Ufond Blog. Publicity or privacy of charity?
One of the most pressing questions for us, as always, is: What is charity? To be very concise, charity is a selfless activity for the benefit of others. And if before charity was done exclusively by people with high wealth and the elite, today people from different classes take part in it. Why so, and whether we are moving in the right direction, Ufonda journalists tried to find answers.
Today, charity can be expressed not only in monetary donations, today there are many other ways to help those in need.
But very often we can see how one person tries to tell everyone about his help and diligently tries to convey his specific message to people, and the other carefully hides his activities and flatly refuses to discuss it. Let’s think about why this is happening and analyze whether it is worth publicizing such a topic as charity?
The main problem is that for many years the topic of charity was under 7 locks, it was not customary to talk about it. Because it has long been considered unethical to talk about one’s charitable activities, others perceived it as boasting. Of course, over the years, people have reconsidered their views, and many have become not just more lenient, but have become involved in this topic. Today, in all civilized countries, charity has become the norm, decent people consider it perfectly normal to spend 10% of their time or money on public affairs: to help the needy, people with diseases, animals, the environment and more. Abroad, charity is popular among absolutely all segments of the population. But in Ukraine, the trend of charity is only gaining momentum,
We cannot rule out that such an attitude of people is caused by the fact that they are insufficiently informed, many do not fully understand how such a mechanism works as charitable foundations, volunteer organizations, etc. The stereotypes that have developed in society, which needed to be dispelled many years ago, play an important role. And from their ignorance, many people are too distorted to perceive the information presented, exposing it in a bad light. Here is a certain logical chain:
1. It is not customary in society to discuss charity, they look with disbelief and are convinced that charity is done for advertising, condemn those who talk about their activities and insist that charity should be done exclusively anonymously.
2.At the same time, due to the fact that people do not receive quality information, those who still do charity, others accuse of self-publicity or self-interest.
3. A person who is engaged in charitable activities can involve 10 more people in a project, but will try to do everything alone, fearing condemnation and baseless accusations from others.
4. Accordingly, we live in a kind of vacuum, abstracting from the problems of others and not having examples that would inspire us.
The only and most important reason to advertise charity is the opportunity to involve the maximum number of people in this problem.
Now let’s see why this is important, going back to point №3. There is an expression that most accurately describes the importance of this issue: "From the world on a thread -poor shirt." In life, everything works the same way, sometimes no matter how hard we try and no matter how hard we try, little depends on us alone. Sometimes it is necessary to group, involve the maximum number of people in this problem, make a big leap and only achieve the result by joint efforts.
And so, the only and most important reason to advertise charity is the opportunity to involve the maximum number of people in this problem.
The most important thing is to understand that charity is first and foremost the culture of the people themselves, not the funds they raise. To better present the current situation, let us return to Europe, or rather to history.
The European history of charity is quite old, and many European charities were established during the Middle Ages. And today we can see that in European countries there are even tax benefits, all countries recognize the role of private charity. Summing up, we can say with confidence that when our level of awareness and correct behavior on the topic of charity becomes the same as in Europe, the need to advertise this topic will eventually disappear, because it will become a norm of life, which is not necessary to talk. But today it is extremely necessary to publicize this topic, because with this you can not just change the attitude of skeptics, but also to promote this topic and make it an integral part of our culture.
Friends, it is not so much how much money or time you have spent on good deeds, it is more important that you yourself understand the need for this. After all, we always want to be calm and know that at a critical moment we have someone to rely on.
Read also: The state, foundations, patrons: from whom to seek help for the family of a seriously ill child?
Today, charity can be expressed not only in monetary donations, today there are many other ways to help those in need.
But very often we can see how one person tries to tell everyone about his help and diligently tries to convey his specific message to people, and the other carefully hides his activities and flatly refuses to discuss it. Let’s think about why this is happening and analyze whether it is worth publicizing such a topic as charity?
The main problem is that for many years the topic of charity was under 7 locks, it was not customary to talk about it. Because it has long been considered unethical to talk about one’s charitable activities, others perceived it as boasting. Of course, over the years, people have reconsidered their views, and many have become not just more lenient, but have become involved in this topic. Today, in all civilized countries, charity has become the norm, decent people consider it perfectly normal to spend 10% of their time or money on public affairs: to help the needy, people with diseases, animals, the environment and more. Abroad, charity is popular among absolutely all segments of the population. But in Ukraine, the trend of charity is only gaining momentum,We cannot rule out that such an attitude of people is caused by the fact that they are insufficiently informed, many do not fully understand how such a mechanism works as charitable foundations, volunteer organizations, etc. The stereotypes that have developed in society, which needed to be dispelled many years ago, play an important role. And from their ignorance, many people are too distorted to perceive the information presented, exposing it in a bad light. Here is a certain logical chain:
1. It is not customary in society to discuss charity, they look with disbelief and are convinced that charity is done for advertising, condemn those who talk about their activities and insist that charity should be done exclusively anonymously.
2.At the same time, due to the fact that people do not receive quality information, those who still do charity, others accuse of self-publicity or self-interest.
3. A person who is engaged in charitable activities can involve 10 more people in a project, but will try to do everything alone, fearing condemnation and baseless accusations from others.
4. Accordingly, we live in a kind of vacuum, abstracting from the problems of others and not having examples that would inspire us.
The only and most important reason to advertise charity is the opportunity to involve the maximum number of people in this problem.Now let’s see why this is important, going back to point №3. There is an expression that most accurately describes the importance of this issue: "From the world on a thread -poor shirt." In life, everything works the same way, sometimes no matter how hard we try and no matter how hard we try, little depends on us alone. Sometimes it is necessary to group, involve the maximum number of people in this problem, make a big leap and only achieve the result by joint efforts.
And so, the only and most important reason to advertise charity is the opportunity to involve the maximum number of people in this problem.
The most important thing is to understand that charity is first and foremost the culture of the people themselves, not the funds they raise. To better present the current situation, let us return to Europe, or rather to history.
The European history of charity is quite old, and many European charities were established during the Middle Ages. And today we can see that in European countries there are even tax benefits, all countries recognize the role of private charity. Summing up, we can say with confidence that when our level of awareness and correct behavior on the topic of charity becomes the same as in Europe, the need to advertise this topic will eventually disappear, because it will become a norm of life, which is not necessary to talk. But today it is extremely necessary to publicize this topic, because with this you can not just change the attitude of skeptics, but also to promote this topic and make it an integral part of our culture.
Friends, it is not so much how much money or time you have spent on good deeds, it is more important that you yourself understand the need for this. After all, we always want to be calm and know that at a critical moment we have someone to rely on.
Read also: The state, foundations, patrons: from whom to seek help for the family of a seriously ill child?