What’s with the novelty giving?
Have you noticed that when it comes to giving to charity these days, it’s not just about giving money? Somewhere along the line, it became about making some weird novelty statement. A quick list:
- World’s Greatest Shave
- Movember
- Red Nose Day
- Biggest Morning Tea
- Loud Shirt Day
Call me old fashioned, but I much prefer to do my giving anonymously, rather than proclaiming it for all the world to see.
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I know what you’re saying but it’s fun watching the guys grow a mustache.
I hear you!
Perhaps somewhere along the line charities realised they need to get in some clever marketing gurus to compete for the consumer dollar - and that is hat they are competing for.
This kind of fundraising appeals to those that want to be seen to be doing something rather than actually doing much at all.
Token symbolism is rife. Think of Earth Hour. (there’s some interesting dialogue on Another Outspoken Female’s blog) on that.
It’s the same with what people eat. Lots of people want to be SEEN to be buying organic foods and from farmers markets even if it costs them an arm and a leg more to be seen doing so.
Maybe it’s the age of celebrity?
yeah but it makes giving more fun, i think, to participate in a unique way…like growing a mustache or wearing something silly.
Thanks for the plug Grocer. I don’t know if Australians just aren’t good at giving any more, there is a genuine recession or politics have been so decisive in recent years that it has concentrated on the individual/family at the expense of fostering community. Probably all the above and a lot more. The cult of the individual has a lot to do with it but for me the concept of philanthropy I learnt at my father’s knee. We would volunteer time as a family for his favourite charities, see our parents donate to any organisation that knocked at the door and as we got older learnt that at least a 1/3 of their estate would go to charities on their death.
We are so much more into tokenism now, be seen to be doing but then once the spotlight is off revert to your prior ways. I’d better stop before I sound like a cranky old woman.
Great post re Earth Hour! I tried to buy into the ‘every little bit counts’ thinking but just couldn’t do it in the end, for many of the reasons you outline. I worry that it allows people to sit back and say, “well, we’ve done our bit” when in fact we haven’t even scratched the surface. (Admittedly, I did turn the lights off tho.)
I’m not sure cancer victims or families of suicidal teens care how I raised the $200 to help research a cure.
I don’t have time to sit on my high horse and worry about tokenism, but I do have time to grow a mustache.
Earth hour is a complete load of shite however, given that the solar energy absorbed by the atmosphere in that single hour is probably orders of magnitudes higher than the yearly output of every factory and car on the planet.