie Crimston does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
When it feels like so many people are in need of compassion, how do we decide where to direct it?
James Kirby, Associate Professor in Psychology, The University of Queensland
Charlie Crimston, Lecturer in Psychology, Australian National University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219902
2023-12-20T15:59:44Z
2023-12-20T15:59:44Z
What do universities owe their big donors? Less than you might think, explain 2 nonprofit law experts
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566742/original/file-20231219-15-day70k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=348%2C274%2C3807%2C2455&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Billionaire investor and Harvard alum Bill Ackman has voiced his objections to the school's current president.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/UniversalMusicPershing/a5060a0466d84e179d3bcbfde643e66a/photo?Query=ackman&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=45&currentItemNo=4">AP Photo/Andrew Harnik</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Exchanging gifts with family and friends can become fraught with contradictory emotions. Instead of gratitude, the recipients of expensive gifts may wind up feeling indebted to the givers. And the givers can have regrets too.</p>
<p>The same kinds of complicated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2021.1905134">motivations and expectations</a> can sour relations between big donors and the institutions they support.</p>
<p>This dynamic has been playing out in a very public fashion lately with some <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1218556147/heres-the-latest-fallout-at-harvard-mit-and-penn-after-the-antisemitism-hearing">high-profile donors to prestigious U.S. universities</a>. At issue for these donors is the schools’ response to debates and demonstrations on their campuses after Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and the Israeli government’s military campaign in Gaza that followed.</p>
<h2>Disappointed donors</h2>
<p>Notably, hedge fund manager <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/12/business/bill-ackman-harvard-antisemitism.html">Bill Ackman has complained</a> that Harvard University officials, including President Claudine Gay, have not “heeded his advice on a variety of topics,” including Harvard’s handling of antisemitism and how it should invest his donations.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/university-of-pennsylvania-president-liz-magill-congressional-testimony-antisemitism-backlash-97376d49">Ross Stevens, another financier</a>, threatened on Dec. 7, 2023, to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/07/upenn-antisemitism-magill-100-million-donation">take back the US$100 million</a> he gave the University of Pennsylvania through a complex transaction in 2017 “absent a change in leadership and values at Penn.”</p>
<p>In a letter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ross-stevens-letter-pull-penn-donation-president-2023-12">Stevens released to the media, he alleged</a> that Liz Magill, who was serving as the university’s president, had “enabled and encouraged antisemitism and a climate of fear and harassment at Penn.” </p>
<p>Magill, also on Dec. 7, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/12/07/liz-magill-university-of-pennsylvania-antisemitism/">defended herself from those accusations</a> and related criticism from members of Congress, saying: “A call for genocide of Jewish people is … evil, plain and simple.” She <a href="https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/message-from-scott-bok">resigned on Dec. 9</a>.</p>
<p>Other high-profile donors who have also voiced their dissatisfaction regarding Penn include <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/10/penn-jon-huntsman-jr-wharton-halts-donations-magill">Jon Huntsman Jr.</a>, a former U.S. ambassador to China and Utah governor, and cosmetics tycoon <a href="https://www.thedp.com/article/2023/10/penn-lauder-reexamining-support">Ronald S. Lauder</a>.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=l-vyPm0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">scholars of how the law</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=dgewAGoAAAAJ">governs nonprofits</a>, we think these developments suggest that now is a good time to review what donors do and don’t have a right to demand.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1732881220927902140"}"></div></p>
<h2>What restrictions apply</h2>
<p><a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/massachusetts/supreme-court/1986/397-mass-820-2.html">All donations</a> to a charity <a href="https://www.ali.org/publications/show/charitable-nonprofit-organizations/">must support its overall purposes</a>. That is, a hospital can’t take the money it receives from donors and give it to, say, an <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=410504">animal shelter operating 500 miles away</a>.</p>
<p>Donors may request specific restrictions on the use of their charitable gifts in an agreement negotiated before the donation is made. And when gifts are solicited through a specific fundraising campaign, such as a bid to raise money for a new building or for scholarships, that money must be spent accordingly.</p>
<p>State attorneys general and, ultimately, the courts <a href="https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol85/iss2/3/?utm_source=scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu">have the power to regulate charities</a>. But donors have some tools to police adherence to the restriction they placed on their gifts. </p>
<p>One way they can do this is by threatening to withhold gifts that they had planned to make unless the charity they have been funding changes course. Depending on the state laws that <a href="https://www.ali.org/publications/show/charitable-nonprofit-organizations/">apply to charities</a>, donors may be able to sue for enforcement or reserve the right to do so in gift agreements. </p>
<p>Some donors include in their gift agreements a “<a href="https://www.ali.org/publications/show/charitable-nonprofit-organizations/">gift-over</a>.” This kind of provision redirects the gift to another charity of the donor’s choice if the original recipient violates specified terms.</p>
<p>Promises of future donations from past donors have always allowed donors to informally exercise some degree of influence.</p>
<p>But in the current wrangling between donors and universities over claims of antisemitism on campus, threats to forgo future donations have been explicitly tied to all sorts of university actions, such as the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/us/university-of-pennsylvania-donors-israel-hamas.html">statements universities either make or do not make</a> regarding international relations.</p>
<p>The threats have become angrier and more public than in the past. Some of the regret and dissatisfaction is being expressed via <a href="https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/marc-rowan-to-funders-show-upenn-that-words-matter/">op-eds and open letters</a>. And the lengths donors have taken to assert leverage have grown more extreme.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two women in professional attire speak into microphones." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566747/original/file-20231219-21-s59jfi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Harvard President Claudine Gay, left, testified alongside Penn President Liz Magill before a House committee on Dec. 5, 2023, regarding antisemitism on college campuses. Magill resigned four days later.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dr-claudine-gay-president-of-harvard-university-liz-magill-news-photo/1833206910?adppopup=true">Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>What charities can do</h2>
<p>Charities can take some solace in the law.</p>
<p>When donors make charitable gifts, they must irrevocably transfer that property to the charity receiving it. Except in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/15/us/yale-returns-20-million-to-an-unhappy-patron.html">very rare exceptions</a>, disappointed donors <a href="https://theconversation.com/disappointed-donors-cant-count-on-getting-their-charitable-money-back-93635">can’t get their assets back</a>.</p>
<p>In 1995, for example, Yale returned a $20 million gift to Lee Bass, an heir to a Texas oil fortune. Bass objected to the way the university was using that donation, which was supposed to <a href="http://archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/95_07/bass.htmlBass">support the study of Western civilization</a>. He reached an impasse with Yale after surprising the school’s leaders with a demand they refused to accommodate: that he would personally get to approve four new professors.</p>
<p>And if a <a href="https://www.wealthmanagement.com/philanthropy/no-charitable-deduction-incomplete-gift">donor attaches too many strings</a> to a gift, that can render it ineligible for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-charitable-deduction-an-economist-explains-162647">charitable deduction</a>, missing out on a tax break. Just as with personal gifts, gifts with too many strings aren’t really gifts at all.</p>
<p>Although donors who have negotiated special conditions in a gift agreement may assert their rights to sue over a charity’s broken promises, that can take a lot of time and energy, while <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/education/11princeton.html">squandering money on legal costs</a>. This process can also anger other donors, causing the benefactor to ultimately lose influence with the charity.</p>
<h2>A few tips</h2>
<p>In the University of Pennsylvania case, about two months after the donors began their public pressure campaign, <a href="https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/update-penn-leadership">Penn’s president</a> and the chair of its board of trustees <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/12/09/1218415525/penn-president-liz-magill-resigns-antisemitism-hearing">had stepped down</a>. They resigned in the wake of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-university-presidents-find-it-hard-to-punish-advocating-genocide-college-free-speech-codes-are-both-more-and-less-protective-than-the-first-amendment-219566">contentious congressional hearing</a>.</p>
<p>In this case, some of the disappointed donors got their wish – with an assist from conservative lawmakers. Congress doesn’t usually get involved in these disputes, and with good reason. <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/non-profit_organizations#">Nonprofits are private institutions using private assets</a>, even if the assets are meant to advance purposes that are, ultimately, in the public interest.</p>
<p>So here is our practical advice for donors and the institutions that rely on them.</p>
<p>Donors shouldn’t try to control a charity through their gifts after the fact. The time to establish limits is before you’ve signed off on those gifts.</p>
<p>Charities should reject gifts that are offered with strings attached that they aren’t happy about. If <a href="https://www.501c3.org/kb/what-are-restricted-funds/">gifts have restrictions</a>, charities should <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3833.pdf">be aware of that and adhere to them</a>.</p>
<p>We fear that the failure on either side in the controversy now affecting several prestigious schools to abide by this basic guidance can potentially harm not only the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/24/business/philanthropy-colleges-harvard-upenn-israel/index.html">freedom and academic integrity</a> of a university, as many observers have noted, but also the freedom and integrity of the entire nonprofit sector.</p>
<p>The best charitable gifts, like the best personal gifts, are not meant as a means to control the recipients.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219902/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Threats from disappointed donors over the language used during campus protests about the Israel-Hamas conflict have become angrier and more public than in the past.
Ellen P. Aprill, Professor of Tax Law Emerita, Loyola Law School Los Angeles
Jill Horwitz, Professor of Law and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215148
2023-11-27T19:56:13Z
2023-11-27T19:56:13Z
3 ways to encourage kids to be more charitable and kind this holiday season
<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/3-ways-to-encourage-kids-to-be-more-charitable-and-kind-this-holiday-season" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>With the holiday season just around the corner, families and households will soon be gathering to give and receive gifts. Many will also be sending donations to communities in crisis, and organizing charity events and food drives to help others.</p>
<p>The reason for our holiday generosity is obvious to us as adults. We hold a sense of <a href="https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.149.4.425-449">moral responsibility</a> to be kind and get a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1140738">satisfying feeling</a> of having done a good deed.</p>
<p>For children, it can sometimes be less clear why, when and how they should show kindness to others. </p>
<p>Child psychology researchers have spent decades trying to understand exactly what parents need to do and say with our children to help them truly understand the value and importance of kindness. Based on my research and that of other developmental psychology researchers, here are three things science says parents can do to encourage generosity this holiday season. </p>
<h2>Model kindness</h2>
<p>Children learn best by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.brat.2010.02.006">seeing and imitating</a>. Observing adults and the consequences of their actions teaches children which behaviours are good or bad, kind or mean. </p>
<p>As a parenting and child psychology researcher, I have worked with colleagues to understand how parents can model kindness and generosity to successfully teach their children these same values. Our research suggests that parents who practice kind and warm interactions with their children tend to have kind and generous kids. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12287">speaking with your child</a> about emotional experiences you each had during the day can help your child learn how to help others feel better when they’re distressed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A black woman holds the hand of a young black girl sitting on a bed" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560913/original/file-20231121-24-cnjoim.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Modelling kindness can help teach kids about charity and generosity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Naturally, modelling kindness is also most effective when you hold kindness and generosity as deeply cherished values. In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12156">research</a>, we have found that kids donate more money to a charity when mothers deeply hold these values. </p>
<p>As we head into the holidays, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-parents-can-be-emotion-coaches-as-kids-navigate-back-to-school-during-covid-19-166148">continue to show empathy</a> and kindness to your children, modelling for them that being kind can show someone in crisis that you care. </p>
<p>With the ongoing wars and disasters across the world, kids might get distressed when hearing about other children in crisis. In these cases, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0904_1">help your kids</a> feel better by talking about their feelings and comforting them, and offer suggestions on what you can do as a family to help those in need. Also consider taking your kids with you to volunteer at a local shelter or organizing a food drive with the whole family to model charity and generosity. </p>
<h2>Avoid rewarding generosity</h2>
<p>It’s natural to want to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/toddlersandpreschoolers/consequences/rewards.html#:%7E:text=Rewards%20are%20important%20for%20many,you%20want%20her%20to%20do.">reward children</a> when they are generous to others. You probably feel proud of your kids when they share or donate, and you might want to show them that you are happy with how they behave.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.25.4.509">developmental psychologists have shown</a> that some rewards can thwart children’s future desire to be kind. Kids simply don’t offer to help others as much when they are given material rewards — like gifts, treats or money — compared to being <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12086">praised</a> or receiving <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12534">no feedback</a> at all. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young kids putting canned and dry food items in a box." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560909/original/file-20231121-23-dqaehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Praising, rather than rewarding, a child’s generosity can encourage them to become more charitable.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Instead of rewarding your child for donating part of their allowance, consider rewarding them with your words by <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parents/essentials/toddlersandpreschoolers/communication/goodbehavior-praise.html">praising</a> them. Even a smile can go a long way — and they might even produce a bigger donation next year. </p>
<h2>Praise who they are, not what they do</h2>
<p>Over <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0293-5">60 per cent of parents</a> report praising their kids for being kind to others. But certain types of praise are better than others to encourage kindness. Praising a child for being a kind person is more effective than praising their kind behaviour. Kids praised for being a kind or helpful person have been shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12082">volunteer more time</a> to helping others compared to kids praised for working hard to help others. </p>
<p>This kind of “person praise” can be effective for guiding your child to self-identify as a person who always helps others. To encourage your kids’ generosity this holiday season, praise their charitable actions by telling them they are a kind person or that they are the type of kid who really understands how other people feel. </p>
<h2>Fathering and mothering</h2>
<p>Traditionally, compared to fathers, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.999">mothers</a> have been shown to pay more attention to their children’s kindness and helping behaviours. Even when engaging in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3200/GNTP.168.2.177-200">same warm and empathetic parenting</a>, fathers seem to encourage their kids’ co-operation and conflict resolution, while mothers encourage more sharing and generosity with others.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man and teen boy walk and talk to each other" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560911/original/file-20231121-23-f3dfpc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More engaged fathers can help their kids develop greater empathy for others.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That said, in the last few decades, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.0.0101">fathers have taken a more central role</a> in parenting. Fathers and mothers are increasingly playing a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2021.1927931">similar and shared role</a> in encouraging their children’s co-operative and helpful behaviour. </p>
<p>There is even some evidence that engaged fathers have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02379">more direct</a> impact than engaged mothers on children’s development of helping behaviour. When fathers stay connected with and involved in raising their children, the children are likely to feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.58.4.709">more empathy</a> for others, well into adulthood.</p>
<p>Rather than thinking that fathers must do something different from mothers, the parents must <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032893">equally commit</a> to the shared aim of raising a kind and generous child.</p>
<p>As we approach the holidays, research suggests to use modelling and give praise to encourage kids to be generous and kind. If you’re participating in a holiday food drive for refugees, have your kids tag along and help sort foods. When your kids want to make a donation, praise them for being kind individuals. These small steps can help your child build empathy for others and show kindness to those in need, and might even make them more generous the next holiday season.</p>
<p>After all, what would the holidays be without sharing?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215148/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hali Kil receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>
As we approach the season of giving, a child psychology researcher offers suggestions on how parents can teach their kids to be generous and kind.
Hali Kil, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211995
2023-11-14T13:26:24Z
2023-11-14T13:26:24Z
Music painted on the wall of a Venetian orphanage will be heard again nearly 250 years later
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557160/original/file-20231101-23-zmwffr.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C22%2C3024%2C2240&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The music room of the Ospedaletto is known for its remarkable acoustics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine Lady Gaga or Elton John teaching at an orphanage or homeless shelter, offering daily music lessons. </p>
<p>That’s what took place at Venice’s four <a href="https://imagesofvenice.com/ospedali-grandi/">Ospedali Grandi</a>, which were charitable institutions that took in the needy – including orphaned and foundling girls – from the 16th century to the turn of the 19th century. Remarkably, all four Ospedali hired some of the greatest musicians and composers of the time, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Vivaldi">Antonio Vivaldi</a> and <a href="https://guides.lib.fsu.edu/composerofthemonth">Nicola Porpora</a>, to provide the young women – known as the “putte” – with a superb music education.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2019, while in Venice on a research trip, I had the opportunity to visit the Ospedale di Santa Maria dei Derelitti, more commonly known as the Ospedaletto, or “Little Hospital,” because it was the smallest of the four Ospedali Grandi. </p>
<p>As a musicologist <a href="https://arts.psu.edu/faculty/marica-tacconi/">specializing in the music of early modern Venice</a>, I was especially excited to visit one of the hidden gems of the city: the <a href="https://www.gioiellinascostidivenezia.it/en/the-jewels/complesso-dell-ospedaletto/">Ospedaletto’s music room</a>, which was built in the mid-1770s.</p>
<p>I had heard about its beauty and perfect acoustics. So when a colleague and friend, classical singer <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/liesl-odenweller/">Liesl Odenweller</a>, suggested we go together, I was delighted. I also secretly hoped Liesl would feel inclined to sing in the space, so I could experience the pure acoustics of the room. </p>
<p>Little did I know that I would encounter music that hasn’t been performed in nearly 250 years.</p>
<h2>Clues on the walls</h2>
<p>As we entered the stunning music room, I was immediately struck by its elegance and relatively small size. In my mind, I had envisioned a large concert hall; instead, the space is intimate, ellipse-shaped and richly decorated.</p>
<p>Overshadowed by <a href="https://www.exploreclassicalmusic.com/vivaldi-and-the-ospedale-della-piet">the more prominent Ospedale della Pietà</a>, not much is known about the music-making that took place for centuries behind the walls of the Ospedaletto. But one of the greatest clues to its venerable history as a music school is literally on one of its walls. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Colorful painting of women performing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552861/original/file-20231009-15-1jj80a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jacopo Guarana’s fresco ‘Concert of the Putte’ (1776-77).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S.Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A fresco on the far wall of the room, <a href="https://www.libreriauniversitaria.it/ospedaletto-sala-musica-favaro-tiziana/libro/9788885087071">painted in 1776-77 by Jacopo Guarana</a>, depicts a group of female musicians – likely portraits of some of the putte – at the feet of <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/apollo/">Apollo</a>, the Greek god of music. Some of them play string instruments; one, gazing toward the viewer, holds a page of sheet music.</p>
<p>Call it a professional quirk, but when I see a music score depicted in a painting, I have to get up close and try to read it. In this case, I was lucky: The music notation was quite legible, and the composer’s name was inscribed in the upper-right corner: “Sig. Anfossi.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A close-up of a painting of a sheet of music." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552862/original/file-20231009-29-54ha7a.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The musical score depicted in Jacopo Guarana’s fresco.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I took several photos of the fresco. I wanted to learn as much as I could about that piece of music painted on the wall.</p>
<p>The sound of Liesl’s singing snapped me out of my music detective mode. As I had hoped, her beautiful soprano voice filled the space with a tone so pure that it sounded almost ethereal. I turned around, but my friend was no longer in the room. Where was her singing coming from? </p>
<p>Liesl, it turns out, was perched in the singing gallery. With the permission of a clerk, she had climbed up to this partially hidden loft and was singing through a grille. It was here that the putte of the Ospedaletto performed in public concerts, their features partially obscured from the prying glances of the male listeners below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Silhouette of woman singing from behind a cage above a grand room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552864/original/file-20231009-15-25i1yo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Liesl Odenweller sings from the gallery of the Ospedaletto’s music room.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Women rally behind their beloved institution</h2>
<p>Armed with those clues on the wall, I continued my research in the days following the visit to the Ospedaletto. I learned that the music by “Signor Anfossi” shown in the fresco was drawn from the opera “Antigono,” composed by <a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095412866">Pasquale Anfossi</a> (1727-97) on a libretto by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pietro-Metastasio">Pietro Metastasio</a>. The work premiered in Venice at the <a href="https://www.artnet.com/artists/francesco-guardi/the-interior-of-the-teatro-san-benedetto-venice-1UqjxTVRZT2LyYjJdQa0cg2">Teatro San Benedetto</a> in 1773.</p>
<p>The text of the solo song – known in opera <a href="https://www.operacolorado.org/blog/opera-explained-what-is-an-aria/">as an aria</a> – is legible in the excerpt on the wall. It reads, “Contro il destin che freme, combatteremo insieme” – “Against quivering destiny, we shall battle together.” </p>
<p>Like many works from the 17th and 18th centuries, the entire opera is lost. I was determined to find out, however, if that particular aria had survived. Sometimes, the “hit tunes” of an opera were copied or printed separately and performed as “arie staccate” – arias that were “detached” from the rest of the work. </p>
<p>Luck was on my side: To my delight, I found <a href="https://www.internetculturale.it/jmms/iccuviewer/iccu.jsp?id=oai%3Awww.internetculturale.sbn.it%2FTeca%3A20%3ANT0000%3AFR0084-01A07_04d&mode=all&teca=MagTeca+-+ICCU">a copy of the aria in a library in Montecassino</a>, a small town southeast of Rome. Why was that particular excerpt chosen to be displayed so prominently on the wall? </p>
<p>Like other institutions in Venice, the Ospedaletto faced financial hardship in the 1770s. Evidence suggests that <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Nel_regno_dei_poveri/ojgtAQAAIAAJ?hl=en">the putte of the Ospedaletto were likely involved in raising the funds</a> for the decoration of the music room. The new hall enabled them to give performances for special guests and benefactors, which brought in substantial donations. Together with Pasquale Anfossi, who was their music teacher from 1773 to 1777, they rallied behind their beloved institution, saving it – at least temporarily – from financial destitution. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two girls, one holding music, the other depicted in a side profile, and a man holding sheets of music gazing down at them from behind." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/557295/original/file-20231102-29-c3sj0z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1007&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Italian composer Pasquale Anfossi, holding rolled up sheets of music, makes an appearance in the fresco.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marica S. Tacconi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Against quivering destiny, we shall battle together” may well have served as a rallying cry for the putte of the Ospedaletto, who literally “battled together” to preserve their splendid music conservatory.</p>
<p>Incidentally, the putte may also have wanted to honor their teacher, as Pasquale Anfossi, too, is portrayed in Guarana’s fresco, directly behind the young woman holding up his music. </p>
<h2>From wall to concert hall</h2>
<p>One of the aspects I find most rewarding about the study of older music is the process of discovering a work that has been neglected and unheard for hundreds of years and bringing it back to modern audiences.</p>
<p>Inspired by the Ospedaletto’s music room, Liesl Odenweller and I have embarked on a collaborative project that brings back not only the aria on the wall but also other music from the institution that has gone unheard for centuries. Thanks to a generous grant from the <a href="https://www.delmas.org/grantees-venetian-program">Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation</a>, the <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/">Venice Music Project</a> – the ensemble Liesl co-founded in 2013 – will perform this music in a <a href="https://venicemusicproject.it/en/concert/hidden-treasures-of-the-ospedaletto/">concert in Venice on Dec. 2, 2023</a>.</p>
<p>Our program will include “Contro il destin” as well as other excerpts from “Antigono” – essentially, all that survives from that opera. In addition, we will include works by Tommaso Traetta (1727-79) and Antonio Sacchini (1730-86) who, like Anfossi, taught the young women, in some cases launching their international music careers.</p>
<p>Because the music of the past was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-notation/Evolution-of-Western-staff-notation">written in a notation</a> that’s different from that used today, it’s necessary to translate and input every mark of the original score – notes, dynamics and other expressive marks – into a music notation software to produce a modern score that can be easily read by today’s musicians.</p>
<p>By performing on period instruments and using a historically informed approach, the musicians of the Venice Music Project and I are excited to revive this remarkably beautiful and meaningful music. Its neglect is certainly not a reflection of its artistic quality but rather likely the result of other composers, such as Vivaldi and Mozart, taking over the spotlight and overshadowing the works of other masters. </p>
<p>This music deserves to be heard – as does the story of the young women of the Ospedaletto.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211995/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This project received funding from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.</span></em></p>
On the wall of an orphanage in Venice, a musicologist encountered a fresco featuring an aria written for an opera. She’s since embarked on a project to bring this forgotten music back.
Marica S. Tacconi, Distinguished Professor of Musicology and Art History, Penn State
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/209668
2023-08-01T12:25:52Z
2023-08-01T12:25:52Z
Donors give more when asked to help people get back on their feet instead of meeting immediate needs – new research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539065/original/file-20230724-21-visf7w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=421%2C708%2C5966%2C3533&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">As the saying goes, it's better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/girl-holding-grandfathers-hand-and-going-fishing-on-royalty-free-image/1347216675?adppopup=true">Dimensions/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Charities that provide social services such as medical care or after-school programs should consider emphasizing how their efforts can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437221140028">help their clients become more self-sufficient</a>, my research findings suggest.</p>
<p>With my colleagues <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zs0rJiYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Stacie Waites</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=NpOhetkAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate">Adam Farmer</a> and <a href="https://kelley.iu.edu/faculty-research/faculty-directory/profile.html?id=RWELDEN">Roman Welden</a>, I explored whether people respond differently to fundraising pitches for charities that promise to help people in need become more self-sufficient than those that don’t.</p>
<p>One study involved asking people in one of two ways to donate to the <a href="https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/">Wounded Warrior Project</a>, a charity that helps veterans who have been injured. The participants were told either that their gifts would support veterans’ immediate needs, such as food and housing, or that they would contribute to their eventual self-sufficiency through career counseling and therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. These messages were developed from <a href="https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs">information available on the Wounded Warrior website</a>.</p>
<p>For this study, we recruited workers from <a href="https://www.mturk.com/worker">Amazon Mechanical Turk</a>, a crowdsourced platform for paid tasks. Participants were paid to view one of the two charitable appeals and were given a bonus payment that could be donated partially or in full to the charity. We found that study participants who received the self-sufficiency pitch gave approximately 38% more of their bonus payment to charity.</p>
<p>We also explored which kind of message works best for the Pinnacle Resource Center, a regional charity in East Tennessee that assists homeless people, as part of its holiday fundraising campaign. Potential donors saw one of two messages focused on either meeting clients’ immediate needs or helping them become more self-sufficient. </p>
<p>One was: “Our focus is on providing resources to help individuals become self-sufficient in an effort to eventually provide for themselves.”</p>
<p>The other was: “Our focus is on providing resources to help individuals meet their immediate needs, whatever they may be.”</p>
<p>The people who saw the self-sufficiency message were almost three times as likely to donate and gave approximately 80% more money. The charity raised five times more money from the donors who got the self-sufficiency pitch.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Charities often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/666470">appeal to current and potential donors</a> based on the food, shelter and services they provide to those in need, using a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.01.005">variety of fundraising tactics</a>.</p>
<p>My research highlights a fundraising strategy that these nonprofits can use to their advantage.</p>
<p>A wide array of charities, such as disaster relief groups and after-school programs, could probably raise more money if they were to put greater emphasis in their messaging on how they’re boosting the eventual self-sufficiency of their clients.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>I didn’t look at donations other than money, such as blood or canned food, or the hours volunteers log at the charities they support. So my research didn’t examine how messages related to self-sufficiency may affect those kinds of support.</p>
<p>Might appealing to certain emotions work better than others when they’re paired with self-sufficiency messages?</p>
<p>Given that <a href="https://doi.org/10.2501/S0021849910091592">evoking emotions such as nostalgia</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2017.02.004">guilt can increase charitable giving</a>, I believe that it’s important to discover which emotions are the best to elicit with fundraising pitches aimed at promoting the self-sufficiency of a charity’s clients.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209668/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pinnacle Resource Center partnered with Jonathan Hasford's research team to conduct a field experiment described in this article. It did not receive any compensation or financial support during its work with the charity.
Jonathan Hasford did not work for, consult, or receive funding from the Wounded Warrior Project when working on this research.</span></em></p>
Emphasizing self-sufficiency in fundraising pitches can increase charitable donations, a marketing scholar has found.
Jonathan Hasford, Douglas and Brenda Horne Professor of Business, University of Tennessee
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/208890
2023-07-12T13:30:32Z
2023-07-12T13:30:32Z
When charities engage in ‘brand activism’, research shows they must demonstrate bravery to attract donations
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535381/original/file-20230703-266873-82o4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C24%2C5378%2C3623&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Standing strong.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-people-activists-protesting-on-streets-1836342793">Ground Picture/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Charities often rely on <a href="https://www.prweek.com/article/1577681/comic-relief-comms-drop-poverty-porn-focus-empowerment">“warm and fuzzy” images and “poverty porn” tactics</a> to attract donations. But in recent years, some UK not-for-profits have shifted towards <a href="https://theteam.co.uk/blog/battle-of-the-brands-charity-or-movement/">activism-driven campaigns</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/24-30-may-2021/shelter-reveals-activism-inspired-rebrand-from-superunion/">Shelter’s 2021 Fight for Home campaign</a> took a bold stand in support of the human right to safe housing with a protest-inspired logo redesign and a campaign spotlighting real people affected by the UK housing crisis. And more recently, during Pride month (June), charities including the Worldwide Fund for Nature <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/pride">changed their logos to a rainbow</a> to signal their LGBTQ+ allyship.</p>
<p>Charities are clearly well positioned to undertake ad campaigns with notions of social change at their core. But our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41262-023-00319-8">recent research</a> shows they could risk creating the perception of hypocrisy with such strategies. They need to tread carefully with this kind of “brand activism”, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0743915620947359?journalCode=ppoa">defined as taking a stance on a controversial sociopolitical issue</a>.</p>
<p>In March 2023, for instance, <a href="https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/oxfam-boss-hits-back-onslaught-criticism-its-staff-language-guide/communications/article/1817225">Oxfam faced significant backlash</a> when it launched an <a href="https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inclusive-language-guide-621487/">inclusive language guide</a> stating: “Language has the power to reinforce or deconstruct systems of power that maintain poverty, inequality and suffering”. The conservative right accused Oxfam of being <a href="https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/oxfam-language-guide-is-woke-drivel-says-mp-after-charity-issues-92-page-document-to-all-staff-4072368">too “woke”</a>. </p>
<p>This kind of brand activism is starkly different to conventional fundraising campaigns. Plus, donors don’t always respond positively to activism from charity brands, according to our research. Charities that want to use brand activism need to be wary if they want to attract donations rather than backlash.</p>
<h2>Charities need to adapt to survive</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Charity-Marketing-Contemporary-Issues-Research-and-Practice/Hyde-Mitchell/p/book/9780367680893">Research indicates</a> that donors are typically driven by guilt, empathy and the warm glow of doing good, rather than a desire to change the system. So, if a charity wants to activate the desire to incite change, tactics such as brand activism can be more effective – but also controversial. Engaging in activism by taking a public stance on issues such as Black Lives Matter, #Metoo or LGBTQ+ rights could certainly enhance a brand’s image and engage consumers.</p>
<p>Traditionally, charitable organisations have not needed to “virtue signal” to prospective donors. After all, they are what is known in academic research as “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41262-020-00224-4">higher purpose natives</a>” – organisations with civic engagement at their core.</p>
<p>But times have changed. A recent report shows signs of recovery to pre-pandemic giving levels but reveals a <a href="https://nfpresearch.com/research/products/charity-awareness-monitor">long-term decline</a> overall. Approximately 69% of people donated to charity in the three months from April to June in 2019, compared to 63% over the same period in 2023. Furthermore, the awareness and visibility of charities are diminishing – research shows fewer people are able to <a href="https://nfpresearch.com/research/products/charity-awareness-monitor">recall the name of a charity</a> when asked.</p>
<p>Charities are also constantly faced with the need to prove their legitimacy as the public raises questions about their <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10495142.2019.1707744?journalCode=wnon20">transparency and trustworthiness</a>. This is partly due to the increasing engagement of for-profit companies in purpose-driven marketing efforts. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/patagonias-founder-has-given-his-company-away-to-fight-climate-change-and-advance-conservation-5-questions-answered-190827">Clothing brand Patagonia</a> focuses on <a href="https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/activism/">environmental issues</a>, for example, while ice cream makers Ben & Jerry advocate <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/values">for social and equality matters</a>. </p>
<p>To adapt, survive and make sure their messages are also heard, charities can reposition themselves as movements and start to speak out to honour their core missions. But they also need to think about how best to continue to attract donations – particularly in the wake of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003134169-103/building-powerful-charity-brands-max-du-bois-robert-longley-cook?context=ubx&refId=5b731e9b-3847-441a-a3b4-7ecfaa8732b2">sector-wide funding cuts</a> – without falling into the trap of “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0743915620947359?casa_token=nqgVILsnQ_wAAAAA:3IXVb4eet7JlE_fI980GhOfwcYsyJCUMgBFs-NBEB6NYXkPOOVeaFIPKksr4ef4tHb23hvjXp-I">woke washing</a>” (when actions are perceived as insincere or performative).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/woke-washing-what-happens-when-marketing-communications-dont-match-corporate-practice-108035">Woke washing: what happens when marketing communications don't match corporate practice</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>‘Brand bravery’ is essential to support activism</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41262-023-00319-8">new research</a> shows that “brand bravery” is key to successful brand activism campaigns in the not-for-profit sector.</p>
<p>Brand bravery should be an important part of a brand’s identity. It involves seven dimensions: <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JPBM-04-2020-2879/full/html">altruism, boldness, courage, determination, endurance, fearlessness and grit</a>, according to research. Bravery means brands must <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/feb/20/attack-on-woke-charities-has-backfired-campaigners-say">stand up</a> for – and communicate – beliefs and values, even if it requires courage and risk-taking. It’s about disrupting the status quo and shaping the future. As it is inherently divisive, the risks may involve losing some existing supporters as a result of taking a stand on certain issues.</p>
<p>In our study, we surveyed 518 British individuals on what they thought about a specific charity’s brand activism strategy, how brave they perceived the charity to be, if they believed the charity was being hypocritical and their overall impression of whether the brand activism strategy added value (brand equity). </p>
<p>We found that, without brand bravery, brand activism negatively impacts donors’ actions and feelings towards the charity. In fact, when people perceive a lack of bravery, they judge a brand to be hypocritical and are less likely to donate.</p>
<p>Donors’ moral foundations also have a part to play. When individuals have a strong concern for justice, they are more likely to perceive activism as a brave rather than a hypocritical act by the brand, which in turn shapes how they respond to the charity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman with megaphone surrounded by other people with arms raised." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535377/original/file-20230703-241360-m0lz6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Activists.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-female-activists-protesting-1243858555">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From ‘warm’ to ‘warrior’</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/14/the-guardian-view-on-the-national-trust-battleground-for-a-culture-war">ongoing discussions</a> about the inequalities that persist in the not-for-profit sector due to problematic institutions, systems and historical structures. The humanitarian sector is perceived to have grown out of a colonialist and racist past, which has cultivated a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/20/oxfam-abuse-scandal-haiti-colonialism">white saviour mentality”</a>. </p>
<p>Campaign groups such as <a href="https://charitysowhite.org/">Charity So White</a> have made inroads recently to attempt to dismantle these inequalities. When charities make the move away from being “warm” to being “warriors”, they are raising funds for their own causes. But they are also helping to disrupt the inherent assumption that all not-for-profits and the work they do are inherently “good”. </p>
<p>In this way, brand activism could be a catalyst for change within the third sector, if charities are brave enough to engage in this way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
People are more likely to donate to charity when the brand shows ‘bravery’ by speaking up about social causes.
Zoe Lee, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff University
Amanda Spry, Lecturer of Marketing, RMIT University
Jessica Vredenburg, Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of Marketing, Auckland University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205169
2023-05-24T18:42:43Z
2023-05-24T18:42:43Z
As governments shirk their responsibilities, non-profits are more important than ever
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526608/original/file-20230516-25-53n9ix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C65%2C5414%2C3481&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In a neoliberal era, where profitability is prioritized over social duty, all orders of government in Canada are increasingly shirking responsibility for providing social services onto non-profits.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You’ve likely walked past that non-profit youth centre or literacy program in your neighborhood countless times. You’ve probably never needed to make use of it and never given it a second thought. </p>
<p>But on your next stroll, take a moment to consider the work that organization does, the challenges it faces and the vast benefits it brings to your community.</p>
<p>In an age of <a href="https://thepointer.com/article/2023-02-26/150-nonprofits-want-government-budgets-that-equitably-and-effectively-prevent-mounting-social-problems/">proliferating social troubles and government retreat</a>, Canadians must be aware of the critical role played by the non-profit sector. </p>
<p>Recent decades have seen <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/neoliberalism.asp">the welfare state withdraw in favour of free-market principles</a>. In a neoliberal era, where <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336700342_Neoliberalism_and_poverty_An_unbreakable_relationship">profitability is prioritized over social duty</a>, all orders of government in Canada have <a href="https://www.mqup.ca/liberating-temporariness--products-9780773543829.php">shirked much of the responsibility</a> for providing social services onto non-profits. </p>
<h2>Importance of social connections</h2>
<p>As non-profits have become saddled with more obligations, they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.4000/eccs.3562">handcuffed by limited funding</a>. Long-term funding arrangements between governments and non-profits have been replaced by provisional and competitive funding. While non-profits are expected to do significantly more, they are relegated to coping with <a href="http://www.justlabour.yorku.ca/volume22/pdfs/06_baines_et_al_press.pdf">far fewer resources</a>. </p>
<p>This has serious implications for the long-term well-being of communities, especially those already marginalized and under-served. </p>
<p>Not only are non-profits now providing critical services and social supports for which the state previously took responsibility, they are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2020.101817">settings where vital forms of social capital are produced</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Bowling_Alone/rd2ibodep7UC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=bowling+alone&printsec=frontcover">Social capital</a> refers to networks of trust, belonging and support developed among people within a given community (bonding social capital), and between people who identify with different communities or social groups (bridging social capital). Social capital enables people to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226012883/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0226012883&linkCode=as2&tag=thplofyo07-20&linkId=4QCXIF457L26NDJI">work together toward mutual well-being and goal attainment</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman with short hair wearing a mask carries a box of fresh fruit." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526578/original/file-20230516-11525-g5d19v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Charities and non-profits do vital work to support communities, often with limited funding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Social capital doesn’t just happen</h2>
<p>Communities must find ways to create worthwhile forms of social capital. And that’s where non-profit organizations can fill a gap. However, constantly scrambling for money leaves these organizations little time, resources and capacity to provide programming that fosters social capital. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs42413-022-00186-2">Our research</a> on community literacy organizations illuminated the role of non-profit organizations in helping people cultivate social capital. We conducted interviews and focus groups with program leads, staff and service users at eight non-profit organizations in southern Ontario to learn how they support literacy in their communities.</p>
<p>We found that producing social capital enabled them to serve communities in ways that transcended their primary mandates. </p>
<p>It is unrealistic to expect people to build social capital on their own, devoid of enabling social infrastructure. The challenge of creating meaningful social connections is daunting. Especially as society becomes increasingly individualistic. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-secular-life/201911/is-canada-losing-its-religion">Religion</a> — once a stalwart source of community — continues to decline and <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-rise-in-self-service-technologies-may-cause-a-decline-in-our-sense-of-community-201339">technology</a> is rapidly displacing face-to-face human interaction. Urban planners and community stakeholders need to provide the settings and opportunities for people to come together, connect and collaborate. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/toronto-needs-more-beauty-in-its-waterfront-designs-100871">Toronto needs more beauty in its waterfront designs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We found that non-profit community programs serve as settings where people from marginalized backgrounds can build beneficial forms of social capital. Such local initiatives provided individuals with recurrent and predictable channels to interact, share lived experiences and work together. </p>
<p>For example, mothers of children with disabilities participated in self-help groups where they shared their experiences, exchanged information and generally supported one another. Civic projects, such as a community garden started at one organization, brought together residents, young and old. </p>
<p>Non-profit programs provide people with opportunities to interact with different community members and forge meaningful interactions with people outside their social group that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2012.761167">mitigate prejudice and foster trust and understanding</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman standing in front of people seated in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526580/original/file-20230516-21-4ordb9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Social programs, like those improving literacy, provide vital space for people to build meaningful social connections.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Over the course of our research, we saw what started as bridging social capital strengthen into bonding ties between program participants, and in many cases between program users, staff and volunteers. The significance of these bonds was powerfully conveyed by one participant who took part in our study: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… what I take away from this group [is] that there are good people still left in a world that’s so scary, and people that are there to support. And whether I’m here or not, they’re always willing to help somebody else that’s in need. And… knowing that the option of … being there and the people that come together for this group–it’s really incredible to know that you have somebody.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The programs we studied connected individuals to new people, organizations, supports and resources and provided ongoing opportunities to build bridging social capital.</p>
<p>While the primary purpose of the non-profit organizations was to improve literacy, these programs accomplished much more. By providing a judgement-free safe space where participants had opportunities to share and collaborate, these organizations fostered social capital within communities. </p>
<p>The community organizations we studied had recently lost their primary funding provided by a regional anti-poverty program. Program leads and staff remained committed to supporting service users but struggled to do so given the need to devote more time and resources to addressing funding insecurities. </p>
<h2>Benefits of social capital</h2>
<p>When social capital is actively fostered, social trust is elevated. Research has demonstrated that <a href="https://static.prisonpolicy.org/scans/Community-and-the-Crime-Decline-The-Causal-Effect-of-Local-Nonprofits-on-Violent-Crime.pdf">the more non-profit organizations there are in a community, the lower the crime rate</a>. Non-profit organizations help to lessen crime by enhancing levels of social capital and trust and expanding opportunities and hope. </p>
<p>Strengthening people’s social and organizational ties broadens their horizons and improves their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230287624_5">well-being</a>. Non-profits play a crucial role in fostering and sustaining such social capital. </p>
<p>If governments expect communities to be viable and fend for themselves amid diminishing public support, local non-profits cannot be relegated to financial precarity. By starving the non-profit sector, governments are ironically undermining the capacity of communities to live up to the neoliberal ideals of self-reliance and local resourcefulness.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205169/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Gosine served as a third-party evaluator and accessed research funding provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation by way of the Local Poverty Reduction Fund of the Province of Ontario. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker served as a third-party evaluator and accessed research funding provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation by way of the Local Poverty Reduction Fund of the Province of Ontario. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tiffany L. Gallagher served as a third-party evaluator and accessed research funding provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation by way of the Local Poverty Reduction Fund of the Province of Ontario. </span></em></p>
Non-profits provide critical services and social support for communities. They also provide settings where vital forms of social capital are produced.
Kevin Gosine, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Brock University
Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker, Professor, Department of Educational Studies; Director, Teacher Education, Brock University
Tiffany L. Gallagher, Professor, Department of Educational Studies and Director, Brock Learning Lab, Brock University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199934
2023-05-01T12:09:18Z
2023-05-01T12:09:18Z
Whether or not a man convicted of abusing African ‘orphans’ is exonerated, the missionary system that brought him to Kenya was always deeply flawed
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521932/original/file-20230419-30-ltdodz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C5%2C3858%2C2578&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some African countries are seeking to replace orphanages with family-based care.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/missionary-with-child-royalty-free-image/182366165?adppopup=true">himarkley/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Matthew Durham, a young missionary from Oklahoma, was convicted in 2015 of <a href="https://www.normantranscript.com/news/oklahoma/former-edmond-missionary-matthew-durham-convicted-of-sexually-abusing-kenyan-children/article_4dab7dfc-ca68-5e32-b43d-28a58c0afc4d.html">raping three girls and molesting a boy</a> at the Upendo Children’s Home. He had volunteered at the Kenyan orphanage from 2012 to 2014. </p>
<p>A federal jury found Durham guilty under a 2003 law that makes crimes committed against children abroad punishable in the United States, and U.S. District Court Judge David L. Russell <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/07/us/missionary-sexual-assault-kenya-children/index.html">sentenced him to 40 years in prison</a>.</p>
<p>Durham has always maintained his innocence, and his legal team say they now have evidence to prove it. Several of the children who testified against Durham – now young adults – came forward in 2021 to say that he never abused them. Rather, they allege that they and other <a href="https://sites.create.ou.edu/andreanaprichard/wp-content/uploads/sites/1620/2023/04/2255-order-on-motion-to-vacate.pdf">residents at the children’s home were coached</a>, beaten and coerced by Kenyan orphanage staff to fabricate stories of sexual abuse and give false testimony against Durham.</p>
<p>In 2022, Durham’s legal team filed a motion with the Western District Court of Oklahoma giving evidence of the children’s new testimonies and requesting that the court overturn Durham’s conviction and vacate his sentence. Although the judge<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2656/Durham_motion_to_vacate.pdf?1682705789"> denied Durham’s petition based on a legal technicality</a>, his legal team has appealed to the 10th Circuit Court in Denver.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zMpD-HEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">a historian who studies evangelical</a> missions in Africa, including missionaries’ efforts to “save” African children, I have <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11070327">spent much of the last five years</a> trying to make sense of this case. Any way you look at it, both the initial allegations against Durham and the new claims of abuse and false testimony are tragic. </p>
<p>As Durham waits to see how the courts will rule, I believe his story offers an opportunity to examine the system that made the very existence of this orphanage, Durham’s visits to it, and the competing claims about him, possible.</p>
<h2>2 centuries of ‘white saviors’</h2>
<p>The Western <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-038-4_3">obsession with African orphans</a> began in the 1830s, when British and European mission organizations started working in eastern Africa – the same region where Durham would volunteer nearly 200 years later. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JAS.1.27.NIV">Bible’s call</a> “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” prompted these early humanitarians to <a href="https://msupress.org/9781611862409/sisters-in-spirit/">focus on working with children</a> who had been kidnapped, orphaned or otherwise made vulnerable through the raiding and warring that fueled the <a href="https://mediadiversified.org/2016/05/04/an-introduction-to-the-indian-ocean-slave-trade/">Indian Ocean slave trade</a>. Many of these children ended up at mission-run orphanages or residential schools, which were supported by Western donors and, at times, their governments. </p>
<p>Critics of these interventions, such as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003196051">Victorian novelist Charles Dickens</a>, alleged that the missionaries’ focus on amassing converts blinded them to the well-being of children in their care.</p>
<p>For example, in the 1890s, a famine <a href="https://www.africabib.org/rec.php?RID=K00002516">caused many children to seek support</a> at an orphanage run by the Church Missionary Society at Freretown, near Mombasa, Kenya. When parents or relatives later tried to bring the children home, the missionaries refused to release them, believing they would lose converts and, significantly, the donations that supported their work.</p>
<h2>The ‘orphan industrial complex’</h2>
<p>Today, a similar fixation on profit is part of what motivates orphanage founders, travel companies that promote “<a href="https://rethinkorphanages.org/problem-with-orphanage-tourism">orphan tourism</a>” and the Western donors, missionaries and travelers that support them. Experts call this the “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01623-4_2">orphan industrial complex</a>.”</p>
<p>This is a system wherein efforts to care for vulnerable children become entangled with the business interests of the individuals and institutions involved. Paradoxically, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01623-4_2">research shows</a> that orphanage founders, tour companies and mission organizations often benefit most when the goal of serving vulnerable children is not accomplished.</p>
<p>One can’t be in the business of “saving” orphans if there are no orphans to be saved. So savvy orphanage founders and their sponsors <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02402006">often lie about</a> the numbers and the backgrounds of the children under their care. </p>
<p>In fact, around 80% of the 8 million children in residential care around the world <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02402006">are not actually orphans</a>, at least not by the commonly understood definition of a child who has lost both parents. The majority of these children <a href="https://rethinkorphanages.org/problem-orphanages/facts-and-figures-about-orphanage-tourism">have at least one living parent</a> or extended families that could, with the right support, care for them at home. This <a href="https://www.socialprotection.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-National-Care-Reform-Strategy-for-Children-in-Kenya-2022-2032.pdf">includes orphanage residents in Kenya</a>, where Durham worked. </p>
<p>One way children end up at orphanages like Upendo is through a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02402006">form of trafficking</a> in which recruiters take children from their families, often under false pretenses, and sell them to orphanage proprietors. Others are enticed with promises of free education, or are taken from the streets and housed without government knowledge.</p>
<h2>Harming children</h2>
<p>Researchers have found that children raised in residential care facilities are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2010.00313.x">often stigmatized</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2010.487124">experience developmental delays</a>. There is also a large amount of evidence that children who live in orphanages – especially if <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/20/stigma-pushes-disabled-children-into-dangerous-kenyan-orphanages">they have disabilities</a> – face much higher risks of violence, abuse and neglect than other kids.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-15-00093">One study</a> of six low-income countries, including Kenya, found that 50.3% of children in orphanages experienced sexual abuse.</p>
<p>Further, Western missionaries and volunteers are encouraged to behave toward “orphans” in ways that further increase their risk of abuse. Pulling children aside for one-on-one time, initiating close physical contact and buying them gifts are often referred to encouragingly as ways of “<a href="https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/Protecting%20Children%20in%20Short%20Term%20Missions.pdf">loving on” orphanage residents</a>. </p>
<p>From a child-protection perspective, these behaviors are also potential warning signs of <a href="https://www.rainn.org/news/grooming-know-warning-signs">grooming by a sexual predator</a> and can numb children to potential risks. </p>
<p>Some governments in <a href="https://www.unicef.org/eca/sites/unicef.org.eca/files/2018-11/Key%20Results%20in%20Deinstitutionalization%20in%20Eeurope%20and%20Central%20Asia_0.pdf">Europe, Central Asia</a>, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/reports/beyond-institutional-care">Latin America and the Caribbean</a> are trying to phase out these orphanages, as well as in some African countries like Kenya. The country where Durham went several times for short stints as a volunteer is attempting to <a href="https://www.socialprotection.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-National-Care-Reform-Strategy-for-Children-in-Kenya-2022-2032.pdf">replace residential children’s homes</a> with family-based, foster and community-based care over the next decade.</p>
<p>Organizations such as <a href="https://rethinkorphanages.org/volunteer-checklist/travel-companies-do-not-support-orphanage-tourism">Africa Impact and Projects Abroad</a>, two U.S.-based companies that organize volunteer opportunities on the continent, have phased out orphanage tourism programs.</p>
<h2>An entire system on trial</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/us/kenya-abuse-orphange-dow.html">conviction of a white missionary</a> for child abuse isn’t unprecedented. Like Durham, Gregory Dow, an American who had run another Kenyan orphanage, was convicted in 2015 of sexually abusing some of its young residents. <a href="https://churchleaders.com/news/343038-missionary-gets-life-in-prison-for-abusing-children-in-cambodia.html">Daniel Stephen Johnson</a>, of Coos Bay, Oregon, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for sexually abusing children in Cambodia.</p>
<p>Other such offenders, including <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/crime/poetic-justice-jury-hears-richard-huckle-the-man-named-britains-worst-pedophile-tortured-and-killed-in-prison-c-1616114">Richard Huckle</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34602953">Simon Harris</a>, have gone from the U.K. to orphanages in low-income countries and sexually abused the children they were supposedly there to help.</p>
<p>There is also a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/ungodly-abuse-lasting-torment-new-tribes-missionary-kids-n967191">sordid cast of missionary organizations</a> and <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/201412080196.html">local proprietors of orphanages in low-income countries</a> that commit crimes while purporting to do good.</p>
<p>But these new claims by the Upendo survivors are unique because they illuminate the various forms of violence to which children in residential care are exposed both by missionaries and the very people purporting to protect them.</p>
<p>According to the legal documents and news coverage I’ve reviewed, the former orphanage residents who recanted their testimonies against Durham haven’t said why orphanage staff told them to lie. It would be a tragedy if it turns out Durham has been imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but regardless of whether he is eventually exonerated, I believe it is ultimately the children who will have suffered the most.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199934/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andreana Prichard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Rather than protecting some of the world’s most vulnerable children, many of Africa’s orphanages are exploiting them.
Andreana Prichard, Associate Professor of Honors and African History, University of Oklahoma
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/203501
2023-04-19T16:45:54Z
2023-04-19T16:45:54Z
Why donation requests at the checkout are wearing our patience thin
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521695/original/file-20230418-22-vjh4gw.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C0%2C1905%2C1276&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Since 2019, charities have accrued [more than €50 million](https://www.larrondi.org/) through donations at checkout.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pxhere.com/fr/photo/1610102">Pxhere </a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Would you like to round up the value of your purchases to the nearest euro, to support a charity?” Recently many shoppers have had to respond yes or no to this question at the till, in aid of Ukrainians, victims of the earthquake in Eastern Turkey/Syria, or for the “Small Change” (<em>Pièces Jaunes</em>) campaign for children in hospital.</p>
<p>The sums – a few euro-cents when you’re at the till – may seem derisory. However the act of microdonation (or rounding up your bill, or gifts to ‘check-out charities’, as they’re called in the English-speaking world) is becoming increasingly common among retail brands who see it as a way to boost their reputation. This form of giving has enabled <a href="https://www.larrondi.org/">more than €50 million</a> to be collected in France since 2010.</p>
<p>Some customers find this an easy and painless way to support a charity. However, asking us to donate on each journey to the till can end up aggravating. Instead of an opportunity to show generosity, it can become a cause for embarrassment, guilt or indeed bad temper when the shopper has to say no out loud.</p>
<h2>I don’t have any money!</h2>
<p>If you experience these types of sentiments when you’re asked for a check-out donation, rest assured you’re not alone. In the US the phenomenon is so well known that a character in the cartoon South Park hits out at being solicited, and mentions of ‘Stop Asking Me to Donate’ spread over Twitter.</p>
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<p>Following up on <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356681104_Nos_clients_ont_le_don_d%27en_faire_un_quel_role_la_proximite_enseigne-client_joue-t-elle_dans_la_decision_de_faire_un_don_en_caisse">a study</a> suggesting there are optimum conditions for attracting check-out donations – making the ask via an electronic payment terminal rather than face-to-face, in a specialist chain store, particularly in the sports and leisure sector, with a big geographical catchment – I led a Twitter analysis to understand not why people give but rather, why they refuse to do so. In this way, one can find evidence of three different causes of annoyance associated with asking for money at the till.</p>
<p>The first is over-solicitation. Due to the multiple channels through which people are asked to give – over e-mail, by telephone, in person, by mail, at the check-out etc – and places where they are asked (in the street, through their letterbox, at work, while they’re shopping, etc.) potential donors suffer from a lack of tailoring, as they’re deluged by causes that rarely interest them. In this scenario, the appeal for donations at the till is like another droplet in a water torture regime designed to drive the victim mad. A Tweet illustrates this sense of exasperation:</p>
<p>Secondly, fed-up donors pan the lack of reciprocity in the arrangement: why should we give, when the store doesn’t? In our study, looking at 706 Tweets, businesses which ask for charity donations are accused of acting selfishly in 61% of cases, compared to just 11.8% when it’s the charity itself asking for money.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=232&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521701/original/file-20230418-26-39ypq2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=291&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=113&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=113&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=113&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=143&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=143&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/521705/original/file-20230418-18-c25z9h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=143&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author.</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
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<p>Finally, annoyed shoppers question the legitimacy of chains fundraising on charities’ behalf. Customers can sometimes find it hard to tell the difference between a brand’s sincere support for a cause, and reputation laundering. Often this leads them to want to know where the donated money is going.</p>
<p>Contrary to certain assumptions, however, businesses that donate the extra pennies from rounding up the value of purchases don’t get a cut from this. Thanks to a feature installed in payment terminals by fintech social enterprise <a href="https://www.microdon.org/">MicroDON</a> (or by banks that have invested in microdonation technology, such as France’s Banque Populaire), the money given by consumers is directed in a transparent manner toward chosen charities. In France, for amounts over 5 euros per store per year, customers can even exercise their right to tax exemptions.</p>
<p>By examining the downsides of asking for money donations, it allows us to better understand how to adapt charity gift campaigns to avoid wearing out donors’ generosity. In fact, chains and charities should take into consideration customers who don’t see rounding up the value of purchases for charity donations in a positive light.</p>
<p>On the one hand, “irritated customers” sense a kind of illegitimacy in a chain associating itself with their gift, which could damage the brand’s image in their eyes and their desire to go back there. On the other, “annoyed donors,” tired of being solicited to give money wherever they go, by multiple means, without a message tailored to them, might just give up on charity appeals.</p>
<p>This study, which set out to improve the experience of charity giving, could lead us to pose the following question: at the end of the day, why should we give at all? Why aren’t the extra pennies on your bill at the till just seen as a marketing tool like so many others, a weak or effective one depending on the store? One answer to this is that generosity is associated with so many virtues, for wider society but also for oneself. The act of giving evidently gives you a warm glow inside, reducing stress and the risk of heart attack, and enables you, as promoters of charity giving would be keen to claim, to better appreciate life. Nothing less than that!</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was translated from French by <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshNeicho">Joshua Neicho</a></em>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203501/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elodie Manthé ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>
Excessive donation requests can end up triggering donor fatigue or inspiring accusations of ‘social washing’.
Elodie Manthé, Maître de Conférences en Sciences de gestion, Université Savoie Mont Blanc
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199471
2023-04-14T12:19:20Z
2023-04-14T12:19:20Z
‘Effective altruism’ has caught on with billionaire donors – but is the world’s most headline-making one on board?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518049/original/file-20230328-22-bvafc9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C1017%2C682&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaks during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event on Aug. 25, 2022, in Texas. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/spacex-founder-elon-musk-speaks-during-a-t-mobile-and-news-photo/1242718935?adppopup=true">Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the ways tech billionaire Elon Musk attracts supporters is the vision he seems to have for the future: people driving fully autonomous electric vehicles, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/23/elon-musk-aiming-for-mars-so-humanity-is-not-a-single-planet-species.html">colonizing other planets</a> and even <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-launches-neuralink-to-connect-brains-with-computers-1490642652">merging their brains with artificial intelligence</a>.</p>
<p>Part of such notions’ appeal may be the argument that they’re not just exciting, or profitable, but would benefit humanity as a whole. At times, Musk’s high-tech mission seems to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/08/business/effective-altruism-elon-musk.html">overlap with “longtermism</a>” and “effective altruism,” ideas <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/opinion/the-case-for-longtermism.html">promoted by</a> Oxford philosopher <a href="https://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/people/william-macaskill">William MacAskill</a> and several <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2022/8/8/23150496/effective-altruism-sam-bankman-fried-dustin-moskovitz-billionaire-philanthropy-crytocurrency">billionaire donors</a>, such as Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife, former reporter Cari Tuna. The effective altruism movement guides people toward <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-effective-altruism-a-philosopher-explains-197856">doing the most good</a> they can with their resources, and Musk has claimed that <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1554335028313718784?lang=en">MacAskill’s philosophy echoes his own</a>.</p>
<p>But what do these phrases really mean – and how does Musk’s record stack up?</p>
<h2>The greatest good</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/the-reluctant-prophet-of-effective-altruism">Effective altruism is strongly related</a> to <a href="https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/utilitarianism">the ethical theory of utilitarianism</a>, particularly the work of the Australian philosopher <a href="https://uchv.princeton.edu/people/peter-singer">Peter Singer</a>.</p>
<p>In simple terms, utilitarianism holds that the right action is whichever maximizes net happiness. Like any moral philosophy, there is a dizzying array of varieties, but utilitarians generally share a couple of important principles.</p>
<p>First is a theory about <a href="https://longtermrisk.org/hedonistic-vs-preference-utilitarianism/">which values to promote</a>. “Hedonistic utilitarians” seek to promote pleasure and reduce pain. “Preference utilitarians” seek to satisfy as many individual preferences, such as to be healthy or lead meaningful lives, as possible.</p>
<p>Second is impartiality: One person’s pleasure, pain or preferences are as important as anyone else’s. This is often summed up by the expression “<a href="https://www.nybooks.com/articles/1973/04/05/animal-liberation/">each to count for one, and none for more than one</a>.” </p>
<p>Finally, utilitarianism ranks potential choices based on their outcomes, usually prioritizing whichever choice would lead to the greatest value – in other words, the greatest pleasure, the least amount of pain or the most preferences fulfilled.</p>
<p>In concrete terms, this means that utilitarians are likely to support policies like <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2021/05/vaccine-nationalism-covid-19-india.html">global vaccine distribution</a>, rather than hoarding doses for particular populations, in order to save more lives.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a dark-colored t-shirt speaks on a stage in front of a live audience, with two massive screens behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518044/original/file-20230328-27-11vxtc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Effective altruism philosopher William MacAskill gives a TED Talk in Vancouver in 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/philosopher-will-macaskill-speaks-at-ted2018-the-age-of-news-photo/1301892651?adppopup=true">Lawrence Sumulong/Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Utilitarianism 2.0?</h2>
<p><a href="https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/03/29/is-effective-altruism-inherently-utilitarian/">Utilitarianism shares a number of features</a> with effective altruism. When it comes to making ethical decisions, both movements posit that no one person’s pleasure or pain counts more than anyone else’s. </p>
<p>In addition, both utilitarianism and effective altruism are agnostic about how to achieve their goals: what matters is achieving the greatest value, not necessarily how we get there.</p>
<p>Third, utilitarians and effective altruists often have a very wide “<a href="https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/M2gBGYWEQDnrPt6nb/moral-circles-degrees-dimensions-visuals">moral circle</a>”: in other words, the kinds of living beings that they think ethical people should be concerned about. Effective altruists are frequently vegetarians; <a href="https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/iGpTbyXm3xtHQFhQ7/tyler-john-personhood-initiatives">many are also champions of animal rights</a>.</p>
<h2>Long-term view</h2>
<p>But what if people have ethical obligations not just toward sentient beings alive today – humans, animals, even aliens – but toward beings who will be born in a hundred, a thousand or even a billion years?</p>
<p>Longtermists, including many people involved in effective altruism, believe that those obligations matter just as much as our obligations to people living today. In this view, issues that pose an <a href="https://nickbostrom.com/existential/risks">existential risk</a> to humanity, such as a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/the-reluctant-prophet-of-effective-altruism">giant asteroid</a> striking earth, are particularly important to solve, because they threaten <a href="https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Toby-Newberry_How-many-lives-does-the-future-hold.pdf">everyone who could ever live</a>. Longtermists aim to guide humanity past these threats to ensure that future people can exist and live good lives, even in a billion years’ time.</p>
<p>Why do they care? Like utilitarians, effective altruists want to maximize happiness in the universe. If humanity goes extinct, then all those potentially good lives can’t happen. They can’t suffer – but they can’t have good lives, either.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A futuristic drawing of a green atmosphere enclosed in a large dome in a barren landscape." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=353&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518047/original/file-20230328-14-k8ogbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Can Mars be part of the plan to save humanity?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/futuristic-concept-of-gale-crater-enclosed-royalty-free-illustration/145091712?phrase=mars%20colony&adppopup=true">Steven Hobbs/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Measuring Musk</h2>
<p>Musk has claimed that MacAskill’s effective altruism “<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1554335028313718784">is a close match for my philosophy</a>.” But how close is it really? It’s hard to grade someone on their particular moral commitments, but the record seems choppy.</p>
<p>To start, the original motivation for the effective altruism movement was <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/the-reluctant-prophet-of-effective-altruism">to help the global poor as much as possible</a>. </p>
<p>In 2021, the director of the United Nations World Food Program <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/26/economy/musk-world-hunger-wfp-intl/index.html">mentioned Musk’s wealth</a> in an interview, calling on him and fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos to donate US$6 billion. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Musk’s net worth</a> is currently estimated to be $180 billion.</p>
<p>The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter tweeted that <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-elon-musk-try-to-solve-the-problem-of-world-hunger-with-6-billion-5-questions-answered-171187">he would donate the money</a> if the U.N. could provide proof that that sum would <a href="https://www.abc10.com/article/news/verify/business-verify/elon-musk-indicated-2021-to-donate-6-billion-to-fighting-solving-world-hunger-if-un-met-conditions/536-cad0e59e-775d-4c3d-a309-b3ef93379a71">end world hunger</a>. The head of the World Food Program clarified that $6 billion would not solve the problem entirely, but save an estimated 42 million people from starvation, and provided the organization’s plan.</p>
<p>Musk did not, the public record suggests, donate to the World Food Program, but he did soon <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/12/12/elon-musk-gave-5-7-billion-to-charity-last-year-where-it-went-was-a-mystery-until-now/">give a similar amount</a> to his own foundation – a move some critics dismissed as a <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/musk-pledged-6b-to-solve-world-hunger-but-gave-it-to-his-own-foundation-instead/">tax dodge</a>, since a core principle of effective altruism is giving only to organizations whose <a href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/what_charity_navigator_gets_wrong_about_effective_altruism#">cost-effective impact</a> has been rigorously studied.</p>
<p>Making money is hardly a problem in effective altruists’ eyes. They famously have argued that instead of working for nonprofits on important social issues, it may be more impactful to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-charities-altruism/young-smart-and-want-to-save-lives-become-a-banker-says-philosopher-idUSKCN0Q10M220150727">become investment bankers</a> and use that wealth to advance social issues – an idea called “<a href="https://80000hours.org/articles/earning-to-give/">earning to give</a>.” Nonetheless, Musk’s lack of transparency in that donation and his <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/could-elon-musk-have-solved-world-hunger-instead-buying-twitter-1700942">decision to then buy Twitter for seven times that amount</a> have generated controversy.</p>
<h2>Futuristic solutions</h2>
<p>Musk has claimed that some of the innovations he has invested in are <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-08-08/tesla-full-self-driving-fsd-technology">moral imperatives</a>, such as autonomous driving technology, which could save lives on the road. In fact, he has suggested that negative media coverage of autonomous driving <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/19/13341306/elon-musk-negative-media-autonomous-vehicles-killing-people">is tantamount to killing people</a> by dissuading them from using self-driving cars.</p>
<p>In this view, Tesla seems to be an innovative means to a utilitarian end. But there are dozens of other ways to save lives on the road that don’t require <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/05/gms-cruise-values-autonomous-vehicle-industry-at-8-trillion.html">expensive robot cars</a> that just happen to enrich Musk himself: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-11-03/why-us-traffic-safety-fell-so-far-behind-other-countries">improved public transit</a>, auto safety laws and more walkable cities, to name a few. His Boring Company’s attempts to build tunnels under Los Angeles, meanwhile, have been criticized as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/urban-tunnels-musk-s-boring-co-draw-industry-skepticism-n1269677">expensive and ineffecient</a>.</p>
<p>The most obvious argument for <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musks-secret-obsession-with-human-extinction-explains-everything-hes-doing">Musk’s supposed longtermism</a> is his rocket and spacecraft company SpaceX, which he has tied to securing the human race’s <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-space-sun-death-163900796.html">future against extinction</a>. </p>
<p>Yet some longtermists are concerned about the consequences of a corporate space race, too. Political scientist <a href="https://politicalscience.jhu.edu/directory/daniel-deudney/">Daniel Deudney</a>, for example, has <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/johns-hopkins-professor-warns-totalitarian-military-space-empire">argued</a> that the roughshod race to colonize space could have dire political consequences, including a form of interplanetary totalitarianism as militaries and corporations carve up the cosmos. Some effective altruists <a href="https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/space-governance/">are worried about these types of issues</a> as humans move toward the stars.</p>
<p>Is anyone, not just Musk, living up to effective altruism’s ideals today?</p>
<p>Answering this question requires thinking about three core questions: Are their initiatives trying to do the most good for everyone? Are they adopting the most effective means to help or simply the most exciting? And just as importantly: What kind of future do they envision? Anyone who cares about doing the most good they can should have an interest in creating the right kinds of future, rather than just getting us to any old future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199471/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas G. Evans receives funding from the Greenwall Foundation, National Science Foundation, Davis Educational Foundation, and the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research.</span></em></p>
Effective altruism, often called ‘EA,’ is closely linked to utilitarian philosophy and calls for donors to carefully scrutinize whether their giving makes an impact.
Nicholas G. Evans, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, UMass Lowell
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/196729
2022-12-21T13:41:12Z
2022-12-21T13:41:12Z
FTX’s collapse mirrors an infamous 18th century British financial scandal
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502186/original/file-20221220-20-ou8jt2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C155%2C5113%2C3279&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sam Bankman-Fried, once considered a star in the freewheeling world of cryptocurrency, has been charged with conspiracy, fraud and money laundering.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-photo-illustration-shows-the-logo-of-cryptocurrency-news-photo/1244760361?phrase=sam bankman-fried&adppopup=true">Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2021/09/23/enron-scandal-revisited-20th-anniversary-legacy/">Enron</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-bernie-madoffs-ponzi-scheme-worked-2014-7">Bernie Madoff</a>. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/crypto/sam-bankman-fried-crypto-ftx-collapse-explained-rcna57582">FTX</a>.</p>
<p>In modern capitalism, it seems as if stories of companies and managers who engage in fraud and swindle their investors occur like the changing of the seasons. </p>
<p>In fact, these scandals can be traced back to the origins of publicly traded companies, when the first stockbrokers bought and sold company shares and government securities in the coffee houses of London’s Exchange Alley during the 1700s. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8b_mnWQAAAAJ&hl=en">As a historian of 18th century finance</a>, I am struck by the similarities between what’s known as the Charitable Corporation Scandal and the recent collapse of FTX. </p>
<h2>A noble cause</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110592139-010/html">Charitable Corporation</a> was established in London in 1707 with the noble mission of providing “relief of the industrious poor by assisting them with small sums at legal interest.”</p>
<p>Essentially, it sought to provide <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24429771#metadata_info_tab_contents">low-interest loans</a> to poor tradesmen, shielding them from predatory pawnbrokers who charged as much as 30% interest. The corporation made loans available at the rate of 5% in return for a pledge of property for security. </p>
<p>The Charitable Corporation was modeled on <a href="https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/25216/1/25216%20GATTO_Historical_Roots_of_Microcredit_and%20Usury_2018.pdf">Monti di Pietà</a>, a charitable institution of credit established in Catholic countries during the Renaissance era to combat <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/u/usury.asp">usury</a>, or high rates of interest. </p>
<p>Unlike the Monti di Pietà, however, the British version – despite its name – wasn’t a nonprofit. Instead, it was a business venture. The enterprise was funded by offering shares to investors who, in return, would make money while doing good. Under its original mission, it was like an 18th century version of today’s socially responsible investing, or “<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-investment-is-it-worth-the-hype-heres-what-you-need-to-know-182533">sustainable investment funds</a>.” </p>
<h2>Raiding the fund</h2>
<p>In 1725, the Charitable Corporation diverted from its original mission when a new board of directors took over. </p>
<p>These men turned the corporation into their own piggy bank, taking money from it to buy shares and prop up their other companies. At the same time, the company’s employees began to engage in fraud: Safety checks ceased, books were kept irregularly and pledges went unrecorded. </p>
<p>Investigators would ultimately find that <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/642348549">£400,000</a> or more in capital was missing – roughly $108 million in today’s U.S. dollars. </p>
<p>In the autumn of 1731, rumors began to circulate about the solvency of the Charitable Corporation. The warehouse keeper at the time, <a href="https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/7034/page/1">John Thomson</a>, who was in charge of all loans and pledges but also in league with the five fraudulent directors, hid the company’s books and fled the country. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Print of man chopping down tree with people hanging from the branches." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1016&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1016&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1016&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502026/original/file-20221220-26-87nitv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Let 'em be ruined so we are made,’ a man says in a 1734 satirical print criticizing the Charitable Corporation and its ties to government.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-3573">© The Trustees of the British Museum</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the shareholders’ quarterly meeting, they found that money, pledges and accounts had all gone missing. At this point, the proprietors of the Charitable Corporation stock appealed to the British Parliament for redress. One-third of those who petitioned were women, a proportion that equaled <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/5620">the percentage of women who held shares</a> in the Charitable Corporation. </p>
<p>Many women were drawn to the corporation because of its public mission in providing small loans to working people. It’s also possible that they had been intentionally targeted for fraud. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Report_with_the_Appendix_from_the_Co/aodhAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1">parliamentary investigation</a> led to various charges being leveled against both managers and employees of the Charitable Corporation. Many of them were forced to appear before Parliament and were arrested if they did not. The managers and employees deemed most responsible for the 1732 fraud, such as <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_True_and_Exact_Particular_and_Inventor/AvBbAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">William Burroughs</a>, had their assets seized and inventoried in order to help pay back the shareholder losses. </p>
<p>Bankruptcy proceedings were started against the banker and broker, George Robinson, and the warehouse keeper, Thomson. Both Sir Robert Sutton and <a href="https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/grant-archibald-1696-1778">Sir Archibald Grant</a> were expelled as members of the House of Commons, with Grant being prevented from leaving the country and Sutton ultimately prosecuted in several courts.</p>
<p>In the end, the shareholders received a partial government bailout – Parliament authorized a <a href="https://www.british-history.ac.uk/commons-hist-proceedings/vol7/pp375-401">lottery</a> that reimbursed only 40% of what the corporation’s creditors had lost.</p>
<h2>The risks of concentrated power</h2>
<p>There are several key characteristics that stand out in the collapses of both the Charitable Corporation and FTX. Both companies were offering something new or venturing into a new sector. In the former’s case, it was microloans. In FTX’s case, it was cryptocurrency. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the management of both ventures was centralized in the hands of just a few people. The Charitable Corporation got into trouble when it reduced its directors from 12 to five and when it consolidated most of its loan business in the hands of one employee – namely, Thomson. FTX’s example is even more extreme, with founder Sam Bankman-Fried <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/nov/22/ftx-delaware-bankruptcy-court-cryptocurrency-sam-bankman-fried">calling all the shots</a>. </p>
<p>In both cases, the key fraud was using the assets of one company to prop up another company managed by the same people. For example, in 1732, the corporation’s directors bought stock in the <a href="https://archive.org/details/yorkbuildingsco00murrgoog">York Buildings Company</a>, in which many of them were also involved. They hoped to juice stock prices. When that didn’t happen, they realized they couldn’t cover what they had taken out of the Charitable Corporation’s funds. </p>
<p>Fast forward nearly 300 years, and a similar story seems to have played out. Bankman-Fried allegedly <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/18/how-sam-bankman-fried-ran-8-billion-fraud-government-prosecutors.html">took money</a> out his customer accounts in FTX to cover his cryptocurrency trading firm, Alameda Research.</p>
<p>News of both frauds also came as a surprise, with little advance warning. Part of this is due to the ways in which managers were well respected and well connected to both politicians and the financial world. Few public figures mistrusted them, and this proved to be a useful screen for deceit. </p>
<p>I would also argue that in both cases the company’s connection to philanthropy lent it another level of cover. The Charitable Corporation’s very name announced its altruism. And even after the scandal subsided, commentators pointed out that the original business of microlending was useful. FTX’s founder Bankman-Fried is an advocate of <a href="https://theconversation.com/ftx-bankruptcy-is-bad-news-for-the-charities-that-crypto-mogul-sam-bankman-fried-generously-supported-194615">effective altruism</a> and has argued that it was useful for him and his companies to make lots of money so he could give it away to what he deemed effective causes.</p>
<p>After the Charitable Corporation’s collapse in 1732, Parliament didn’t institute any regulation that would prevent such a fraud from happening again. </p>
<p>A tradition of loose oversight and regulations has been the hallmark of Anglo-American capitalism. If the response to the 2008 financial crash is any indication of what will come in the wake of FTX’s collapse, it’s possible that some bad actors, like Bankman-Fried, will be punished. But any <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/09/uk-announces-major-overhaul-of-its-financial-sector-in-attempt-to-spur-growth.html">regulation will be undone at the first opportunity</a> – or never put in place to begin with.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196729/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Froide receives funding from the Henry E. Huntington Library. </span></em></p>
In the Charitable Corporation Scandal, a group of politically connected directors leveraged the company’s altruistic image to attract investors – before raiding the funds to prop up other ventures.
Amy Froide, Professor of History, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190407
2022-11-21T17:57:47Z
2022-11-21T17:57:47Z
Why it’s time to end child sponsorship
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491444/original/file-20221024-8945-cyleto.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C18%2C3995%2C2329&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Charities often promote the benefits of child sponsorship. However, the practice perpetuates damaging patterns of thinking. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-it-s-time-to-end-child-sponsorship" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Language about the <a href="https://www.worldvision.ca/stronger-together/home">benefits of child sponsorship</a> is common in the charity sector. The narrative we are given is that sponsoring a child in the Global South is a way to make a positive difference in their lives. </p>
<p>However, this narrative inaccurately frames children and their families as lacking, backward, inferior, and longing for the standards of the Global North. It does not speak to the greater injustices and inequities impacting these children’s lives, or the role the Global North has played in producing them.</p>
<p>Millions of children are sponsored worldwide <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-22472455">raising billions of dollars per year</a>. Yet, the more things change, the more they stay the same: the misguided motivations for sponsors becoming involved, lack of public education around issues of poverty and inequity and the level of denial for the role played by the Global North in reproducing problematic patterns of thinking and relationships all remain unchanged. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Words on a smartphone screen read: Making a better world." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491962/original/file-20221026-18530-fqnmkd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Child sponsorship raises billions of dollars a year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://newint.org/features/2022/04/04/feature-please-continue-not-sponsor-child">I have been researching child sponsorship since 2018</a>. My advice not to participate is typically met with blank stares or a retort that it is “better than nothing.” </p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s not. Child sponsorship is highly successful at escaping questioning and reproach because it is viewed as a well-intentioned and benevolent act on the part of good people who want to help. Failure to ask sponsors to think and act differently and to challenge their comfortable roles as well-intentioned, good people, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-103-the-afternoon-edition-sask/clip/15916615-u-r-prof-says-homework-opening-wallet-sponsor">is a problematic pattern of thinking</a>.</p>
<h2>Why people sponsor children</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i8.5574">Motivations for becoming a child sponsor are numerous</a>, including the sponsor’s guilt over their own privilege, the need for a personal connection, the desire to support development or even the belief that sponsoring a child is apolitical. </p>
<p>People are also drawn to child sponsorship for altruistic reasons. But, as geographer <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.04.006">Frances Rabbitts</a> observes: “Despite the common association of charity with altruism…charitable gifts are shown to be inextricably bound up in webs of reciprocity and relations of power.” </p>
<p>Take the standard practice of letter writing between sponsor and child. As writer Peter Stalker explains, “<a href="https://newint.org/features/1982/05/01/keynote">there’s nothing like writing a regular thank-you letter to keep you in your place</a>.”</p>
<p>For some, motivation is tied up in those glossy photos of children living in poverty — images designed to tug at a donor’s heartstrings. International development consultant <a href="https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2021/4/20/time-to-end-aid-agency-child-sponsorship-schemes">Carol Sherman</a> describes the persuasive marketing techniques used for child sponsorship as “much like those found on online shopping sites or dating apps.” </p>
<p>Other motivations are based in a belief that child sponsorship is an apolitical way to advance the project of “development” by helping innocent victims of chronic poverty. But that belief is framed primarily by and for the Global North to make the Global South feel the need to catch up. Post-development theorist Arturo Escobar calls for a shift away from the concept of development, calling instead for “complex conversations” which will “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691150451/encountering-development">provide alternative understandings of the world.</a>”</p>
<p>As sociology professor <a href="https://camosun.ca/peter-ove">Peter Ove</a> says, “<a href="https://www.beyondchildsponsorship.ca/why-not-child-sponsorship/">child sponsorship is never going to be the solution to the problem. And I think the faster we realize that, and change our core assumptions, the better off we’ll be</a>.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand placing a coin into a wooden box." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491452/original/file-20221024-6143-nwfk3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Child sponsorship avoids complex conversations and is framed primarily by and for the Global North.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Sponsorship lets people off the hook</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, society tends to discuss global poverty as simply a case of being fortunate or unfortunate. But that utterly disregards the role played by the Global North in producing and sustaining the conditions of the South through, for example, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/structural-adjustment-9781842773895/">structural adjustment programs</a>, <a href="https://blendedfinancecritique.ca/">foreign policies</a> and <a href="https://newint.org/features/2019/01/07/just-open-and-green-action-trade">global trade regimes</a>. </p>
<p>Viewing the global poverty discourse through a fortunate/unfortunate lens takes people in wealthier countries out of the power relationship and <a href="https://www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue/issue-19/critical-literacy-theories-and-practices-development-education">reproduces problematic historical perspectives and relationships</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.beyondchildsponsorship.ca/how-do-charity-justice-and-solidarity-relate-to-cs/">“Charity lets people off the hook by not requiring them to recognize their position within a relationship based on power,</a>” says international development scholar <a href="https://www.uregina.ca/arts/politics-international-studies/faculty-staff/faculty/granovsky-larsen-simon.html">Simon Granovsky-Larsen</a>. Agencies do not encourage sponsors to examine their role in global injustice nor do they attempt to reverse or undo the structural conditions that have produced it.</p>
<p>But, as Granovsky-Larsen says, actions based on justice “require a difficult look at who you are, what your role is in imbalanced relationships of power, and how you can act — sometimes at a cost to yourself — to undo the structural conditions that have produced that injustice.”</p>
<h2>Education and engagement instead</h2>
<p>Instead of sponsorship, we need to engage with and support education and advocacy work being done in the Global South. For example, <a href="https://www.devp.org/en/">Development and Peace Caritas Canada (DPCC)</a> works on ecological justice, democracy, citizen participation and peace and reconciliation with their Global South partner organizations. </p>
<p>DPCC also educates Canadians on the root causes of global poverty. We need to understand that poverty in the Global South is intimately <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-the-monarchy-has-benefited-from-colonialism-and-slavery-179911">linked to the wealth of those in the industrialized Global North</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People on a small boat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491741/original/file-20221025-18-nsh8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Villagers cross a flooded area in Sindh province, Pakistan. Climate change was blamed for the ferocity of this year’s floods. While the richest countries produce the majority of the world’s pollution, poorer countries like Pakistan often suffer the consequences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Fareed Khan)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We can support and act in solidarity with grassroots groups and campaigns for change around the world, while also putting pressure on our governments to shape policies and laws. </p>
<p>This can take a number of forms: exercising one’s right to vote with a global citizenship lens; supporting NGOs that promote a change in foreign aid conditions; participating in civil engagement and divestment actions to hold companies accountable when they are linked to violence and harm in communities in the Global South.</p>
<p><a href="https://newint.org/features/1982/05/01/keynote">In the words of Stalker</a>, who warned people off child sponsorship forty years ago: “Alleviating the problems of the poor is one thing. But solving them involves much more difficult choices.” It’s time to make difficult choices and move beyond child sponsorship.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190407/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kathleen Nolan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Child sponsorship is often billed as a significant way of improving children’s lives. However, sponsorship is based on narratives that fail to address the role of rich countries in global poverty.
Kathleen Nolan, Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Regina
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190495
2022-10-11T12:19:37Z
2022-10-11T12:19:37Z
‘Checkout charity’ can increase a shopper’s anxiety, especially when asks are automated
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486898/original/file-20220927-16-aw4f6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=115%2C79%2C4707%2C2964&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many trips to the supermarket include a small donation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cashier-and-customer-at-grocery-store-checkout-royalty-free-image/187137930">Erik Isakson/Tetra Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Asking customers to support a cause when they pay for stuff can heighten their anxiety. Contrary to the <a href="https://www.mageworx.com/blog/donations-benefit-for-ecommerce">common belief that shoppers feel good</a> about making donations at checkout, we have found that there is a downside to such charity campaigns. </p>
<p>For <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.050">our study</a>, co-authored with <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zthqavgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Alex Zablah</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FkxssgMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">we researched</a> <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/business/hepworth">how customers respond</a> to donation requests made by cashiers or automated checkout kiosks.</p>
<p>We interviewed 60 shoppers, asking them to describe what they felt when they were asked to donate while ringing up their purchases at a variety of retailers based on their recollections of that interaction. About 40% of the words that these customers used expressed negative feelings associated with anxiety such as “pressured,” “annoyed” and “concerned about being judged.” Another 7% of the words conveyed other negative sentiments, including “guilty” or “bad.” The rest were neutral, such as “indifferent.”</p>
<p>Only about 20% of the words participants in these interviews used to describe their feelings were positive, such as “nice” or “compassionate.”</p>
<p>We also conducted a series of online experiments, in which a total of 970 people took part. </p>
<p>All of them were prompted to imagine that they were making a purchase, either at a fast-food drive-through or a grocery store. Half were also instructed to picture being asked to donate to a charity during checkout. The results were consistent with our findings from the interviews. Participants in the groups involving a charitable solicitation experienced more anxiety than those who only had to focus on making a purchase.</p>
<p>We also found evidence that this anxiety can be relieved when customers agree to donate, but only when the solicitation comes from a cashier, as opposed to an automated request made by a computer or self-service checkout machine.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>U.S. checkout charity campaigns raised <a href="https://engageforgood.com/ccc_2021/">US$605 million for assorted causes</a> in 2020, with many donations totaling just a few cents.</p>
<p>Businesses that hold checkout charity campaigns <a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/who-gets-tax-benefit-those-checkout-donations-0">collect their customers’ donations</a>. They do not receive direct financial benefits, such as tax deductions, for raising money for local food banks or other causes.</p>
<p>Retailers and restaurants may expect customers to see them in a more positive light because of their engagement in charitable activity, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/asking-customers-to-donate-when-they-buy-stuff-may-be-good-for-business-102298">there’s been some evidence</a> to that effect.</p>
<p>But our study indicates that for many shoppers the results could be the opposite. For that reason, retailers and restaurants may want to weigh the risks before deciding to participate in these campaigns.</p>
<p>In particular, they may want to avoid asking shoppers to take part in checkout charity campaigns at self-checkout kiosks – where machines make the ask, instead of human beings. </p>
<h2>What is not known</h2>
<p>We didn’t look into why checkout charity might undercut a retailer’s popularity. It’s possible that asking shoppers to donate in front of others makes them feel pressured. Or perhaps they may simply not want to chip in and feel annoyed when the cashier asks them.</p>
<p>We also did not assess whether customers know that businesses are not allowed to claim dollars donated by their customers as tax deductions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A study of what customers experience when they’re asked to chip in for a cause during checkout suggests that retailers should be careful about participating in these campaigns.
Na Young Lee, Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Dayton
Adam Hepworth, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Ohio University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/190810
2022-10-03T15:14:51Z
2022-10-03T15:14:51Z
King Charles will redistribute hundreds of charity patronages – here’s why they are such an important part of royal life
<p>After the Queen’s death, her son not only inherits her role as monarch and a significant fortune. King Charles III will also like take on most of the more than 600 charity patronages previously held by Elizabeth II. And as for the patronages Charles held as Prince of Wales, these will likely pass to his son Prince William, who now holds that title.</p>
<p>The monarchy has engaged in patronage, for altruistic and broader reasons, for approximately 900 years. Patronage has been, traditionally, a vehicle for those in power to exercise, cultivate and entrench their power. By dispensing patronage the patron is able to ensure that they are involved in various worthy projects and are seen to contribute to the betterment of society. </p>
<p>But patronage is not just a vehicle to gain <a href="https://theconversation.com/harry-meghan-and-a-right-royal-battle-for-control-129715">positive press coverage</a>. The benefits of patronage can be summed up in what I’ve termed in my research the <a href="https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3087043">“patronage bargain”</a>, referring to the positive qualities that arise from the relationship. </p>
<p>These benefits, such as obligation, reciprocity, responsibility, dependency, kudos and indebtedness, give the patron a sense of duty and purpose. These features have been a hallmark of the patronage relationship from the 17th century through to today’s royal patronages.</p>
<p>Being the patron of a charity has long been a tradition for British <a href="https://givingevidence.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/giving-evidence-royal-charity-patronages-july-2020.pdf">royal family members</a>, who in total are patrons of <a href="https://www.royal.uk/charities-and-patronages-1">over 3,000 organisations</a>.</p>
<p>Charity patrons shouldn’t be confused with donors, as they typically give their time for free and money does not change hands. They are figureheads appointed to a titular position with no legal responsibility and no formal power, at least internally within the charity.</p>
<p>Externally, however, patrons help attract funds, publicity and attention from the public. In addition to royalty, members of the aristocracy have also lent their names to charitable activity, as have celebrities, naturalists, philanthropists, religious leaders and many others. </p>
<p>King Charles was, as the Prince of Wales, patron of over 420 charities. Umbrella-like management structures are required to administer so many charitable commitments. <a href="https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/">The Prince’s Trust</a> and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund fill this role, and have amassed some colossal sums for charitable purposes. This includes raising approximately £140 million a year for good causes and adding approximately <a href="https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-the-trust/research-policies-reports/40-years-impact">£1.4 billion</a> to the UK economy in the last ten years. </p>
<h2>Historical role</h2>
<p>Economies of patronage have existed for thousands of years, with the aristocracy, marketplace, and church all fulfilling some patronage role at various points in time. Derived from the Latin <em>fautor</em> (one who gives support), patronage broadly conceived includes supportive and protective behaviour. In the case of royal patronage, the patron lends their name and status to help enhance the charity’s reputation. </p>
<p>The evolution of patronage over time also shows us how wealth has moved between groups in society. In the 17th century, rich patrons including aristocrats and merchants supported writers financially. </p>
<p>In the early to mid 18th century, the arts – poetry, painting, music, sculpture and architecture – benefited greatly from the support of aristocratic patrons. So much so that the Earls of Bathurst, Burlington, Pembroke, Leicester, and Oxford were known as the “Earls of creation”. </p>
<h2>Ending a patronage</h2>
<p>There is also a tradition of passing on patronages. When Prince Philip died in 2021, some of his 992 patronages were <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/prince-philip-charities-duke-of-edinburgh-award-b1829522.html">redistributed</a> to other members of the royal family, while others were retired, meaning organisations lost their royal patron. </p>
<p>When Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex <a href="https://theconversation.com/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-why-half-in-half-out-just-isnt-an-option-for-royals-129726">stepped back from royal duties</a>, their patronages were <a href="https://www.royal.uk/buckingham-palace-statement-duke-and-duchess-sussex">returned to the Queen</a> to be distributed among working royals, though the couple <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a25835910/meghan-markle-royal-patronages-charities">kept a number</a> of personal patronages as part of their Dukedom of Sussex work. And when Prince Andrew <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-prince-andrew-is-losing-his-military-titles-but-staying-a-prince-174990">lost his military titles and patronages</a>, his charities too <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-prince-andrews-200-charities-seek-a-new-patron-should-they-find-a-replacement-royal-127549">lost a royal figurehead</a>.</p>
<p>In demonstration of the significance of the patronage bargain, after losing <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/prince-harry-mental-health-james-cordon-b1807968.html">their patronages</a> the Sussexes noted: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.” This suggests that patronage isn’t just something royals do to look good – it’s something that brings them value as well.</p>
<p>In giving up his royal patronages, the Duke of Sussex expressed personal loss. The position was valuable to him for personal and professional reasons. This shows that patronage is not a one way street. Both parties benefit from the relationship. These benefits will be front of mind for charity clients and their potential “protectors” as the royal patronage deck is shuffled once again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Tribe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
While ‘patron’ is a position with no formal power, it’s an important role for members of the royal family.
John Tribe, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Liverpool
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/189195
2022-08-29T12:37:47Z
2022-08-29T12:37:47Z
Why virtue signaling isn’t the same as virtue – it actually furthers the partisan divide
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481184/original/file-20220825-18-um2x9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=140%2C878%2C3039%2C1829&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sign in a yard listing many virtues – an example of virtue signaling.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/modern-sign-in-a-front-yard-royalty-free-image/1262002387?adppopup=true">davelogan/iStock via Getty images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a speech on July 23, 2022, before the Conservative Political Action Committee, or CPAC, Sen. Ted Cruz <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/watch-ted-cruz-gets-standing-ovation-at-cpac-when-announcing-pronouns/ar-AA10m6Ql">introduced himself</a> to the audience with the words, “My name is Ted Cruz and my pronoun is kiss my ass.” </p>
<p>In 2019, the Vermont College of Fine Arts appealed to a different group. They replaced the term alumni – which is derived from the Latin masculine plural but traditionally used to refer to all graduates of the school – with alumnx. In its <a href="https://vcfa.edu/about/office-diversity-equity-inclusion/">statement</a>, the college said that dropping the traditional term “alumni” was “a clear step toward exercising more intentional language, which we strive to implement in all aspects of college life.” </p>
<p>These statements are very different, of course. One is explicitly inclusive, designed to demonstrate that everyone who graduated from the school, irrespective of their gender, is included and respected. The other crudely denigrates the very attitudes expressed in the second example. </p>
<p>But for all their differences, both are examples of what has come to be called “virtue signaling” – an act that implicitly claims that the speaker has made a determination about some important moral question and wants to signal to others where they come down. </p>
<hr>
<iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/why-virtue-signaling-isnt-the-same-as-virtue-it-actually-furthers-the-partisan-divide-189195&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Even though some might call the use of the phrase “kiss my ass” far from any notion of virtue, and more correctly understood as “<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/the-needful-rise-of-vice-signaling">vice signaling</a>,” as a <a href="https://polisci.la.psu.edu/people/cxb518/">scholar of ethics and politics</a> I argue that both of these statements operate in precisely the same way – and that is the problem. </p>
<h2>Virtue signaling alone is insufficient</h2>
<p>Virtues are really just agreements among the members of any group about what is important, valuable and what group members can expect from each other. This is as true for motorcycle gangs as it is for monasteries. And the only way to establish and maintain, let alone modify or improve, any such agreement is by talking about it. </p>
<p>That’s what virtue signaling does. It helps any group recall and reflect on what it is that gives the group its identity. Thus, while the term virtue signaling may be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/20/virtue-signalling-putdown-passed-sell-by-date">relatively new</a>, the practice is as old as morality itself.</p>
<p>But useful though it may be, virtue signaling is far less demanding, and far less constructive, than virtue itself. Unless the former is matched with the latter – that is, unless words are matched with actions – mere signaling is insufficient. </p>
<p>The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is widely regarded as one of the first, and still one of the most important, <a href="https://iep.utm.edu/virtue/">virtue theorists</a>. He argued that becoming a virtuous person is a worthy but arduous process, requiring maturity, discipline and <a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html">constant repetition</a>. </p>
<p>“Men become builders by building houses, and harpists by playing the harp. Similarly, we become just by the practice of just actions, self-controlled by exercising self-control, and courageous by performing acts of courage,” he wrote.</p>
<p>Virtue signalers are often inclined to pat themselves on the back for their moral insight and courage. Aristotle saw the <a href="http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html">very same thing</a>. He observed that many think that “by taking refuge in argument” they can become ethical. But Aristotle knew that this refuge doesn’t work: talking about virtue is useful – after all, this discussion comes from Aristotle’s book on ethics – but real virtue requires work. It is far more demanding and thus far harder to fake. </p>
<h2>Who is being signaled?</h2>
<p>But there is another question that speaks to the problem with virtue signaling right now: Who is being signaled to? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A sign saying God, Guns, Guts made America free. Let's fight to keep all three." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=289&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=289&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481183/original/file-20220825-18-lvory0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=289&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A bumper stick on a car parked in the Appalachian town of Abingdon, Va., attributes America’s greatness to God, guns and guts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/bumper-stick-on-a-car-parked-in-the-appalachiana-town-of-news-photo/154321931">Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Consider again the two examples above. Cruz got <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv1e1DmwkBw">a standing ovation</a> immediately after these words. That is not at all surprising, for there was hardly anyone who did not agree with his signal and who did not already understand themselves to be the more moral group of Americans. What’s more, Cruz’s words were designed to alienate the other side of the partisan division, to belittle and reject them as part of the conversation. </p>
<p>The language of the Vermont College of Fine Arts is not nearly as inflammatory, but that statement, as well, could be viewed as dismissive by anyone who might insist that alumni has been a benign word for millennia, or that it is already a gender neutral term, or who believes that making up new words is as ineffectual as it is exasperating.</p>
<p>These two examples show what is frequently the case: The “signal” in virtue signaling is designed to communicate specifically to one partisan tribe and to affirm that group’s moral superiority. That outcome is particularly unwelcome, for the U.S. is divided enough already. </p>
<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/poll-half-of-americans-now-predict-us-may-cease-to-be-a-democracy-someday-090028564.html?">A June 2022 poll</a> found that a majority of Americans – 55% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans – believed it was “likely” that the United States would “cease to be a democracy in the future.” <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2022/07/civil-war-us-political-violence-research/">Another survey</a> conducted around the same time by the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program found that half of all Americans agreed that “in the next few years, there will be civil war in the United States.” </p>
<p>Virtue signals to one partisan tribe do nothing to diminish this division and likely exacerbate it. As researchers <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7042-8318">Scott Hill</a> and <a href="https://rpgarner.com/">Renaud-Philippe Garner</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03444-6">conclude</a> in their 2021 paper, “Human societies require people who disagree to cooperate and trust each other. They must also allow for disagreement and productive discussion of competing views. Yet, virtue signaling undermines all of this.”</p>
<h2>Lincoln’s call for virtue</h2>
<p>Those concerned about the deep divide in American society would be wise to recall Abraham Lincoln’s <a href="https://www.nps.gov/linc/learn/historyculture/lincoln-second-inaugural.htm">second inaugural address</a>. Given shortly before the end of the American Civil War – perhaps the one time when American society was more polarized than it is now – Lincoln insisted that Americans strive for a very <a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09394-9.html">democratic understanding of the virtue of charity</a>. </p>
<p>Lincoln called Americans to take up the difficult task of reuniting their riven society “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” </p>
<p>With the end of the war, charity meant caring for the widow and orphan, the disabled veteran and the worker whose business was destroyed. </p>
<p>But Lincoln went further: Charity was “for all.” In a democracy, that means adopting the posture that like me, my opponent is a person of goodwill and worthy of my benefit of the doubt. And by extending that charity to all, charity reinforces democratic equality: All citizens should both give and expect to receive this benefit. </p>
<p>Since virtue signaling so often only serves one partisan tribe, it spurns any such idea. Certainly there is nothing remotely charitable about Ted Cruz’s statement. And even the ostensibly inclusive statement by the Vermont College of Fine Arts makes it all too easy to malign those who aren’t enlightened enough to go along.</p>
<p>Lincoln called for charity between two sides who had been killing each other for four long years. He well understood the difficulty associated with such a task, but he saw the value, as well. That same understanding would be valuable to American society today, as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189195/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Beem does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Virtue signaling is designed to communicate specifically to one partisan tribe and to affirm its moral superiority. A scholar of ethics and politics explains why that is unwelcome in a divided US.
Christopher Beem, Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute of Democracy, Associate Research Professor, Political Science, Co-host of Democracy Works Podcast, Penn State
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/182754
2022-05-13T02:51:25Z
2022-05-13T02:51:25Z
We all lose when charities compete with each other. They should join forces
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462934/original/file-20220513-12-s96mpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C154%2C788%2C393&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You want to help Ukrainians in need. Should you donate to UNICEF, UNHCR, Red Cross, World Vision, Caritas, Save the Children or some other charitable organisation? </p>
<p>There are so many charities, and charitable causes, to choose from. </p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-responsibly-donate-to-ukrainian-causes-178391">How to responsibly donate to Ukrainian causes</a>
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<p>Australia, for example, has more than 57,500 registered charities (for a population of 25 million). The UK (population 67 million) has more <a href="https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/voices/there-are-more-than-twice-as-many-charities-in-the-uk-as-you-ve-been-told.html">more than 200,000</a>. The US (population 350 million) has close to <a href="https://nccs.urban.org/publication/nonprofit-sector-brief-2019#finances">1.5 million</a>.</p>
<p>They’re vying against direct competitors as well as every other charity and cause. Suicide prevention is up against wilderness conservation. Cancer research against climate change activism. Refugee aid against the arts.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrity-charities-just-compete-with-all-other-charities-so-why-start-one-70711">Celebrity charities just compete with all other charities – so why start one?</a>
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<p>Not all actively fundraise – in Australia only <a href="https://fia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FIA-Infographic.pdf">about 40% do</a> – but that still leaves thousands competing for your money. </p>
<p>And that competition is hurting them.</p>
<h2>The downsides of competition</h2>
<p>Research by University of Washington economist Bijetri Bose suggests greater competition among non-profits marginally increases aggregate donations but <a href="https://econ.washington.edu/sites/econ/files/old-site-uploads/2014/11/Bose_jmpaper.pdf">reduces average donations</a> per organisation. Fundraising costs also escalate with greater competition.</p>
<p>There are concerns aggressive marketing, from phone calls to junk mail to “edgy” advertising, is turning people off donating to any charity. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/charities-are-contributing-to-growing-mistrust-of-mental-health-text-support-heres-why-179056">Charities are contributing to growing mistrust of mental-health text support — here's why</a>
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<p>A classic example is the UK <a href="https://pancreaticcanceraction.org/">Pancreatic Cancer Action’s</a> “I wish I had” campaign. It compared the 3% survival rate for pancreatic cancer to 97% for testicular cancer and 85% for breast cancer. The campaign attracted attention, but not <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/feb/12/pancreatic-cancer-action-controversial-advert">in the way</a> the organisation hoped.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The UK Pancreatic Cancer Action's 'I wish I had breast cancer' campaign proved controversial." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462373/original/file-20220511-24-gk9ng9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The UK Pancreatic Cancer Action’s ‘I wish I had breast cancer’ campaign proved controversial.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UK Pancreatic Cancer Action</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Though there’s no hard data proving competition is contributing to donor fatigue, there is strong anecdotal evidence. </p>
<p>The UK’s Fundraising Regulator has been cracking down on aggressive fundraising since a 2015 case in which a 92-year-old woman committed suicide after receiving <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40490936">466 mailings from 99 charities</a> in a year. Last month it updated its service to stop direct marketing communications from charities, allowing people to block <a href="https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/more-from-us/news/fundraising-regulator-strengthens-fundraising-preference-service-following">ten charities at a time</a>.</p>
<p>In the US, the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has found that even though total donations have been increasing, the share of Americans donating has declined – from two-thirds in 2000 <a href="https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/news-events/news-item/latest-data-shows-new-low-in-share-of-americans-who-donated-to-charity.html?id=363">to half in 2018</a>. </p>
<p>The report doesn’t speculate on the causes, but given the well-established phenomenon of choice overload, it’s reasonable to assume too much competition plays a part.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-choice-overload-you-it-depends-on-your-personality-take-the-test-122196">Does choice overload you? It depends on your personality – take the test</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Unfair competition</h2>
<p>As well as the issues already mentioned, competition generally disadvantages smaller charities.</p>
<p>This was highlighted in <a href="https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/charities-competitive-behaviours-in-contracting-negatively-impacting-beneficiaries.html">a 2020 report</a> by Britain’s National Council for Voluntary Organisations, warning of competitive behaviour’s “negative impact on the sector, people and places”. </p>
<p>The report’s focus was mostly on competition in bidding for government service contract. but its conclusions also apply to competition for public donations </p>
<p>The “uncool” causes also lose out. This is well-known in conservation fundraising, where large and cute animals outdo <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/are-ugly-animals-lost-cause-180963807/">ugly ones</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="WWF advertisement featuring dolpphins." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462699/original/file-20220512-23-exx33b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most people would rather save dolphins than blobfish.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">WWF</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It also occurs <a href="http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/77283/">with diseases</a>. The breast cancer lobby in Australia, for example, has been likened to a “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/pink-steamrolls-all-on-path-to-cancer-kudos-20110108-19j9n.html">pink steamroller</a>”, diverting funding and public awareness away from other forms of cancer. </p>
<p>Celebrity power has contributed to this. Breast cancer survivor <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/26/olivia-newton-john-i-dont-wish-cancer-on-anyone-else-but-for-me-it-has-been-a-gift">Olivia Newton-John</a>, for example, has been a passionate fundraiser for research, establishing the <a href="https://www.onjcancercentre.org/">Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Olivia Newton-John addresses the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Research Conference in Melbourne in September 2019." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462687/original/file-20220512-5542-pm0lu1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olivia Newton-John addresses the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Research Conference in Melbourne in September 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Crosling/AAP</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So too has champion cricketer Glenn McGrath, who established the <a href="https://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/">McGrath Foundation</a> after his wife Jane died of breast cancer. The foundation has a high-profile association with Cricket Australia, which hosts the annual <a href="https://www.pinktest.com.au/">Sydney Pink Test</a> to raise money for breast cancer services.</p>
<h2>Is more co-operation possible?</h2>
<p>Could charities compete less and co-operate more? </p>
<p>Co-operative marketing structures are common in sectors such as agriculture. They are also used in retailing, where small independent stores, travel agents and newsagencies have pooled their marketing resources to compete with large corporate rivals.</p>
<p>Applying this approach would mean, for example, that cancer charities – breast, bowel, leukaemia, lung, myeloma, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate – would fund campaigns coordinated by an umbrella organisation. Proceeds could then be split more equitably, based on expert input about research and support needs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-market-is-not-our-master-only-state-led-business-cooperation-will-drive-real-economic-recovery-141532">The market is not our master — only state-led business cooperation will drive real economic recovery</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The benefits of greater co-operation have been <a href="https://www.charityconnect.co.uk/post/5-ways-charities-can-benefit-from-collaboration/145">talked about for years</a> with no much progress made. </p>
<p>But there’s nothing like an idea whose time has come, and with every passing year the case for charitable co-operation grows.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182754/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Competition is hurting charities and the causes for which they raise funds. There must be a better way.
David Waller, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney
Phillip Morgan, Associate lecturer, University of Newcastle
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/182404
2022-05-10T18:25:18Z
2022-05-10T18:25:18Z
Federal budget delivers long-overdue policy changes for Canada’s charities
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462118/original/file-20220509-15-30xmfl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=491%2C108%2C4542%2C3592&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Canadian charity sector has significant social impact and is committed to providing unwavering support to every aspect of people’s lives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has <a href="https://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/Sector-Monitor-Ongoing-Effects-COVID-19-Pandemic-EN.pdf">dealt a catastrophic blow</a> to Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector. Representing almost nine per cent of the country’s GDP and employing over two million people, the sector experienced an <a href="https://sscf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SSCF-Vital-COVID-Focus-2021-Report-Web.pdf">overwhelming demand for services</a> with fewer staff and even less volunteers to meet increased demand during the pandemic.</p>
<p>Beyond the sector’s substantive <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211004/dq211004d-eng.htm">economic contribution</a>, it has an extraordinary social impact and commitment to providing unwavering support to every aspect of people’s lives. </p>
<p>Charities were expected to pivot quickly in response to the crisis. Coupled with profound capacity challenges, this translated into staff feeling overworked, leading to <a href="https://thephilanthropist.ca/2021/07/pulse-check-with-sector-leaders-on-mental-health/">burnout and other mental health problems</a>.</p>
<p>More than half of charities also experienced declines in revenues, leading to <a href="https://pavro.on.ca/resources/Documents/Career%20Ads/Imagine%20Canada%20pre-budget%20submission%20-%20Budget%202021%20(January%202021).pdf">depletions of their operating budgets for two reasons</a>. On one hand, significant revenue losses are attributed to cancellations of numerous in-person fundraising campaigns and a delay in shifting to online fundraising, as it required different skills.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A volunteer organizing cardboard boxes at a food bank." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462119/original/file-20220509-19-pi08y8.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In the past six months, the Daily Bread Food Bank and its member agencies have seen an average of 105,000 client visits each month, a 51 per cent increase compared to previous year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the other hand, as people grappled with job losses and limited financial resources, charitable donations — <a href="https://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/2019-05/30years_report_en.pdf">one of the key sources of revenue streams for charities</a> — also declined. </p>
<p>While charity financial data is slowly becoming available to confirm the impact of COVID-19 on the sector, <a href="https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/npo-current-state-report-covid-19-summer-2020.pdf">community evidence suggests</a> that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/nonprofits-charities-pandemic-closures-1.5625165">a handful of charities ceased operations</a>, especially those in the areas of sports and recreation, arts and culture, and religion.</p>
<h2>Support for charities was temporary</h2>
<p>While the federal government did attempt to support Canada’s charities during the pandemic, it introduced only temporary measures. Programs such as the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance and the Canada Emergency Business Account only offered <a href="https://imaginecanada.ca/en/360/ongoing-impacts-covid-19-crisis-charitable-sector">42 per cent of charities some relief</a>. </p>
<p>The government also offered charities serving vulnerable populations assistance via the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/emergency-community-support-fund.html">Emergency Community Support Fund</a> worth $350 million. This funding was distributed in the summer and fall of 2020 by three national partners — United Way Centraide Canada, Community Foundations Canada and Canadian Red Cross — according to eligibility criteria.</p>
<p>In January, the federal government announced an additional one-time $400 million investment as part of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2022/01/government-of-canada-launches-call-for-proposals-for-national-funders-to-support-charities-and-not-for-profits.html">Community Services Recovery Fund</a>. It is likely that this fund will be distributed through the same three national funders, but <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/social-development-partnerships/community-services-fund.html">the decision hasn’t been finalized yet</a>. </p>
<p>While this kind of support is welcome, it is partial and only available for charities registered with the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/charities-giving/giving-charity-information-donors/about-registered-charities/what-difference-between-a-registered-charity-a-non-profit-organization.html">Canada Revenue Agency</a>, which excludes many non-profits. </p>
<p>After a two-year struggle to remain afloat, charities and non-profits continue to endure financial and capacity challenges, leaving their daily existence in question.</p>
<h2>New reforms for charities</h2>
<p>Charities and non-profits in Canada will finally get a break as the <a href="https://budget.gc.ca/2022/home-accueil-en.html">2022 federal budget</a> implements long-needed regulations to support the charitable sector. Two new amendments will take effect. </p>
<p>As part of the first amendment, charity funders with investment assets exceeding $1 million will be required to increase their annual funding to five per cent from 3.5 per cent. Taking effect on Jan. 1, 2023, this rate increase will translate into an additional $2.5 billion in annual funding. </p>
<p>Foundations with investment assets below $1 million and above $25,000 will continue to grant at 3.5 per cent, with the rest remaining fully exempt from granting obligations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman standing and speaking behind a podium. She holds a bundle of papers in one hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/462120/original/file-20220509-11-shi01k.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland holds a copy of the budget during a visit to Dalhousie University in Halifax on April 12, 2022. The new budget implements long needed regulations to support the charitable sector.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the proposed regulatory change to granting foundations is framed as a response to the pandemic, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360427251_How_Foundations_Spend_Is_the_Current_35_Asset_Disbursement_the_Right_Public_Policy">researchers have long asked</a> the federal government to adopt a scale-based payment policy specifically for the outlined reasons.</p>
<p>The benefit of regulating charitable funders in this way is twofold. First, significant funds will be channelled back to the charitable sector, allowing it to recover financially and rebuild its capacity. Second, a <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/cpp.2014-033">scale-based payment policy like this</a> considers the ability-to-pay principle, which helps maintain a financially healthy charity sector. </p>
<p>Crucially, the second amendment will allow granting foundations to provide <a href="https://pfc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/budget-2022-member-advisory-en.pdf">funding to organizations outside of those registered with the Canada Revenue Agency</a>. This means that other non-profit organizations will become eligible for financial support, as long as certain accountability requirements are met. </p>
<h2>A new home for charities</h2>
<p>While the details of the two amendments are still being confirmed, these policy changes are encouraging steps forward for the charitable sector. </p>
<p>However, to ensure its long-term health, the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/programs/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/corporate-reports-information/advisory-committee-charitable-sector.html#8">Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector</a>, which represents voices of community leaders, non-profit sector stakeholders and researchers, is calling on the federal government to <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/programs/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/corporate-reports-information/advisory-committee-charitable-sector/report-advisory-committee-charitable-sector-february-2021.html#h11_2">create a “home” in the government</a> for charities. </p>
<p>Like <a href="https://agriculture.canada.ca/en">Agriculture Canada</a> for farmers, or <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage.html">Canadian Heritage</a> for artists, this home will create and support programs relevant to charities and non-profits. It will also communicate on behalf of these organizations with other government departments. It is needed because charities are crucial for our society. We need to continue to support this vital part of Canada’s social fabric for everyone’s well-being and for overcoming future crises.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182404/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Iryna Khovrenkov receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant for "Impact Assessment of Actions Taken by Canadian Grantmaking Foundations in Response to Social Inequalities and the Environmental Issue” project.</span></em></p>
The 2022 federal budget implements long needed regulations to support the charitable sector.
Iryna Khovrenkov, Associate Professor, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/178871
2022-03-17T12:11:06Z
2022-03-17T12:11:06Z
Ukraine is benefiting from generous donations – and many other global causes need help, too
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452303/original/file-20220315-19-2x3kfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=129%2C43%2C5622%2C3147&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Yemeni mother holds the tiny foot of her malnourished child in 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/yemeni-mother-holds-the-foot-of-her-malnourished-child-news-photo/1349023003">Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-orders-military-operations-ukraine-demands-kyiv-forces-surrender-2022-02-24/">Ukraine’s resistance to Russia</a> has captivated the world, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220306-ukraine-dominates-social-media-info-war-with-russia">dominating social media</a> and <a href="https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2022/journalism-recommendations-for-your-weekend/">the news</a> since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. With this attention has come a massive <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/03/donate-ukraine-money-crypto/">outpouring of financial support</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-responsibly-donate-to-ukrainian-causes-178391">Ordinary people</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-aid-to-ukraine-13-6-billion-approved-following-russian-bombardment-marks-sharp-increase-179172">governments</a>, <a href="https://www.inc.com/rebecca-deczynski/how-companies-are-helping-ukraine-charity-donations.html">corporations</a> and <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/leonardo-dicaprio-donates-10-million-to-ukraine-his-grandmothers-country-2810454">celebrities</a> have pledged billions to support Ukraine and have dispatched everything from missiles to cryptocurrency. Stories of sacrifice inspire courage, and photos of vulnerable victims, such as the pregnant woman on a stretcher after a bombing, have ignited rage and pain. When reports surfaced that the <a href="https://apnews.com/c0f2f859296f9f02be24fc9edfca1085">woman and her baby had both died</a>, the collective sorrow only deepened.</p>
<p>The urge to express solidarity by <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-responsibly-donate-to-ukrainian-causes-178391">making your own donation</a> is only natural. </p>
<p>But there are many other tragedies today. Having researched <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Nx0z6-0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">food insecurity around the world</a>, I believe that the Ukraine crisis evokes a basic question about giving globally: What’s the best way to choose a foreign cause? </p>
<h2>Other tragedies abound</h2>
<p>To be sure, quantifying the pain of loss is impossible. Yet the waves of generosity toward Ukraine do offer an opportunity to examine what drives charitable giving. </p>
<p>While Ukraine’s situation is tragic, so are conditions in countries where wars have ground on for years, such as in <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/08/1098272">Yemen</a>, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/afghanistan">Afghanistan</a> and <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1104742">Ethiopia</a>. And the economic and social disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/13-10-2020-impact-of-covid-19-on-people%27s-livelihoods-their-health-and-our-food-systems">put tens of millions of people at risk</a> of falling into extreme poverty. </p>
<p>The conflict in Yemen alone, now entering its seventh year, has caused the deaths of <a href="https://www.undp.org/publications/assessing-impact-war-yemen-pathways-recovery">more than 377,000 people</a>, yet this global humanitarian crisis has <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/yemen-war-united-states-704187/">garnered little U.S. media coverage</a>. And a <a href="https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/yemen-emergency">severe famine there is affecting up to 19 million people</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of Afghan women and children" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452305/original/file-20220315-17-h3vsj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Displaced Afghan women and children in Herat province on Feb. 20, 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/afghan-internally-displaced-women-sit-in-front-of-their-news-photo/1238649817">Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>It’s hard to draw comparisons</h2>
<p>People want to make a difference, but they do not necessarily give to causes that could have the biggest impact. In fact, donors <a href="https://ssir.org/articles/entry/behavioral_economics_and_donor_nudges_impulse_or_deliberation">rarely can explain what makes them choose a cause</a>.</p>
<p>Research indicates that numbers are often less compelling than powerful stories. Studies have found that people tend to be more likely to respond to pleas to help a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022299422219">single, identifiable beneficiary</a> rather than a large-scale problem, such as hunger afflicting a whole country.</p>
<p>When media coverage of one issue rises, the more narratives and stories about that subject you will see and hear. People often end up donating to what is on their minds, as opposed to what might, in fact, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22973133/ukraine-russia-airbnb-booking-donate-effective-altruism">represent the greatest need</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a gym converted into a refugee shelter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452306/original/file-20220315-17-8a4zzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ukrainian refugees rest in a gym converted into a shelter on March 15, 2022, in Krakow, Poland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-who-fled-the-war-in-ukraine-rest-inside-a-sports-news-photo/1385443149">Omar Marques/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who is welcomed?</h2>
<p>Likewise, many accounts of the plight of the more than <a href="https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine">3 million Ukrainian refugees</a> are harrowing. Yet so far, the evidence suggests that depending on what refugees look like and where they are from, the degree to which they are welcomed and supported by governments and the public as a whole will differ.</p>
<p>The Ukrainians fanning across Europe are being <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukrainian-refugees-are-welcomed-with-open-arms-not-so-with-people-fleeing-other-war-torn-countries-178491">welcomed warmly and virtually without questions</a>. In the United Kingdom, the government is offering residents <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/597996-uk-government-to-pay-residents-350-pounds-a-month-to-house-ukrainian">350 pounds a month to house them</a>.</p>
<p>And yet in those same places, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083423348/europe-welcomes-ukrainian-refugees-but-others-less-so">refugees from the Middle East and Africa</a> have rarely experienced such generosity.</p>
<p>Ukrainians “are intelligent, they are educated people,” Bulgarian Prime Minister <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-refugees-diversity-230b0cc790820b9bf8883f918fc8e313">Kiril Petkov told journalists</a> in early March. “This is not the refugee wave we have been used to, people we were not sure about their identity, people with unclear pasts, who could have been even terrorists.” </p>
<p>Several news outlets such as <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/02/26/cbs-news-charlie-dagata-apologizes-for-saying-ukraine-more-civilized-than-iraq-afghanistan/">CBS News</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AlJazeera/status/1497986094289367044">Al Jazeera English</a> have issued apologies after their correspondents made insensitive comments implying that Ukrainian refugees were more civilized or acceptable than those fleeing other homelands.</p>
<p>This dichotomy begs questions: Which lives are seen as most valuable? And are people of color valued as much as white people? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Somalians line up to get food." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/452310/original/file-20220315-21-16098kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People await food and health services at a camp for internally displaced persons in Baidoa, Somalia, in February 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-wait-for-food-distributions-and-health-services-at-a-news-photo/1238695578">Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Giving to prevent war</h2>
<p>One compelling reason to consider donating to reduce <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/responding-stark-rise-food-insecurity-across-poorest-countries">food insecurity</a> in low-income countries is that it can lower the chances that a conflict will occur.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/nobel-peace-prize-spotlights-the-links-between-hunger-and-conflict-147889">Food insecurity perpetuates conflict</a> by driving people away from their homes, land and jobs – while fueling grievances. Working to eradicate hunger can reduce a source of conflict. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/2014/04/engaging-and-educating-women-and-girls-prevention-violent-conflict-and-violent">Educating women and girls</a> can assist in the prevention of violent conflict and violent extremism. Societies with more gender equality, with higher female representation in government and in educational attainment, are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022343305050688">associated with lower levels of intrastate armed conflict</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, inequality in general can stoke discontent and <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/02/World-Social-Report2020-FullReport.pdf">even lead to violent conflict</a>. Underscoring all of this is the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-key-points-in-the-ipcc-report-on-climate-change-impacts-and-adaptation-178195">climate crisis</a>, which if not proactively addressed will increase resource scarcity, hunger and inequity – and those developments, in turn, will increase the chances of violent conflict.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>As long as donations support reputable causes, where the funds will be used for their intended purpose, I believe all giving is good.</p>
<p>There will always be competing causes, and limited resources to address every injustice. Yet it is worth considering how to strike a balance between immediate and long-term giving goals based on personal values and priorities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178871/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Eise does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Far more people are dying of hunger around the world than in Europe’s new war.
Jessica Eise, Assistant Professor of Social and Environmental Challenges, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/176347
2022-03-16T16:34:27Z
2022-03-16T16:34:27Z
How AI helped deliver cash aid to many of the poorest people in Togo
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451998/original/file-20220314-131648-9brlb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=198%2C68%2C4825%2C3015&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous in Africa.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/mobile-phone-lome-togo-news-photo/170481943">Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Governments and humanitarian groups can use machine learning algorithms and mobile phone data to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04484-9">get aid to those who need it most</a> during a humanitarian crisis, we found in new research.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of West Africa, highlighting Togo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=556&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/446801/original/file-20220216-24-1v07seb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=699&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Togo is a small West African nation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/world-data-locator-map-togo-news-photo/641462678">Encyclopaedia Britannica/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac4420">simple idea</a> behind this approach, as we explained in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04484-9">Nature on March 16, 2022</a>, is that wealthy people use phones differently from poor people. Their phone calls and text messages follow different patterns, and they use different data plans, for example. Machine learning algorithms – which are fancy tools for pattern recognition – can be trained to recognize those differences and infer whether a given mobile subscriber is wealthy or poor.</p>
<p>As the COVID-19 pandemic spread in early 2020, <a href="https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/">our</a> <a href="https://www.poverty-action.org/">research</a> <a href="https://cega.berkeley.edu/">team</a> helped Togo’s <a href="https://numerique.gouv.tg/">Ministry of Digital Economy</a> and <a href="https://www.givedirectly.org/">GiveDirectly</a>, a nonprofit that sends cash to people living in poverty, turn this insight into a new type of aid program. </p>
<p>First, we collected recent, reliable and representative data. Working on the ground with partners in Togo, we conducted 15,000 phone surveys to collect information on the living conditions of each household. After matching the survey responses to data from the mobile phone companies, we trained the machine learning algorithms to recognize the patterns of phone use that were characteristics of people living on less than $1.25 per day.</p>
<p>The next challenge was figuring out whether a system based on machine learning and phone data would be effective at getting money to the poorest people in the country. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04484-9">Our evaluation</a> indicated that this new approach worked better than other options Togo’s government was considering.</p>
<p>For instance, focusing entirely on the poorest cantons – which are analagous to U.S. counties – would have delivered benefits to only 33% of the people living on less than US$1.25 a day. By contrast, the machine learning approach targeted 47% of that population.</p>
<p>We then partnered with Togo’s government, GiveDirectly and community leaders to design and pilot a cash transfer program based on this technology. In November 2020, the first beneficiaries were <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-56580833">enrolled and paid</a>. To date, the program has provided nearly $10 million to roughly 137,000 of the country’s poorest citizens. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Our work shows that data collected by mobile phone companies – when analyzed with machine learning technology – can help <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/15/966848542/the-pandemic-pushed-this-farmer-into-deep-poverty-then-something-amazing-happene">direct aid</a> to those with the greatest need.</p>
<p>Even before the pandemic, over half of the <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=TG">West African nation’s</a> 8.6 million people lived below the international poverty line. As COVID-19 slowed economic activity further, our surveys indicated that 54% of all Togolese were forced to miss meals each week.</p>
<p>The situation in Togo was not unique. The downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021">pushed millions of people into extreme poverty</a>. In response, governments and charities launched several thousand new aid programs, providing benefits to <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33635">over 1.5 billion people and families</a> around the world. </p>
<p>But in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, governments struggle to figure out who needs help most urgently. Under ideal circumstances, those decisions would be based on comprehensive household surveys. But there was no way to gather this information in the middle of a pandemic.</p>
<p>Our work helps demonstrate how new sources of big data – such as information gleaned from satellites and mobile phone networks – can make it possible to target aid amid crisis conditions when more traditional sources of data are unavailable. </p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>We’re conducting follow-up research to assess how cash transfers affected recipients. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjw025">Previous</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.3386/w26600">findings</a> indicate that cash transfers can help increase food security and improve psychological well-being in normal times. We are assessing whether that aid has similar results during a crisis.</p>
<p>It’s also essential to find ways to enroll and pay people without phones. In Togo, roughly 85% of households had at least one phone, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2111.00175">phones are frequently shared</a> within families and communities. However, it is not clear how many people who needed humanitarian assistance in Togo didn’t get it because of their lack of access to a mobile device.</p>
<p>In the future, systems that combine new methods that leverage machine learning and big data with traditional approaches based on surveys are bound to improve the targeting of humanitarian aid.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176347/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Aiken collaborated closely with the teams at GiveDirectly and the government of Togo described in the article. She consulted for GiveDirectly from June to August 2021. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Blumenstock receives funding from Google.org, data.org, the Center for Effective Global Action, the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and the NSF under award IIS – 1942702.
</span></em></p>
To date, the program has provided nearly $10 million to roughly 137,000 of the country’s poorest citizens.
Emily Aiken, Doctoral Student of Information, University of California, Berkeley
Joshua Blumenstock, Associate Professor of Information; Co-Director of the Center for Effective Global Action, University of California, Berkeley
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/178391
2022-03-04T13:22:01Z
2022-03-04T13:22:01Z
How to responsibly donate to Ukrainian causes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449916/original/file-20220303-21-1im8v2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=113%2C72%2C5279%2C3306&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">These charity leaders teamed up to fundraise on March 3, 2022, for refugees fleeing Ukraine.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/from-left-bethan-lewis-head-of-disaster-risk-management-news-photo/1238897013">Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-nations-general-assembly-volodymyr-zelenskyy-soccer-sports-7456cc05797d72960257a8ac75654d98">Russia invaded Ukraine</a>, I responded like many Americans: by making <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/heres-how-to-donate-help-ukraine-during-russian-attacks/2773340/">charitable donations</a>.</p>
<p>I was able to make my gift with confidence because I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Aos80cEAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">scholar of nonprofits who has studied giving during disasters and other crises</a>.</p>
<p>Mostly <a href="https://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2014/11/losing-the-red-cross-would-be-the-real-disaster.html">I’ve studied</a> how charities help local communities after events like <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/charitable-donations/how-you-can-help-hurricane-victims-in-puerto-rico/">hurricanes and earthquakes</a>, rather than war zones. But I’m also a human being, with friends and colleagues who are Ukrainian. Empathy and a personal connection to a cause are often what <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2014.965066">motivates donors to act</a>. </p>
<p>You can wisely choose causes with the potential to do the most good in the middle of this humanitarian crisis by <a href="https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/what-you-need-to-know-when-donating-to-ukraine/273-321510e3-b928-4f2a-b68a-65ea931d641f">giving with your head</a> as well as your heart. Here are the five guidelines I follow in my own giving decisions:</p>
<h2>5 guidelines for donors</h2>
<p><strong>1) Send money to organizations, not strangers</strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/4-new-findings-shed-light-on-crowdfunding-for-charity-161491">Crowdfunding</a> and <a href="https://empower.agency/social-media-stats-charities-nonprofits/">social media fundraising</a> campaigns have become so common that when I recently searched GoFundMe, it pointed me to 1,008 separate appeals for aid for individuals, families or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/mar/01/thousands-donate-to-campaign-to-save-ukrainian-media">causes related to Ukraine</a>.</p>
<p>Most were posted by individuals, and I have no doubt that <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/donating-through-crowdfunding-social-media-and-fundraising-platforms">some will turn out to be fake</a>.</p>
<p><strong>2) Vet groups you’re unfamiliar with before donating to them</strong></p>
<p>Verifying first that the cause is legitimate <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/01/russia-ukraine-crisis-how-to-avoid-fundraising-scams.html">will make it easier</a> to <a href="https://theconversation.com/convenient-but-susceptible-to-fraud-why-it-makes-sense-to-regulate-charitable-crowdfunding-172029">avoid funding scams</a>. </p>
<p>A useful shortcut is to look for organizations that have been vetted by others. I tried a simple keyword search “Ukraine charities,” and that was enough to turn up some <a href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/02/24/how-to-help-the-people-in-ukraine/">promising lists</a> posted by <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22955885/donate-ukraine">media outlets</a>.</p>
<p>A good place to start your sleuthing on U.S.-based registered charities is the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations">Internal Revenue Service</a>. It also ensures you’re <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gofundme-froze-millions-donations-black-lives-matter-foundation-unaffiliated-blm-2020-6">giving to the right group</a>, rather than another organization with a deceptively similar name. Many scammers abuse the name recognition of established nonprofits, hoping you won’t notice the difference.</p>
<p><strong>3) Give to charities with a track record in Ukraine</strong></p>
<p>Some examples include <a href="https://razomforukraine.org/">Razom for Ukraine</a>, which leads a variety of cultural and democratization initiatives. Another is <a href="https://www.unicef.org/ukraine/en">UNICEF</a>, a United Nations agency that protects children worldwide and is in a good position not only to provide immediate relief but also to pressure Russia to allow unrestricted humanitarian access. Because these groups have already built local relationships, trust and infrastructure, they are likely to be more adept at operating in these dire circumstances than the charities popping up now or those that are still mobilizing from half a world away. </p>
<p><strong>4) Dispatch <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-help-after-hurricanes-give-cash-not-diapers-103069">cash, not goods</a></strong></p>
<p>Don’t <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-crisis-why-you-should-donate-money-rather-than-supplies-178245">bundle up your spare clothing or other supplies</a> and ship them to Eastern Europe, please. The fragile Ukrainian supply lines need to remain open for medicine and food. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-unrestricted-funding-two-philanthropy-experts-explain-164589">while there is a time and place for restricting a gift to a specific purpose</a>, a humanitarian crisis is not the right time. Trust the people that a charity has on the ground to know which needs are the highest priority.</p>
<p><strong>5) Make gifts that reflect your values</strong></p>
<p>Giving is a deeply <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0899764010380927?casa_token=W3ipNBippFMAAAAA:zRB64UTkYMCdbJPIgcAEjks3hiy0DLkaywBMUknSt6mfUespsxyV0PwtQIHp39JJl9twS-fEwedwvw">psychological</a> act. Effective – and satisfied – donors act on values important to them. </p>
<p>If helping refugees is your priority, consider organizations such as <a href="https://en.ocalenie.org.pl/about-us">Fundacja Ocalenie</a>, which means “the Rescue Fund” in Polish. About <a href="https://www.vox.com/22954721/ukraine-refugee-poland-moldova-europe">half a million Ukrainians</a> had fled to Poland by March 3, 2022.</p>
<p>If a free press is what matters most to you, given the strength of the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/24/social-media-platforms-russia-ukraine-disinformation-00011559">Russian disinformation machine</a>, consider <a href="https://zaborona.com/en/">Zaborona</a> or the <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/">Kyiv Independent</a>, two Ukrainian media outlets.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A volunteer tends to piles of donated clothing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449934/original/file-20220303-11-18uxxa5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A French volunteer prepares clothing to be sent to Ukrainian people in March 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/volunteers-prepare-clothes-to-be-sent-to-ukraine-in-the-news-photo/1238895250">Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<h2>Buck the overhead myth</h2>
<p>A lot of guidance about what makes charities good or bad to support can be misleading. </p>
<p>One common piece of advice I recommend you ignore is that donors should always support charities that spend as little money as possible on their <a href="https://calnonprofits.org/programs/overhead/about-the-nonprofit-overhead-project/what-is">overhead costs</a> – things like rent and administrative pay.</p>
<p>Even leading charity rating and assessment sites, such as Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, continue to rely in part on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/donors-need-to-stop-pressuring-nonprofits-to-pinch-pennies-126656">outdated assumption</a> that nonprofits with low overhead spending are automatically more efficient and let donors’ dollars stretch further.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F08997640211057404">Researchers</a> have been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21336">disproving this assumption</a> for years.</p>
<p>Not only can <a href="https://theconversation.com/nonprofits-that-scrimp-on-overhead-arent-necessarily-better-than-those-spending-more-111700">reasonable amounts of overhead</a> help nonprofits build their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0899764012474120">capacity</a>, but many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0899764014527175">studies have demonstrated</a> that pinching pennies to satisfy misguided donor assumptions can weaken nonprofits, especially in the long run.</p>
<p>Some charity-evaluation websites do provide valuable information. <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.cnadvisories">Charity Navigator</a> has a helpful “advisory” page that alerts donors about nonprofit misconduct. But to research U.S. charities supporting the Ukraine crisis, I recommend <a href="https://www.guidestar.org/">Candid</a>, formerly known as Guidestar. It evaluates charities on the basis of broader performance metrics, such as transparency, good governance practices and outcomes.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="990 forms" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449918/original/file-20220303-17-12nid9i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The IRS requires all nonprofits, except churches, to file 990 forms every year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/income-tax-forms-990-990-ez-and-990-pf-for-income-royalty-free-image/1173614069">Dean R Specker/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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<p>A better signal of effectiveness than low overhead will be a responsive organization with real humans who are ready to answer your questions. It should also have a track record of working well with others and clearly communicates how it spends donors’ dollars. </p>
<p>Groups worth supporting are also likely to emphasize their results in their annual reports and other materials. Especially if you intend to make a big gift, you may find that the charity’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-a-990-form-a-charity-accounting-expert-explains-175019">990 forms – paperwork the IRS requires –</a> contain a lot of useful information.</p>
<h2>Making a choice</h2>
<p>In the end, I supported the <a href="https://www.icrc.org/en">International Committee of the Red Cross</a>, the winner of several <a href="https://www.guidestar.org/profile/98-6001029">Nobel Peace Prizes</a>. Based in Switzerland, it’s already operating in Ukraine, and can help today.</p>
<p>I hope that you will consider giving as well, and – like me – you’ll stick with your support. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-generosity-after-disasters-4-questions-answered-103215">need is going to continue</a> long after Ukraine is out of the headlines.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beth Gazley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Give with your head, not just your heart, advises a scholar who has studied donations made after disasters and other crises.
Beth Gazley, Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs, O'Neill School, Indiana University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/175778
2022-02-08T17:14:23Z
2022-02-08T17:14:23Z
The 50 biggest US donors gave or pledged nearly $28 billion in 2021 – Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates account for $15 billion of that total
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444888/original/file-20220207-15-1lrn0ho.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=432%2C288%2C5227%2C3284&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, gave their foundation $15 billion right before their divorce became final. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/bill-gates-and-his-wife-melinda-gates-introduce-the-news-photo/1040713592">Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty ImagesLudovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The 50 Americans who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2021 committed to giving a total of US$27.7 billion to hospitals, universities, museums and more – up 12% from 2020 levels, according to the <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/package/philanthropy-50-2021s-top-donors">Chronicle of Philanthropy</a>’s latest annual tally of these donations.</em></p>
<p><em>More than half of this money came from just two particularly big donors: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-endowments-bill-gates-melinda-french-gates-cb45fe0a97b8f41c51f44f3226c47218">Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates</a>. Shortly before their <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/02/tech/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-finalized/index.html">divorce became final, in August 2021</a>, they announced plans to add <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-business-endowments-bill-gates-melinda-french-gates-cb45fe0a97b8f41c51f44f3226c47218">$15 billion to their foundation’s coffers</a>.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VYsdAEIAAAAJ&hl=en">David Campbell</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=tu70lmIAAAAJ">Elizabeth Dale</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=uqv9NgwAAAAJ">Jasmine McGinnis Johnson</a>, three scholars of philanthropy, assess what these gifts mean, the possible motivations behind them and what they hope to see in the future in terms of charitable giving in the United States.</em></p>
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<h2>What trends stand out overall?</h2>
<p><strong>Elizabeth Dale</strong>: First, let’s acknowledge who is missing: <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/mackenzie-scott-93924">MacKenzie Scott</a>. The novelist and billionaire publicly shared that she had <a href="https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/?p=ea6de642bf">given over $2.7 billion in the first half of 2021</a>. She then changed course, <a href="https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/no-dollar-signs-this-time-ec7ab2a87261">choosing not to disclose</a> how much money she gave away in the second half of the year, or the organizations she supported, as an effort to deflect media attention. The Chronicle said it left her out because neither she nor her consultants provided the details it requested.</p>
<p>Had the publication included her, even if only the gifts she made in half the year, she would have occupied the No. 2 spot again. Scott was only behind her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, on the Chronicle’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-25-billion-the-biggest-us-donors-gave-in-2020-says-about-high-dollar-charity-today-154466">2020 list</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/package/bezoses-and-bloomberg-top-chronicle-list-of-the-50-donors-who-gave-the-most-to-charity">In 2018</a>, prior to their divorce, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates topped the list together, but they didn’t make the <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/the-philanthropy-50/#id=browse_2019">2019 list at all</a>. </p>
<p>Tracking where giving goes, even for the largest donations, is an imperfect science. Scholars, journalists and other experts must rely on publicly available information and details the donors themselves provide to compile this data, and the full details aren’t always available. For example, even in this list, we don’t know everything about these gifts, how much was already given and the ways organizations will put this money to use. </p>
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<p><strong>Jasmine McGinnis Johnson</strong>: Following the police killings of <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/racial-equity-donations-soared-then-fell-in-the-months-after-george-floyds-murder-by-a-police-officer-11619037824">George Floyd and Breonna Taylor</a>, many foundations and philanthropists were thinking more critically about what was the appropriate way to fund racial equity and social justice nonprofits. </p>
<p>In 2020, those gifts totaled <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-25-billion-the-biggest-us-donors-gave-in-2020-says-about-high-dollar-charity-today-154466">$66 billion</a>, making them the 14th-highest priority of the nation’s top 50 donors. In 2021, donations aimed at reducing racism and supporting Black-led organizations didn’t make it to a list of these donors’ highest 20 funding priorities. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/">police brutality</a> continuing unabated and the growth of <a href="https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/mutual-aid-crowd-funding-explainer">mutual aid organizations</a> focused on race and social justice, I find this ebbing of interest surprising.</p>
<p>However, I also see some reasons to be hopeful in other research completed in 2021.</p>
<p>Many Americans, <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-hispanic-and-asian-american-donors-give-more-to-social-and-racial-justice-causes-as-well-as-strangers-in-need-new-survey-166720">especially people of color</a>, are <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/diverse-donors-led-the-shift-to-social-and-racial-justice-giving-in-2020-new-report-says">donating to racial justice causes</a>. In 2020, for example, 16% of all households gave to these causes, up from 13% in 2019.</p>
<p><strong>David Campbell</strong>: The biggest donors responded to challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, sharply increasing their giving to social service organizations, including food banks and housing groups. In 2021, that giving receded so much that food banks and housing didn’t make it into a list of the top 20 causes for the biggest donors. One explanation for this may be that when seismic events influence giving, those effects diminish over time.</p>
<p>In keeping with past years, these wealthy donors <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs12115-021-00580-0">emphasized higher education and health-related</a> giving, through donations to colleges, universities, hospitals and medical research.</p>
<h2>What should the public know about 2021’s top two donors?</h2>
<p><strong>Dale</strong>: With an endowment valued at over $50 billion, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has, by far, <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/how-the-10-biggest-foundations-changed-in-a-year-of-covid-and-whats-next">more assets than any other U.S. institution of its kind</a>. </p>
<p>The foundation, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gates-Foundation">established in 2000</a>, is <a href="https://www.philanthropy.com/article/why-we-need-to-keep-an-eye-on-the-gates-foundations-board-expansion">getting more scrutiny</a> than it used to, especially with respect to its bureaucratic and data-driven approach. It also has <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/2022-gates-foundation-annual-letter-trustees">four new board members</a> who joined after billionaire investor <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210623005262/en/">Warren Buffett stepped down</a> in 2021.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/melinda-french-gates-no-longer-pledges-bulk-of-her-wealth-to-gates-foundation-11643808602">Melinda French Gates’ future role</a> in the foundation <a href="https://www.devex.com/news/gates-foundation-ceo-insists-that-french-gates-remains-engaged-102563">is uncertain</a>. She <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2021/07/bill-melinda-gates-foundation-mark-suzman-plans-evolve-governance">could step down as a trustee</a> in 2023 if she and Bill Gates determine they can no longer work together.</p>
<p><strong>Campbell</strong>: Since its founding, the <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/">Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation</a> has distributed <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/foundation-fact-sheet">over $60 billion</a> to causes tied to eradicating <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/">diseases and reducing poverty and inequity around the world</a>. </p>
<p>In 2021, it announced plans to spend $2.1 billion within five years on women’s economic empowerment and leadership, and boosting <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2021/06/gates-foundation-commits-2-1-billion-to-advance-gender-equality-globally">women and girls’ health and family planning</a>.</p>
<p>The foundation has <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-big-bets-on-educational-reform-havent-fixed-the-us-school-system-92327">delved heavily into K-12 education</a> in the U.S. – with mixed results, as the <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/2018-Annual-Letter">Gateses themselves acknowledged in 2018</a>. The foundation <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/business/gates-foundation-new-trustees.html">disbursed $6.7 billion in 2021</a>, the highest amount to date for a single year.</p>
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<h2>What concerns do you have?</h2>
<p><strong>Campbell</strong>: The top 50 donors in 2021 include only 14 of the many billionaires who have signed the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-window-into-the-hearts-and-minds-of-billionaire-donors-139161">Giving Pledge</a>, a commitment by some of the world’s richest people to “<a href="https://givingpledge.org/">dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes</a>.” To date, more than 230 individuals and couples have taken this step. </p>
<p>Similarly, only 21 of the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/">Forbes 400</a> list of wealthiest Americans made the Philanthropy 50. I would like to know why more of the richest Americans, including some who have committed to giving away their fortunes, weren’t among 2021’s top 50 donors. For the billionaires who have signed the Giving Pledge, it’s worth asking why they are waiting. What benefit do they see in giving later rather than sooner?</p>
<p><strong>Dale</strong>: The $2.65 billion in giving by these wealthy Americans to <a href="https://www.nptrust.org/what-is-a-donor-advised-fund/">donor-advised funds</a> is double 2020 levels and almost 10 times higher than in 2019. Both donor-advised funds – financial accounts that people use to give money to the charities of their choice when they are ready to do so – and <a href="https://learning.candid.org/resources/blog/nonprofit-foundation-ngo-what-do-they-mean/">foundations</a> are intermediaries for giving that offer <a href="https://ips-dc.org/more-evidence-of-warehousing-of-wealth-in-donor-advised-funds/">little transparency and can warehouse funds</a> designated for nonprofits’ use.</p>
<p>Most wealthy donors <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-elon-musk-can-save-big-on-taxes-by-giving-away-a-ton-of-his-tesla-stock-172036">receive tax deductions</a> and other benefits, such as public recognition, when they initially make big gifts. But it can often take years for their money to reach charities.</p>
<p>It’s hard, however, to separately track money being given directly to charities from funds that are reserved for a future charitable use.</p>
<p>As more and more donors, including some of the richest Americans, give to charity through donor-advised funds instead of traditional foundations, <a href="https://www.thenonprofittimes.com/regulation/donor-advised-funds-added-to-new-federal-legislation/">calls for regulating them more tightly</a> are growing louder. </p>
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<h2>What do you expect to see in 2022 and beyond?</h2>
<p><strong>Dale</strong>: Scott has certainly caused some <a href="https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-42ca645d713108d5c852ee3d024b6361">philanthropy shock waves</a> in the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/28/tech/mackenzie-scott-bezos-donation/index.html">past two years</a>, and it’s still too early to know what effect she is having.</p>
<p>I hope that these donors and the wealthy people not on this list start responding to broader public concerns. The effects of the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/long-covid-labor-market-missing-workers/">COVID-19 pandemic</a>, issues around <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-battle-in-the-culture-wars-the-quality-of-diversity-164016">race, ethnicity</a> and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/01/14/some-gender-disparities-widened-in-the-u-s-workforce-during-the-pandemic/">gender</a> and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/110215/brief-history-income-inequality-united-states.asp">inequality</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-flood-maps-show-us-damage-rising-26-in-next-30-years-due-to-climate-change-alone-and-the-inequity-is-stark-175958">climate change</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-sore-loser-effect-rejecting-election-results-can-destabilize-democracy-and-drive-terrorism-171571">protecting our democracy</a> are not going away. </p>
<p><strong>Johnson</strong>: The fact that social and racial justice were not among the top priorities of the biggest donors in 2021 makes me wonder to what extent the concerns about systemic inequality, driven by events in 2020, will remain a priority for big donors in the future.</p>
<p>Conversations among wealthy givers and major foundations about race, income inequality and the vulnerability the COVID-19 pandemic exposed <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/cf7e59ab-0a50-47a2-9086-d5efa021bc64">have certainly persisted</a>. And Scott is still supporting justice-oriented causes, as a gift announced by its recipient in February 2022 makes clear. Scott gave $133.5 million to Communities in Schools, a nonprofit that meets the <a href="https://www.the74million.org/get-to-know-communities-in-schools-inside-mackenzie-scotts-133-million-donation-to-americas-top-organization-focused-on-preventing-student-dropouts/">academic, economic and other needs of K-12 students</a>. </p>
<p>It remains to be seen to what extent America’s other big donors will follow her lead.</p>
<p><em>The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided funding for The Conversation U.S. and provides funding for The Conversation internationally.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175778/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Campbell is vice chair of the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation, in Binghamton, New York, which has provided support for the student philanthropy course he teaches. He is also a member of the board for the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth J. Dale has received funding from the Ford Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation via Indiana University and The Giving USA Foundation for her research on philanthropy. The views expressed in this essay are strictly her own and do not reflect policy stances of Seattle University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jasmine McGinnis Johnson is a visiting fellow with the Urban Institute, Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. Also, Jasmine is a board member of the Association of Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action.</span></em></p>
Three scholars weigh in regarding the priorities of these wealthy American donors, who gave less to social service and racial justice groups than in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
David Campbell, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Elizabeth J. Dale, Associate Professor of Nonprofit Leadership, Seattle University
Jasmine McGinnis Johnson, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, George Washington University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/170689
2021-11-05T12:29:04Z
2021-11-05T12:29:04Z
US Muslims gave more to charity than other Americans in 2020
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430056/original/file-20211103-27-11uhjs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C145%2C4314%2C2326&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Muslims Giving Back volunteer delivers warm food to a homeless man in New York City in April 2020.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/On%20A%20Ramadan%20Mission-Photo%20Essay/4e6b59a4c6a7422b88a4e38675340756?Query=us%20muslims%20donor&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=16&currentItemNo=1">P Photo/Wong Maye-E</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Muslim Americans gave more to charity in 2020 than non-Muslims, we found in a <a href="https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/institutes/lake-institute/muslim-initiative/research/index.html">new study</a>. They are also more likely to volunteer, we learned.</p>
<p>Only <a href="https://www.ispu.org/public-policy/american-muslim-poll/">1.1% of all Americans are Muslim</a>, and their average income is lower than non-Muslims’. But as we explained in our <a href="https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/institutes/lake-institute/muslim-initiative/research/index.html">Muslim American Giving 2021</a> report, their donations encompassed 1.4% of all giving from individuals. U.S. Muslims, a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/08/30/section-1-a-demographic-portrait-of-muslim-americans/">highly diverse and quickly growing minority</a>, contributed an estimated US$4.3 billion in total donations to mostly nonreligious causes over the course of the year.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/people-directory/siddiqui-shariq.html">philanthropy</a> <a href="https://rafeelwasif.com">scholars</a>, we believe our findings are significant not only because this is the first time that we can see the size and scope of giving by this small and highly diverse community, but also because U.S. Muslims face a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/muslim-americans-still-facing-discrimination-20-years-911-rcna1915">great deal of discrimination</a>. </p>
<h2>Giving more, including to civil rights causes</h2>
<p>We partnered with Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization, to <a href="https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/26703/Muslim-American-Giving-2021_Final.pdf">conduct this study</a>. Our findings came from our survey of more than 2,000 Americans, half of whom were Muslim, that the <a href="https://ssrs.com/">SSRS research firm</a> carried out from March 17 through April 7, 2021. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.</p>
<p>Participants answered questions regarding their faith customs, donation practices, and volunteer work, along with which causes they support and their concerns about COVID-19. We also inquired about how economic and political uncertainty and financial well-being influenced their giving and volunteering. Finally, we also examined whether they had experienced discrimination and their views about the level of discrimination in society. </p>
<p>We found that Muslim Americans gave more to charity, donating an average of $3,200, in 2020, versus $1,905 for other respondents. They also differed from non-Muslims in many ways. For example, nearly 8.5% of their contributions supported civil rights causes, compared with 5.3% of the general public.</p>
<p>We believe this elevated level of giving reflects efforts to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-aided-by-bots-amplifies-islamophobia-online-166080">fight Islamophobia</a>, a fear of Islam grounded in bigotry and hatred against Muslims. Likewise, Muslims gave more to enhance public understanding of their faith. About 6.4% of their giving funded religious research, compared with 4% from other sources.</p>
<p>Muslim Americans further defied <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/11/us/islamophobic-tropes-muslims-in-america/index.html">Islamophobic tropes</a> through the causes they support. For example, about 84% of Muslim American donations support U.S. charitable causes, with only 16% of this money going abroad. That conflicts with an erroneous belief that <a href="https://www.aclu.org/report/blocking-faith-freezing-charity-chilling-muslim-charitable-giving-war-terrorism-financing">Muslim Americans mainly support overseas causes</a>.</p>
<h2>COVID-19 relief</h2>
<p>The other top secular charitable priorities of Muslim Americans were domestic poverty relief and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>Donations to causes that sought to alleviate the toll COVID-19 has taken on U.S. health, employment and food security comprised 8.8% of Muslim American faith-based giving, versus 5.3% for non-Muslims. Additionally, these donations also comprised a large part of Muslim Americans’ non-faith giving. Muslims gave 14.3% of their non-faith giving to COVID-19 causes, a sharp contrast with others. Among the non-Muslim population we surveyed, 6.7% of non-faith giving backed these kinds of charities. </p>
<p>We attribute this pattern to the fact that Muslim Americans are overrepresented among medical professionals and front-line workers. For example, <a href="https://www.ispu.org/community-in-the-time-of-corona-documenting-the-american-muslim-response-to-the-covid19-crisis/">15% of physicians and 11% of pharmacists in Michigan</a> are Muslim Americans. In New York City, Muslim Americans make up 10% of the city’s physicians, 13% of the pharmacists and 40% of cab drivers, all of whom were designated essential workers.</p>
<h2>Faith amplifies giving</h2>
<p>All observant Muslim adults with the means to do so <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/z/zakat.asp">are expected to give to charity</a> in adherence to faith-based traditions. One, known as <a href="https://www.zakat.org/about-us/our-mission">Zakat</a>, is more formal and among the <a href="https://crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/islam-five-pillars">five pillars of Islam</a> that Muslims are expected to adhere to. Another, <a href="https://www.zakat.org/what-is-sadaqah">sadaqah</a>, happens voluntarily. </p>
<p>That made us want to see if religiosity played a role with the charitable patterns of U.S. Muslims. It turns out that Muslims who displayed higher levels of religiosity, such as by praying more often, were also more likely to give to charity than those who prayed less frequently. We found similar trends among non-Muslims.</p>
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<p>We plan to conduct this study annually for the next four years and will keep an eye on how Muslim giving patterns change over time. Furthermore, we will add additional questions to further illuminate how faith-based and secular motivations are shaping Muslim American giving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shariq Siddiqui receives funding from Islamic Relief USA to conduct this study.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rafeel Wasif's work related to this article was funded by Islamic Relief USA.</span></em></p>
Muslims also gave more to causes tied to relief from economic and health problems that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shariq Siddiqui, Assistant Professor & Director of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative, IUPUI
Rafeel Wasif, Incoming Assistant Professor of Nonprofit Management, Portland State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.