I write this blog, one more time before the end of tomorrow’s sun. When the sun sets tomorrow, it will be the end of the Moving Difference project for summer 2012.
This project has been marked with great achievements and equally matched adventures of all sorts. I tell you honestly that when I started this project I only wanted a 1000 hours of moving and making a difference. 83.33 friends and family to join me on a summer adventure to do some good in the world an hour a week.
I got that and then some.
The final reported of total hours are still being added up and checked. (Hint – get yours in today!!) The impact will last beyond this summer and into the future. I promise to share that number with you all tomorrow…
There is the “then some” that must be spoken of. Being hacked and spammed sucked, finding charities that are being dishonest wasn’t fun and the West Nile virus added an interesting edge to this summer adventure. Personally, the hacked part still is a frustration because the why, how long and who may never be answered and all you can do is pick up the pieces and go on with stronger security and a weary sense that the internet can be used for evil. The West Nile virus was a great inconvenience but we all survived in the many cities that Silly Hat Big Clean happened… we survived by adapting and doing other things to make a difference. So what about the charities that are being dishonest? That, my friend, is the seedy underbelly of charities all over the world… and it is why I encourage you to not to give blindly your resources – time, energy or money.
There will always be charities and foundations; it is up to you to do the research and make sure that they are doing good and doing what they say they are.
It is important that your resources (time, energy and money) go to charities that actually make a difference in the world to the highest of standards – your standards.
The examples are simple.
1. Would you give a child begging for food on the street $5 bucks to get something to eat if you knew the child would run the money back to an adult who purchases a bottle of vodka with your money?
Hard example? Try this one.
2. Would you give money to a charity that claims to help out urban kids, if the charity didn’t really do that and you researched it to find out that the charity wasn’t really a charity but rather a business front?
Tough, huh? How about this one?
3. Would you give money to a charity that spends over half of its annual budget on fundraising events and salaries?
These are all hard-hitting examples where your resources could go if you just give blindly and didn’t do your research. Not every charity is bad, not every charity is going to rip you off and not every charity opportunity is a viper waiting to bit you.
I look at it this way, if you can give any resources then you have the responsibility and duty to that resource to ensure that it is used to the fullest potential in the best way to your standards.
In example one, there is a hungry kid involved. My solution is to buy the kid a sandwich. At least I know that the hungry kid will have food then.
In example two, there is fraud involved and it requires that you inform the proper authorities so it can be stopped. It isn’t easy but it has to be done.
In example three, this is a personal call. For me, I believe that at least 90% of the total annual budget should go to the mission of the charity – this doesn’t include fundraising, events or administrative.
Personally, charity is just that, charity. It isn’t a business, it is a responsibility to a set goal, to help and to make a difference. The standards of charities are sadly lacking in this world and it is mostly because we as humans don’t do the do diligence and make sure that it up to the standards that we deserve as a public and as the people giving. Your resources don’t stop just because they leave your hands. You have a right to make sure that charities do what they say they are doing with every minute and every penny.
Truthfully, checking out where your resources go should never be an inconvenience to you; it should be part of every day life and reflecting your personal standards. Any charity worth their salt wants you to check them out and is forthcoming about their financials. Those charities that have this type of transparency do so because they actually care about what they are doing, how they are making a difference and they value the person giving resources meaning that they are valuing you.
I can hear my friend, Erin, roll her eyes at this moment after reading this. She and many other people around me and through the years have heard me on my soap box about this.
It is true, I take this serious. I hope that you do too.
After all it is your resources that are at stake, your resources that you worked hard for and that you generously want to give. I don’t care who you are, your resources should be valued equally and honorably by the charity that you give them to and they should be used to the fullest toward the charity’s mission.
Now I realized that you didn’t give your Moving Difference hours directly to me but I do value them. Every second, every minute, every hour that led us together to tomorrow’s sun is valued, appreciated and thanked by me. While I may never meet every single person that has done the Moving Difference project, I am forever thankful. Together WE as the Moving Difference project did a lot of good in this world over one summer.
As I close this blog post, please know it is okay to check up on charities before you give your resources. You are making a difference TWICE by doing so. Remember these three things always when you give any of your valuable resources, be it time, money or energy: “The ability to give is a privilege we all can experience” (~Unknown), and “Ability without honor is useless” ~( Marcus Cicero) and “Thanks for doing good in the world” (~me).
Cheers!
Moving Difference 