Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Planning a Charity Event

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Being involved in charity work is said to be very fulfilling. While some are given the chance to go to other places to serve and perform charity work, others can still do their share without leaving by holding a charity event. A successful charity event requires meticulous planning to maximize the intended benefits for the beneficiaries and the sense of accomplishment for the organizers.

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Charity events are not the monopoly of charitable organizations. People with the same cause in mind can actually come together and organize among themselves to think of ways to raise funds for specific beneficiaries. Every person will always have something to contribute whether in time, talent, or money. A group that intends to hold a charity event should plan accordingly and here are some suggested steps in doing it systematically.

1. Connect with a Registered Charity Organization

Logistically, connecting with a registered charity organization can make the whole process a lot easier. Charity organizations have built-in systems that have been tested by experience. They also have the specific know-how in raising money which is the main goal in this task.Organized groups just have to choose what type of cause to support for their planned event and choose the charity organization that supports it. It is also advantageous to be connected or associated with a known name since most people are more open to sponsorship, donation, and participation because of the established trust.

2. Choose the Type of Charity Event to Hold

In choosing the type of charity to hold, organizers are better off opting for the kind that they can appreciate themselves. If they are into sports, a running event may be a good choice. For people who are quite active in the social scene, holding a gala night or some high-profile party activity may be the way to go. Whatever it is, the organizers must be prepared to work for it and be in it, preferably beyond show.

3. Pool the Manpower

No charity event will ever be produced without people willing to work for it. Since this is a charity event, organizers should be looking into volunteers instead of paid staff. There must also be identified leaders to guide the whole project.

4. Find Sponsors

A charity event will always need sponsors because of funding requirements. Businesses and known philanthropists are possible sponsors. It would be better to have a sponsor that also believes in the cause.

5. Publicize the Event

The success of the charity event will depend on the amount of participation obtained from the public. It is necessary therefore to make the event known. All types of advertising and promotional strategies can be used.

 

 

Everyday Charity Works Anyone Can Do

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Charity can sometimes seem like too much of a lofty purpose for any ordinary person to participate in. For extensive devastation , it might appear so. However, anyone has the power to do everyday charity works without large funding or long-distance travel. Most of the time, charity can be given to people near us.

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Charity is defined as the voluntary giving of help or assistance to people in need. There are many ways this can be done as it is not simply limited to giving money which ordinary people would likely be in need as well. Some of which are:

Donating Surplus Things

Surplus refers to things that people may have two or more of and in which people can live happily with one. Donating surplus removes the typical obstacle of lack of funds since there is nothing to be bought. People will just be giving away things they already have. It is however true charity if the things being given are still useful. Giving things that are long overdue for throwing because of their poor condition is hardly charity.

Providing Services for Free

Each individual is bound to have at least one skill that can be useful in the service of others. Professionals  like doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, and others can provide their services for free at regular intervals such as once a month or once a year. Other people who have no similar professions to speak of can still provide services by being part of charity works such as organizing fund raising activities, packing relief goods, or helping in the clean-up after a natural disaster.

Give Blood

Blood is such an important commodity in times of disaster because of extensive injury to people. Healthy people can perform a charitable work by donating blood to those who need it. This act has to be coordinated though with medical personnel and hospitals.

Care for the Sick and the Abandoned

So many people are suffering in hospitals and other health establishments alone and abandoned by their loved ones. Providing physical care to them is a difficult charity work to perform. However, it can provide hope and healing to the hopeless.

Listen

Listening is a very simple act of charity that does not take much from the people who give it except for time. Anyone can hear but it takes one who truly cares to listen. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen or talk to.

About the Author:

Teresa is a researcher-writer who covers a wide range of topics in search of useful information to offer to her readers. She currently maintains four personal blogs.

Charity on TV – Fundraising on Air

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Charity work is essentially about the voluntary giving of help or assistance to people who are in need. Systematic charitable work is carried out by organizations. In order for a charitable organization to pursue its objectives of helping the needy, it must be able to address its main concern about fundraising.

Charitable organizations usually have benefactors who may provide their main source of funding. However, it is quite possible that they will still need to do fundraising activities to further support their programs. One of the more popular forms of soliciting funds is charity on TV or fundraising on air.

Fundraising through TV is primarily carried out through Telethon events such as the UK Comic Relief and the Children in Need. A Telethon is basically a fundraising event which goes on television broadcast that may be held for a number of hours or days.  The main purpose of course is to raise money for a worthy cause.

A telethon is distinct in offering entertainment similar to a variety show while receiving pledges for donations.  The work itself is derived from the words television and marathon.  It has totally changed the face of fundraising from the basic face-to-face interaction to a highly technical way of moving funds from one source to the beneficiary.

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On-air fundraising on TV makes use of the power of media to create awareness for a cause and provide a convincing call to action for viewers to give, donate, or contribute typically in cash.  Some telethons however also receive donations in kind especially for causes related to extensive natural disasters.  Through telethons, it has become easier for viewers to give.

Early forms of telethons mainly relied on pledges made over the phone.  Today, it is possible to text donations on the day of the telethon and the handling organization can report millions of dollars in raised funds within the same day.

Telethons can be done once for a specific purpose or annually for a much larger beneficiary group.  Causes such as those related to child welfare have continuous needs for funding and will require a systematic way of getting it.  An annual or even a semi-annual telethon is a good way to go about it.

TV is not merely limited entertainment as it can be used for more noble causes such as charity work.  Service providers such as DirectTVDeal.com have made it possible for viewers to have access to more TV shoes including charity TV shows.

About the Author:
Teresa is a researcher-writer who covers a wide range of topics in search of useful information to provide readers.

 

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Charity Begins at Home

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We often hear that charity must begins at home.  Unless someone learns to show charity to family members, it is impossible for him or her to show charity to others.  We cannot give what we do not have.

Such is the truth.  One cannot feel true empathy for other human beings if it has not been learned at home.  It starts with the training of parents of children which will not only be through empty words but actual actions that can be emulated.  Action speaks louder than words, so they say.  Everything is learned more thoroughly when it is done and not merely mouthed for show.

Charity at home starts in giving not only of material things but of the time, attention, and care that would help develop healthy human beings.  Material things will not compensate for uncharitable acts at home.  Long after family members have grown old, memories will be that of the happiest and loneliest moments.

It is such a tragedy if the loneliest moments are caused by the failure to give a part of one’s self to another family member.  This failure is a serious failure of the essence of charity to work at home.  Families have to inspire in each other the desire to give in whatever form.

Charity learned at home will go a long way.  It will be part of a person wherever he or she goes.  The values in charity will never be unlearned even with exposure to other views in the real world.  Anyone who is unable to feel charitable to family members will find it difficult to feel charitable towards others.

About the Author:

Teresa is a researcher-writer who covers a wide range of topics in search of useful information.

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Does Charity Always Help?

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“Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it.”  – John D. Rockefeller

When Rockefeller spoke these words, he knew that in such a noble deed as charity, there is still a risk of it being damaging to the recipients of the charity.  This is because of the possibility that they will become fully dependent on others and will no longer work on their own to improve their situation.  Givers of charity are therefore encouraged to assess if they are actually helping people in their acts of charity or simply encouraging them to be dependent on other people and institutions.

Acts of charity therefore are not always beneficial to the recipient.  This is specifically in situations where beneficiaries of charitable support are not taught to take care of themselves after the initial assistance.  Charity is also seen as non-beneficial when it merely becomes a band-aid solution to problems that require comprehensive changes.

It can be very difficult to associate negativity with something so noble as charity.  For how is it possible that something intended to help will turn out badly?  The problem is not in the intention.  It is usually with the implementation that something goes wrong.

Some people see a lack of fairness when donors and philanthropists have the power to choose the recipients of their charitable act.  Many believe that charitable works must be distributed according to real priorities and needs and not according to personal preference and choice.  But how does one argue with a donor?

There are also concerns about charity that comes with conditions.  This is related to requiring the recipients to do or not do a specific act in exchange for receiving the benefits.  If the conditions set are manipulative and violates human rights,  there are obvious contrasts to the noble purpose of charity.  If the conditions are set to ensure that the recipients truly benefit beyond the initial dole-out, then such conditions are deemed positive.

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About the Author:

Teresa is a professional researcher-writer on a wide range of topics.

Charity Work – Is it For You?

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If you think that the only job available for the charity industry is to get donations, you will definitely be surprised that there is a wide margin of employment opportunities in this industry.  People who are looking into finding jobs in this sector will most likely find them in not-for-profit organizations, charitable institutions, as well as various voluntary and community organizations.

The charity industry involves many types of work for it to accomplish its objective.  Administrative work is considerable since there is a lot of documentary and paper work to be accomplished.  Fundraising, is only one of the many works that has to be done.  In relation to fundraising, there is also the matter of educating new members of the industry.

Other areas of concern for potential employees of the charity industry includes works related to specific issues such as animal conservation, environment conservation and research, and health education and promotion.  Other duties to be performed includes emergency work, policy development, as well as provision of care services.  Charity organizations also need managers adept at human resources management, financial management, and scientific and social research development.

There is as much opportunity to gain career satisfaction in the charity industry although the pay may not be as much as in the corporate world.  In terms of experience, there is much to expect and probably even more.  There are also job opportunities similar to those found in the business sector such as accounting, marketing, and IT.  Charity work is not for everyone but it is definitely for some people.  If that includes you – that is for you to find out.

How to Get Donors for Charity

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Charity programs cannot lift-off from the planning stage if there are no donors to back it up.  It is a challenge to find willing donors to give the first time but it can be more challenging to ask the second time and all the other times that is expected to follow.  Another challenge is to find additional or new donors especially when the usual donors are not able to come up to expectations.

Donors, especially those that give in considerable amounts do not usually give without understanding the purpose of the charity program.  Charity organizers therefore have to  have a clear purpose for their fundraising.  This would include determining the beneficiary, the specific way in which the beneficiary is to be helped, the amount needed to be raised , and other important details that will support the fundraising activity as a legitimate effort.

Studies would show that donors tend to come in droves in times of great tragedy that affects many such as the most recent Japan tsunami tragedy.  However, this will not last for a very long time since there will be other tragedies and calamities that will affect another part of the world or be nearer home.  There is the hard reality to face that funds from donors may run out earlier than the completion of a disaster-recovery program.  Charity organizers will have to think of ways to convince donors to give by citing for example that the fundraising is now entering a new phase like providing for the  livelihood of victims.  Whatever it is, there must be a valid reason for continuing a program.

Donors also have a tendency to give more to specific cases such as one particular child.  Some potential donors tend to get overwhelmed by big fundraising activities in relation to the small amount they are able to contribute thinking that it wouldn’t matter whether they give or not.  Charity organizers should also provide clear steps in which donors can properly and swiftly respond to the solicitation.

Fundraising for a Cause

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People and organizations gathering and soliciting voluntary contributions from individuals and companies for a specific purpose  are said to be doing fundraising for a  cause.  The reason for fundraising is the most important factor that will determine its success.  The contributing public must be convinced that the reason it is done is true, valid, and needed.

Almost all organized charitable works require some fundraising activity to be performed.  This is of course unless the organizers have so much funds between them that they can manage without outside funding.  In charitable works however, there is usually a big group that needs to be served that it is always advantageous to have more funds than less to complete a project.

Charity works start with a desire to help a particular person, group of persons, a community, a country, or a worldwide cause.  The initial desire to be of assistance to others is fired up with the passion to make it work.  Charitable causes are usually planned by unpaid volunteers who only have their genuine sincerity to serve as their main weapon.

The determination to make it work is the most valuable factor that can ensure the success of any charitable endeavour.  Fundraising is especially difficult to do since it requires the organizers to convince donors to part with their money and goods, or render service for free.  No one would be willing to contribute to a cause that is clearly self-serving.

Fundraising activities, especially those that cover a large territory, requires permission from authorities.  This is to ensure that the fundraising activity is carried out for the intended purpose.  If the fundraising activity is to be carried out in the name of an established institution, the permission of such organization must also be obtained.  It makes sense however to know the critical information required to effectively promote the cause of the organization.  Some of the more popular manner of fundraising is through selling products and organizing any event, the proceeds of which shall go to the beneficiary organization.   

In Support of Educational Charities

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Organizational and individual philanthropists should consider supporting educational charities for the main reason that these charities help an important sector of the society – the students.  Students are not limited to children but also include adults trying to pursue and finish their stalled educational goals.  Educational charities exist because there are people who need financial assistance to finish their studies and there are schools that need to be supported to make this happen.

Educational charities therefore cater to students of all ages ranging from pre-school to graduate school.  They usually channel educational assistance through school scholarships which they sponsor.  They can also choose to support students individually subject to set requirements.  Other forms of assistance provided by educational charities are provided through financial aid services and sponsoring school reform, as well as developmental programs for teachers and students.

Another area where educational charities have much to offer in terms of assistance is in the area of research.  Research programs are usually costly to maintain but offers considerable benefits to mankind when pursued successfully.  Education charities usually have the means and resources to initiate positive changes that can be made by supporting the educational system.  Programs for experiential learning also benefits from the assistance of educational charities.

There is much to gain from supporting educational charities since they support a system that involves people from all walks of life.  By supporting education, people are also supporting attainment of knowledge that will redound to the benefit of mankind.

Selfless vs Selfish Charity

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How do we define charity?  The dictionary defines it as voluntary giving of help to those who need it .  What often differentiates charity from regular giving is that the usual beneficiary of a charitable work is someone not personally known to the giver.  By its very meaning, we can safely surmise that charity is a selfless act.

The usual recipients of charity include the poor, the sick, and the disabled.  These are the groups that typically have to rely on other people for survival since they  are not able to provide themselves with their most basic needs  including food, clothes, and shelter.  A person is said to be doing an act of charity if he or she contributes money, goods or time to an individual or group who needs assistance. Individuals who participate in this kind of endeavor would have to be selfless in order to give meaning to this act.  This means having no ulterior motive to gain an advantage or benefit .   A truly selfless act of charity does not seek public  recognition but rather revels in the secrecy of the deed.

Here lies the problem of so many so-called philanthropists.  Although not all are guilty of this, a good number are merely after the good publicity that engaging in charity conveniently provides.  Recipients of acts of charity are naturally grateful and would usually accede to requests of “good words”.  Some need not even be told to do so because of the high degree of gratitude.  This wouldn’t be so bad if there were no obvious immediate benefits that can be obtained by the givers of charity.

It is sad that even in the world of charity, selfishness is able to penetrate.  In a willing giver, no publicity is necessary for motivation.  Selfish charity should give way to selfless charity.