For my entry I would like to address donating one’s time. To me, though I only just started chapter 6, it seems that the main focus of Singer’s book is on encouraging monetary donations to end “absolute poverty.” This is very important, yes, but to facilitate aid we will always need people going out and giving their time. After a large natural disaster, particularly with media coverage, there are often massive monetary donations, so many that the relatively few people on the ground can’t distribute resources fast enough. For example, if an organization working to rebuild homes after a disaster had unlimited funding and building supplies, they would still need the people to put in the time to build. Not only that, the more people the faster the work could be done. Another example could be distributing food and fresh water. Or providing basic education. In order to end poverty we will need more than people solely giving money.
I feel that Dina’s post touched on this issue a little as well. There are the anonymous donations that help the school function more effectively as well as the teachers themselves who donate a few hours a day. While the supplies help the students, nothing would have been done if not for the teachers who donated their time.
Not only do I think time is often the more valuable resource to give, but as a relatively poor college student, it can even be a little easier - and more rewarding. I’ve seen people going door to door asking for donations but haven’t seen that to be particularly effective. Instead I’ve been wondering about other means of donations. Even just baking a cake, like in the I am a Philanthropist video, is a lower cost alternative to buying one altogether and can then be donated. How else can you donate time instead of money? It’s doubtful that we have enough money to go to another country and help rebuild after a natural disaster. However here at Binghamton there are events and organizations including the Relay for Life as well as the Poverty Awareness Coalition that utilize donations of time. Perhaps the issue with donating time is that it often can only be done on a local basis without also costing a lot of money. I’ve been thinking of some ways around this, such as securing a scholarship to provide service abroad, or working with an organization like Doctors Without Borders.
What are your thoughts on how one can donate while overcoming the obstacle of money?
I agree with you that as college students on a tight budget, the idea of giving time rather than money is appealing. However, I think that as people get older, the reverse can be true. To busy adults who are relatively secure financially, it may seem easier to send a check to an organization, and feel that they have done their 'fair share,' than spend the majority of their day helping that organization in person. I'm not saying that this is right, although I do empathize with both parties. On one hand, people are really busy, and it can be hard to make time to find an organization to spend your time with, let alone actually do it. On the other hand, one of the main themes in Singer's book is how we can and should be giving much more than we think we can.
ReplyDeleteSeveral people have already posted that in donating their time rather than their money, they get to connect on a deeper level with the people they help, and that the experience is much more valuable than donating money would be. While this may seem slightly selfish, I think that interacting face-to-face with the people we help gives us security that our efforts really are helping; donating money, even to the best charities, may not provide this. Although Dylan is correct that many philanthropic organizations would crumble without monetary donations, I feel that giving your time is often more rewarding to you as well as more valuable to the organization and the cause it helps. Singer urges us to give more, and if more people answered this call by giving their time, even if it is only locally, everyone involved would come out on top.
-Jesse Cole
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ReplyDeleteI was reading a blog post on another blog once, and it was listing some of the best things to donate to food pantries. Some of the things included feminine products, diapers, fruit, and condiments and spices; these are all things that not many people would think to donate, but they're still necessary. And at the end of the list it mentioned a monetary donation. And I thought this was interesting because this list made it a point to mention that on list of things that a food pantry needs. And the explanation it gave was that a food pantry knows what it needs, and they can't just gamble on someone knowing what to donate.
ReplyDeleteMoney is just as important as time. Support in anyway is helpful. I've helped volunteer at a food pantry, and sometimes it got crowed with little to do because it was the end of the month and there was simply no resources left. And it was a really sad experience. I feel like time and money are the yin and yang of non profit organizations. They are both essential to the running and stability of these organizations.
-Chelsea Desruisseaux
I definitely agree with you, Dylan, that donating time can often be more valuable than donating money. However, I believe that we do not give enough credit to those who pledge to give a portion of their income or savings to the less fortunate. Though many view monetary donations as the “easy way out” of volunteering, a well-thought-out investment in a cause could have a substantial impact.
ReplyDeleteI have always admired the selflessness of my mother and her siblings. When I was younger, I did not understand why my aunts and uncles did not exchange gifts for birthdays and holidays. When I got older, my mother explained to me that she and her siblings preferred to make charitable donations in lieu of gifts. Each year, they would donate a cow, goat, or prenatal care to a family in need through the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. These monetary gifts were used to buy the animals/health care, which fed families and for some, created a source of income.
These somewhat small donations had sustainable effects on impoverished families in areas that my family did not have the time or the resources to visit. I do not think that choosing to give money makes us any more or less selfish. I feel that people should donate in the way that they believe will have the largest impact.
As for overcoming the obstacle of money, we can always give more. Singer provides the example of cutting down on drink consumption and donating the money elsewhere. Even tiny monetary contributions can benefit someone, so being a college student is certainly not an excuse for our irresponsibility with money.
- Martha Engle
I believe that giving, whether it be time or money, is still giving, and must be encouraged regardless of the size of the donation. Everyone can find time to volunteer for an organization that they really care about or find a few extra dollars to contribute to an organization that they feel may be doing great work overseas. We need more people who are willing to make these commitments, and with praising those who do, I think it will help make the world a better place. Many organizations are just grateful for the support when people donate time or money, and I think that the idea of giving, no matter how small, is extremely important to helping out those in need.
ReplyDeleteOne should give whatever makes himself feel better whether it be time or money or whatever else one chooses. I think singer focuses on money because he sees that as the easiest way to give to those in desperate need. Yet there are other ways to help that are more face to face and these can also help those in desperate need. One can give food or organize charity walks and fundraisers all on the limited budget of a college student. In my opinion giving money is definitely not the only option and for students not the most realistic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that most of the time, it's difficult to donate time in person anywhere other than locally without incurring travel costs. However there are some online alternatives that are free and help people and projects in need.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites is freerice.com, where you answer math/science/language/history questions, and for every one you get right, the donate a certain amount of rice to people in need. You don't even need to sign up for an account.
If you're more interested in donating to the sciences, there's zooniverse.org. It offers very brief tutorials for a number of different projects, and then employs it's thousands of users to sift through huge amounts of data that would take the original team of scientists an impossibly long time to analyze. There're currently many projects, including classifying different animals caught on wildlife cameras, analyzing cancer data, mapping black holes, and helping restore WWI soldier's diaries. All of these contribute to current large scale professional projects.
I think what I am trying to say is there could not be aid if time isn't given first. Those people working at the food shelter are donating their time, and build up a skill set in which they understand how to utilize other's donations. Time and money donations are both important, and money is arguably just as essential . However, money donations would do little to nothing if not for those who donate their time on a regular or even occasional basis. I wasn't trying to denounce a monetary donation so much as highlight the importance of donating time.
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