Everyday when you walk into the university center, there is some booth that asks for a donation to a charity. When we think of donating, we don’t examine the cause or even ask what the organization does to help solve whatever problem it is advocating for. We don’t go back to our rooms and think about the children that are being helped or the victims we are saving. Maybe if we did, we would help a little more.
UNISEF is one of the most well-known charity organizations. It has the very simple and convenient donation box that people carry around with them and ask for change. In my high school I would see one of the little orange boxes almost everyday. Anything, even a penny is helpful. It’s quite simple for people to reach around in their pockets and dig up some spare change that has been floating around, and then they can feel good for the rest of the day, knowing they helped a cause.
But whom did they help? Where in the world is their spare change traveling to help a child? And why is the money traveling there? We live in a blissfully unaware state in the United States. We don’t often hear about world news and when we do, it involves us. We always hear stories, brief snippets, of conditions and tragedies in other countries. We never hear enough to become truly empathetic. We are sympathetic until the news is done covering the story and then we become apathetic to it, pushing it from our minds.
Providing a personal connection with people would make the organization more successful. People would become more empathetic and then be more willing to help if they were connected. They would also be far more concerned with what happens to the children that UNISEF helps.
Breast Cancer Awareness and Research raises billions of dollars a year. This is one case in which we can no longer just shrug off the actual problem. We go to events and fundraisers, during all of which breast cancer is talked about and is front and center. This is a charity that has personal connections to the people going. When we donate to the pink ribbon we think of someone we know suffering. Our thought goes with our money. That is perhaps the reason that this charity has been so successful in spreading awareness and funding research against breast cancer.
Putting thought in with our money helps make organizations successful. There is emotion put into the donation and we follow up with it. We go to Relay’s for Life; there are marathons and 5Ks designated to raise money for this. There are numerous walks for breast cancer. All of which draw in the entire community. Instead of a single person donating money, it is an entire community coming together and not only giving their money but their time and support. We donate our time and not just our money. In this case a thought is worth just as much as a penny, so next time you put your penny in the box give a little thought to the people behind that charity.