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My Changing Perspective on Philanthropy


Because this is one of the last blog posts for our class, I considered discussing our final donation decisions, possibly lamenting over the lack of funding for Meals on Wheels of Western Broome. However, as this class comes to an end, I think there is much more that we can take away than just our final decisions. Specifically, I want to talk about how this class has affected my view of philanthropy and how it will change the way I spend my time and money in the future.

A couple of weeks ago I went to “Casino in the Woods,” an annual casino night that College in the Woods Council puts on in order to raise money for charity. I am not much of a gambler and generally don’t like the addictive nature of games designed to make you lose money. But since all of the proceeds were going to charity, I figured that the money I would ultimately lose at the event would be for a good cause.

However, as the night went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about the implications of this charity event. At the beginning when I was winning some money I felt like I was stealing from charity because I was quite literally taking money that would otherwise go to the organization. I had essentially dedicated $20 to spend at the casino night, and if I didn’t lose it all or won big, would I be morally obligated to donate it? I realize that ultimately the house wins and that even if some people make money, a majority of people will lose. And while that was comforting, I wonder what my individual responsibility was to the charity after mentally dedicating a donation to them.

Additionally, I realized that I didn’t actually know much about the charity that was being fundraised for. I vaguely knew that it was for a mental health organization, but I didn’t know much about it and can’t even remember the name. The situation reminded me of a podcast we listened to earlier this semester with Rob Reich where he spoke about how many people donate to organizations because of a fundraising event or because they know someone involved instead of an actual belief in the cause itself. I am assuming that the CIW council chose a good non-profit, but would I be better off skipping casino night and donating the money to my own favorite charity? Or was I really spending the money for my own fun, with the charity being an added benefit?

I think this night highlights the way my view on philanthropy has changed over the course of this class. Before this class I wouldn’t have thought twice about Casino Night, but now I had to think about the various dilemmas involved in a charity event. This class has given me some answers, but mostly a lot more questions about the best ways to be a philanthropist.

Comments

  1. Hi Adiel,

    I think you brought up great questions in this post regarding the CIW Casino Night you attended. In my opinion, whichever charity the CIW Council picked received more money than it would have if there was no such event. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that everyone who attended this event and lost money would’ve randomly chose to donate to this organization, or any organization, for that matter. Therefore, even if you won money that night, I don’t think you would’ve done anything wrong by keeping it (I wouldn’t judge either way).

    I also thought over the idea that many people donate to a charity because of a fundraising event or someone they know in that charity, rather than because of belief in the cause itself. While no donation to a transparent, effective charity is a bad donation, intentions matter. Of course, this situation is nowhere near on the same level as the Sackler family donating to charity to try to repair their public reputation. While thinking, I realized that it's necessary to consider the personal, human element of philanthropy--if I had a friend working for a charitable organization, I would naturally feel obliged to donate more money to that organization. Thus, I have no issue with anything that artificially gets people to donate more to charity than they ordinarily would, like fundraising events. It's simple: the more money that charities have, the more good they can do and people they can help.

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  2. Adiel,

    I appreciated the example you used to describe how this class has caused you to closely look at the donation decisions you make as a philanthropist in the community. I beliece I would ask myself similar questions had I been in your shoes at the CIW event.

    Almost every organization puts on fundraisers based on some form of entertainment. Whether that be a concert, game night, or fun run, the goal of a fundraiser is to milk as much money out of it as possible. I do not think of this as a problem at all. Some people choose to make simple cash donations, some even anonymously. However, the beauty of a fundraiser like this is that your "donors" are getting enjoyment out of it as well. Even if the participant doesn't know where the money is going, the fundraiser is still doing it's job. When a person purchases a movie ticket, they don't know exactly where their dollars will end up, but that is not a concern because they get to see the movie no matter what. When it comes to fundraisers like CIW's Casino Night, I believe that the money going to a respected charity is simply an added bonus.

    -Stephanie

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  3. Adi,

    Similar to you, I am also pretty upset over the fact that Meals on Wheels received no funding for our class, however I am hopeful that they have the chance in receiving the extra funds we acquired. Maybe you and I could work some sort of negotiations and persuade the class to donate the $2,000 to Meals on Wheels.

    I really enjoyed reading this blog post because it also got be thinking about the philanthropic lessons I’ve learned from this class. I really wish I would have heard about the CIW Casino Event, because I would have definitely attended. I feel that it is important that CIW held a Philanthropy event like this in the first place, because it is crucial to inspire students to donate to non-profit organizations. I’m sure you felt a little uncomfortable not knowing the complete financial report of the Mental Health organization or didn’t analyze their I-9 Tax Form, but that is because you are so programed from this class. Philanthropy and Civil Society teaches us to ask a hundred questions before donating, and be skeptical about everything. At an event like this though, it is crucial to remain positive. We can all hope that the member of CIW did their research in ensuring that credibility of the Mental Health Organization. If you don’t want to leave it all to hope, then I implore you to reach out to the Residential Director of CIW and do some research yourself. I feel that the point of the event was to motivate Binghamton Students to do some acts of Philanthropy in a fun and social setting. In addition, to motivate other living communities and student organization to put on similar events like this one. Again, I think this is a perfect blog post to end the semester on, as it pushes up to look beyond our class and look towards the future in our philanthropic careers.

    Sincerely your,
    Matt

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  4. I understand the conflict you're experiencing. There are many fundraisers that people donate to just because they see their friend post a link on Facebook or Instagram, which ultimately leads to biased decisions, not informed ones. I agree with you that the money might be better used making a personal informed decision, I also believe that money being donated to non-profits should not be condoned. Nothing is ever a perfect system, this blind giving to charities is a flaw in the system I'm willing to accept if it gets money into the non-profit sector. While I would love for everyone to be used their money in the wisest fashion, I know that this is not entirely realistic. I think this is a really interesting point you brought up however, and I myself didn't even think about this blind giving of money as a potential issue until you brought it up. Thank you for bringing this to light for me!

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  5. Adiel,

    I also feel that my perspective on philanthropy has changed. Before this class, I would have happily donated to any nonprofit that appealed to my values or interests, without empirically studying the effects my money might have on this organization. Additionally, I feel that this class has made me more open to nonprofits that I might not have responded to. Nonprofits such as STAP, whose values I did not feel much of a connection to previously, have peaked my interest.

    In regards to the CIW event you mentioned, I also feel that it was an odd way to do a charity event. If you win money, you feel like you are stealing from a charity. You will most likely end up donating that money to the charity anyway. I feel as though there are much less complicated and convoluted ways to create events for charities. You also stated that it bothered you that you did not know much about the charity you were donating to. I feel as though this class has instilled this new point of view into us. More often than not, people feel satisfied when donating to "charity," even if they know nothing about the charity they are donating to. However, the people in this class have learned that money can be used more efficiently in some organizations than others. The thought that my money could be wasted in an inefficient organization gnaws at my mind when donating to nonprofits. This has no doubt changed my viewpoint, as well as others, in regards to philanthropy.

    - Christian

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  6. I definitely expected this post to be a discussion of the result of our semester in this class together. When I read this post, I was surprised of the topic, but I really liked the direction that you took your writing. I am sorry that Meals on Wheels of Western Broome was not chosen as I know that you had great reasons for supporting the organization. That being said, I would like to comment mainly on how I feel about your philanthropic reflection while at the Casino in the Woods Event.

    Before experiencing this class, I would not have reflected on the CIW event in regard to anything other than the entertainment it provided. I appreciate your example because it is relatable to all of us as Binghamton students, and also because it is a real-world application of the organization analysis that we learned while in the philanthropy incubator. I believe that my own views and knowledge of philanthropy have been completely reformed as a result of taking this course. I found myself thinking more about organizations in regard to their effectiveness for their community toward the end of the charity pitches. Once I developed my evaluation skills and learned more about how nonprofit organizations function, I began to apply my knowledge to establishments I interacted with.

    I like how in your post you highlight that you were unaware of the charity that the Casino in the Woods event was fundraising for. This combined with the following sentences demonstrated to me how much your views on philanthropy changed as a result of this course. I think that equating your lack of understanding of the motives of the CIW event to the podcast with Rob Reich is important because it shows how most people experience philanthropy. Without taking the time to reflect and research an organization, it is fairly impossible to fully understand and support it. I really enjoyed reading this perspective and like your implementation of philanthropic skills to the world outside of Philanthropy and Civil Society.

    - Julia Diana

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  7. Hi Adiel,

    I really appreciate the sentiments behind this post. Similarly to you, the organization which I most believed in and really wanted to give funding to did not receive either of the grants. Initially, I was disappointed. Although I knew that I was in the minority in supporting this charity, I still had held out hope that some of my classmates were moved by the site visit. However, at the end of the day, I knew that we were evaluating five wonderful organizations and no decision would really be a bad choice.

    I found your experience at the casino night to be a interesting and relatable dilemma. It's similar to the experience of winning a 50/50 raffle. Many times, it is expected that the winner donates some or even all of their winnings. This can be an uncomfortable and sometimes even judgemental situation. I have started to be a lot more conscious of the ways I choose to practice philanthropy and the ethics behind it. This is something I have learned from our course and certainly will carry with me in the future.

    -Mary Kate Keane

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