Goals for a Great Charitable Organization

The astoundingly big numbers of charity fraud cases around the United States call for supervision and regulations of philanthropic organizations. In order to maintain a certain level of excellence, federal and state representatives from the Federal Trade Commission have worked together to look comb through paperwork of different organizations in question and uncover bad behavior.

Peter Bouchard - charityIt is extremely difficult to eradicate this type of behavior across the industry, but with the help of tangible governmental institutions fraud cases could diminish significantly. In the last few months four cancer charities were punished for stealing millions of dollars from donors and supporters. Many other organizations have been criticized for little to no supervision, or inappropriate usage of funds. The past couple of decades have seen a big increase of philanthropies supporting sectors such as education, medicine, social issues, and even music and the arts.

One of the main reasons why charities have gotten such a bad name, is because of the lack of punishable consequences in place for these actions. This structure invites corruption and questionable behavior. In order to bring some organizational structure to the nonprofit world, author David Callahan has come up with four main goals to strive for.

1. Being transparent with donations is great way to stay accountable with your supporters and public. There are special instances where this wont be possible due to the anonymous nature of some funds.

2. Not all philanthropy is charitable. There should be specific guidelines regarding tax break donors get in relation to their immediate impact to improving society. These actions can be measured individually.

3. Always be accountable about how the money is spent. Create small check points throughout your organizations that can asses your funds and their usage.

Although these points are valid and could help on a smaller scale, there needs to be a broader system that oversees the bureaucracy of this system. Stronger law enforcement should be established in order to punish fraudulent behavior.

Charity Appeal a Factor?

NPR released quite the unusual finding recently calculating the extrinsic influences on those donating to charities. While many people give to charities simply because they are magnanimous and want to contribute to societal reforms and general improvement in their world, an unorthodox study found men more likely to give to more to charities after seeing the large contributions of others, and when dealing with attractive fundraisers.

Peter Bouchard - London MarathonPublic online donations were solicited for the 2014 London Marathon in such a way that givers could see the charities of their choice, others who contributed and the amounts they gave. One more thing, anyone visiting a donation page could see the individual collecting funds on behalf of the organization. When others were influenced by large amounts previously given, they contributed an average of £10 more, but when others were influenced by an attractive figurehead they gave £28 more. What this means is competitiveness plays as great an integral role in the marketplace of charity as it does in the range of fields from for-profit businesses to sports matches.

Researchers involved asked contributors to rate the attractiveness of fundraisers before giving, and large amounts were recorded. Profile photos featuring attractive and friendly faces and smiles raised more money than others; men and women alike who displayed a genial appearance encouraged more generous donations. Among other things, this goes to show that interpersonal warmth is as important a factor to a team’s success as an attractive business model. Analogically, this suggests that on some levels it is important for an organization to present itself as it would to a potential partner, presenting itself as a suitable fit. The greatest level of competitiveness in donating came from men giving to charities represented by a female they recognized as pleasant and appealing implying evolutionary instinct may be more at play than one would originally think. Women did not show as much competition regarding organizations featuring a male figurehead, hinting at a different source of motivation to impress. Nichola Raihani, an evolutionary biologist at University College London who reviewed the study, explained that men want to donate to charity to seem caring and to show concern for social issues—a trait that is encouraged and admired in societies with money to give.

Peter Bouchard – Rising Africa: 10 Business Start-ups In Africa

Donate Money to Charity With Every Step You Take

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably started the month off with a few resolutions.  How are they going?  Many people want to make exercise a bigger part of their lives, and now with a new app, they can also donate to charity.

Fitness trackers are a terrific way to gamify your fitness goals and compete with others. If you’re motivated by helping others, the free app Charity Miles can help you earn money for your favorite charity while you run or bike.

This app uses your phone’s GPS to track the distance of your exercise. Each time you open the app, you pick a charity. You’ll then earn 10 cents per mile for biking and 25 cents per mile for walking and running. While the app is open, they show you an ad from the sponsor donating the money.

Finally a way a better to improve your health will donating to charity!

Top 5 Christmas Charity Projects

At this time of the year, many folks are looking for ways to help out needy and hurting children to make their Christmas season a little better. It is important to choose a  reliable and trustworthy charity for your Christmas project, which may seem overwhelming with so many choices. Here are 5 worthy causes to help brighten a child’s holiday.

1.  Angel Tree

Angel Tree helps deliver love in the form of Christmas gifts and a messages to children of prisoners. Angel Tree Christmas helps connect the parents in prison with their kids through the delivery of gifts by church volunteers who buy and deliver gifts.

 

2.  Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child allows donors to pack a shoe box with school supplies, toys, and other gifts.  The small gifts of love and messages of hope are delivered to needy children overseas.

 

3.  Make a Wish Foundation

This organization helps a child’s dream come true. Make a Wish’s holiday donation options will  grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical issues.

 

4.  Toys For Tots

This organization helps you donate a toy  to help make Christmas a little brighter for a child in need in your community.

 

5.  My Two Front Teeth

My Two Front Teeth helps offer personalized online giving experiences to help underprivileged children.

Charitable Chinese Tycoon to Offer Dinner for One Thousand Struggling Americans

Chen Guangbio is well known in China for his charitable contributions to social responsibility.  Valued at an estimated fortune of over four hundred million dollars, Chen has seen to reinvesting his money in environmental issues striking against China.  In 2008, after the Sichuan earthquake that killed sixty nine thousand people and rendered an additional eighteen thousand missing, Chen contributed millions of dollars towards the relief effort.  He also actively took part in the endeavor, personally saving thirteen individuals in the aftermath.

Chen continued his charitable contributions in 2013, as he tried to tackle the heavy air pollution affecting his nation by selling canned air in Beijing and Shanghai.  The project was rather audacious, as Chen canned specifically creatively titled supplies in soda cans; some titles included ‘pristine Tibet,’ and ‘post-industrial Taiwan.’  The air was collected from revolutionary regions and bottled in the cans for approximately eighty cents a can.  In essence, Chen sought to make the point that China’s air pollution had become such a large issue, that even the thought of buying clean air from a soda can could no longer be seen as ridiculous.

According to an article recently completed by RT, Chen is now seeking to share his charitable nature with an ever further reach.  The millionaire published two advertisements this week to announce an event he will be holding on the twenty-fifth of June at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park in New York City.  The ads were placed in both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal; the content was written by Chen himself and was available in both Chinese and English.  The ad announced that one thousand poor Americans were invited to dinner, which will be covered by Chen; at the end of the evening, every attendee will also receive three hundred American dollars.

When asked for what his intention behind the dinner was, Chen acknowledged that he has met many successful and rich Chinese officials who splurge on luxury items for themselves.  On top of this already heinous spending, most of these tycoons have earned their money through products that have destroyed the environment.  Chen declares that he wishes to be different than these industry tycoons; he wants to show Americans that not all Chinese business leaders are selfish and snobbish with their acquired funds.  He also hopes this could help smooth over some strains in United States-China relations.  In the past, the United States has offered services and funds to relieve China’s suffering at the hands of natural disasters; Chen feels it is only fair if he offer to do the same.