Thursday, October 29, 2009
"How Wonderful!! How Noble!"
Over the thirty-five plus years of my work with charities around the world, I cannot even begin to recount all the times I have heard people say to me, “How wonderful! How noble!”
Okay. But without the donors there is no charitable work. Someone had to generate (read: earn) that money, before it was donated to the charity.
It seems to me that the men and women who work so damn hard to earn the money that they, then, give a percentage of to charity, are all too often left out of the accolades: “How wonderful! How noble!” And even when the donors are praised and thanked, it is with nowhere near the depth and intensity of the gratitude given the charity. And this, I believe, is wrongheaded on at least two counts:
From the perspective of the charity, it is counter-productive to not give sincere and full-hearted praise to its donors. Why? Long-term donors are those who see and feel themselves to be part of the team. They have a kindred vision with the charity and its leaders—e.g., as with the charity they support, they want to see poor people fed or the sick cared for or the children educated. If donors are not made to feel a part of the team, they will find a charity that will do so.
But, to my way of thinking, a larger problem is the gradual undermining of the concept of the nobility of work and the pursuit of success in our chosen careers. When people are constantly made to feel like second-class citizens or worse, like evil-greedy-bastards, because they are out in the marketplace earning a living while the really good guys are in Africa caring for orphans, or in pulpits preaching, what happens?
They begin to believe there is something less-noble or even morally reprehensible with generating wealth, thus undermining their zeal for success which, in turn, hurts us all via fewer jobs, smaller donations and, egad, a shrinking tax-base!
One of the tenets of the Protestant Reformation was the sacredness of all callings: that the blacksmith’s work was as “holy” as that of the priest’s, which would include the High Priests of today, politicians. It was this mindset that shaped the foundations of Western Civilization, unleashing the potential of men and women of all gifts and callings to serve God faithfully, and with their heads held high. In short, there aren’t any second-class citizens whose contributions to society are somehow less valuable to God.
So, when we make people feel less-than because, rather than sweating over orphans in Africa, they “merely” send charities a percentage of the rewards of the sweat of their brows, we are not only undermining the foundations of civilization, we are denigrating what God calls “holy.”
Or so I believe …
Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2009
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1 comment:
Monte, you told me that most of the donations to the charities that you are involved with are relatively small, allowing lower and middle class people the opportunity to give. I am also astounded by the virtual non-existent G&A (general and administrative costs) line items on your charities' balance sheet. What a testament to economy of scale and making sure that donations are used for the purpose intended.
How Wonderful! How Noble! does not compare to some of the charities that I have solicited me. These well meaning solicitors have reinvented the caste system that I thought was abolished in the 19th century in Hindu India. Someone who donates $1,000 would never be seen asking for money from the $25 giver.
Borrowing the gambler's parlance of a "whale", these charities make sure that the whales get special treatment recognition. Givers and the amounts of their gifts are published, for no one would risk ostracism by having his or her name omitted.
So when I hear you talk about your charities and listen to the time and effort that you put forth to do it right, I do not say "How Wonderful, How Noble." Instead, I quote from Hamlet and say "What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!" (II.ii.304-308).
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