Quote:
Originally Posted by BoyAlley
I really don't understand why every time I raise money for something, a ton of people chime in saying I should be raising money for something else instead?
There are a LOT of good causes in this world, and a LOT of people that need a LOT of help for a LOT of different reasons.
The reason I chose this particular cause for the holiday season is simple:
It's a lot easier for people to identify with an American family facing hardship, where they will hear about their circumstances, and how their lives have been changed, than it is for them to identify with a blackhole of a charity where they never really see how the money is put to use.
Yes, large charities are more efficient in the ways that they spend their money, and can do a lot of good for a lot of people for a lot less. But at the same time, there's no way to identify with that on a personal level.
When the results of this auction are announced, whoever the top bidder is, everyone will be able to read the story of this family, and how their life has been changed, and I suspect everyone will be touched on a personal level, and just maybe some will be inspired to give to charities that haven't done so before, or that don't do so on a regular basis.
No matter what, everyone will walk away from this experience and holiday season with a warm feeling in their hearts.
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Let me say first that this your decision entirely, and that I am merely offering my opinion, as well as a different perspective on things.
Having said that, I have to note that your view on charities operating outside of the western world is flawed. There are tons of charities which help people in, for example, Africa and offer full details on what exactly is accomplished with the money. Hell, many will even give you pictures of the people whose lives you save, the school that is built with your money, etc. (a simple example:
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/ )
Of course, you are right... it is easier to identify with western families. That's one of the main reasons why western charities get more money. It is a bit odd, though, when you think about it. An American family facing hardship is facing hard times relative to our own situation. An African family facing hardship, however, is facing hard times relative to the situation of that American family. They'd do almost everything to be in the same situation as that American family.
In the west, just about everyone, including the poorest, can receive such things as medical care, food, basic education, etc. In third world countries, the poorest often lack all these things. Every five seconds a child dies of starvation, exactly because we, in the west, do not identify with them, and thus do not care as much as we probably should.
Ultimately, the choice you have to make is a little like this one: Either you can give a friend with a broken ankle a ride to the hospital, or you can save a bus full of young children you don't know from certain death.