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“Rather than being a human, be a humanitarian” – Kowtham Kumar

Are you pondering the importance of giving of your time and money to charitable organizations like NGOs and Non-Profits?

This quotation by Kowtham Kumar highlighted above, describes the raison d’etre of being human. Ergo, being human is to espouse humanitarian acts and principles.

What is a humanitarian?

 By way of answering this question, let’s examine the following definition:

A humanitarian is defined as a“person actively engaged in promoting human welfare and social reforms, as a philanthropist.”

Photo Source: www.tampabay.com

The new normal: Navigating the socioeconomic consequences of COVID-19

The world first heard of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in the last days of 2019. Fast forward to May 2020, and very little is known about this virus. Consequently, scientists and medical professionals are struggling to predict the virus’s behavior.

What is internationally accepted is that one of the only ways to control its rampant spread is social isolation or social distancing. Therefore, over 50% of the world’s population is currently under a stay-at-home or lockdown order. All non-essential businesses have closed, and millions of people have either lost their jobs or been furloughed. As a result, the COVID-19 is responsible for a total shutdown of the global economy, costing the world at least $7 trillion (USD).

NGOs and non-profits like yadezra.net are still continuing to feed the vulnerable, poor, and needy during these challenging times. However, it is a challenge because they are feeling the financial strain from the economic challenges of the fallout from COVID-19. Thus, they need donations even more than before the world woke up to the “new normal.”

Reasons why donating to charities is an imperative

Now that we have established that donating to NGOs, non-profit organizations, and charities is an imperative, let’s consider two of the most important benefits of supporting NGOs and charities during this crisis.

Helping people less fortunate

It is our social, moral, an ethical imperative to help people less fortunate than ourselves. It does not matter how much we give, what matters is that we give. Many religious organizations espouse the edict of giving at least 10% of all income to a charitable organization.

The website, nonprofitsource.com, notes that “giving to religion (defined as giving specifically to congregations, denominations, missionary societies, and religious media) has consistently remained America’s single largest recipient of charitable giving.”

Thus, irrespective of what our personal beliefs are because this article’s intent is not to discuss religion, let’s consider a simple case study of giving to charity during these challenging times.

If by way of example, we use the principle of giving 10% of our income to charity, then the following figures apply:

For every $10 we earn, we only need to give $0.10 to charity.

Therefore, if we only earn $40 per month ($10 per week x 4), then the maximum amount that we need to donate to charity for a particular month is $0.40.

Image source: PxHere

Statistics show that, in 2017, the median US weekly salary was $857. Thus, an average American employee earned $3428 per month ($847 x 4 weeks). Therefore, 10% of $3428 is $342.80. Thus, the maximum amount suggested based on the 10% rule is $342.80.

While this sounds like a lot of money, in the bigger scheme of things it is only 10% of your salary. And, from personal experience, it is essential to make the donation as soon as you get paid; otherwise, it is easy to spend this money on something else.

Improves our mental, emotional, and physical health

The health benefits associated with generosity include increased self-esteem, improved mood, less depression, lower stress levels, lower blood pressure, and greater happiness.

Why?

Research studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health have found that giving to charitable organizations boosts the feel-good chemicals or endorphins in your brain. Endorphins are manufactured by the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands. They act as a pain reliever and a happiness booster.

As an aside, it is interesting to note that endorphins have a similar function in your body as opioids. In other words, endorphins act as natural opioids. The human body has special receptors that bind to the synthetic opioids when taken on prescription by a medical professional to manage short-term pain. And, the combination of the opioids and the body’s receptors blocks pain signals from reaching the brain.

Consequently, the more you give and help people who are less fortunate, the more endorphins your body will manufacture, the happier you will be. And, the happier you are, the healthier you are.

Final thoughts

It’s vital to remember that, while philanthropic behavior is essential to your health and happiness, it’s equally important to manage your budget carefully, save as much as you can, and not overspend on anything. Otherwise, you will end up in financial difficulties.

The consequences of overspending are directly juxtaposed to the positive benefits of giving and managing your finances properly. And, if you overspend, you will no longer be in the position to support charitable organizations. Thus, everyone concerned, including yourself, will lose out on the overall benefits of your charitable actions. 

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When we think about charitable organisations, we always consider their purpose and the people that they aspire to help on a daily basis. As they are not businesses, however, we often overlook the fact that they need to generate money in order to fund their endeavours, raise awareness and affect lives across the globe.

 

More specifically, there are considerable gaps in knowledge regarding the challenges facing charities and the ways in which they leverage the money that has been entrusted to them. So while the UK’s charity sector is worth a staggering £60 billion each year, many nonprofits struggle to deploy this money in a way that drives productivity and promotes their message.

Image source Pixabay

Image source Pixabay

 

3 Challenges Facing Charities and How They Can Overcome Them

 

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the key financial challenges that face charities as they look to create productive and successful campaigns. These include: –

1. The Failure To Manage Finances Professionally

 

The nonprofit sector is notoriously complex and constantly changing, particularly in terms of compliance and the need for transparent financial management practices. These skills usually come at a cost, however, while it can be difficult to source service providers with the necessary expertise to deal with charitable organisations.

 

Fortunately, outlets such as Just Accountants have a team of accountants who are well-versed in the needs of nonprofit organisations, from the cultivation of a viable infrastructure to the deployment and everyday management of funds. This will not only drive transparency and compliance, but it will also optimise productivity and ensure that as much money as possible is committed to an underlying cause.

2.The Issue of Administration Costs

 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of charitable communications were historically sent by letter, which incurred numerous administration costs in terms of creation and distribution. This instantly deterred potential contributors, many of whom were unsure as to how much of their money would be used by the organisation to cover their costs.

 

Thankfully, the adaptation of email and more recently social media has enabled proactive charities to negate this issue, primarily by using the global reach of channels such as Facebook and Twitter to inspire, engage and raise awareness. These flexible and freely accessible channels help nonprofits to reduce operational costs without compromising on their message, ensuring that they can raise huge sums of money and reinvest this into their chosen cause.

3. The Motivation of Advocates and Ambassadors

 

Aside from the power and reach of technology, the typical nonprofit organisation is only ever as effective as the people who represent it. These individuals must be strongly motivated and engaged with the cause if they are to help the charity to achieve its goals, but nonprofits lack the financial resources or infrastructure to pay the individuals who work for them.

 

Charities must therefore learn invaluable lessons from the worlds of business and commerce, where financial incentives have gradually become less impactful over time. Instead, modern employees are motivated by job security and the ability to add value to a business, as this delivers greater satisfaction and more tangible rewards. Charities must therefore ensure that their volunteers do not become mired in everyday administration and nonprofit bureaucracy, as they instead empower them as influential advocates of a powerful and impactful message.

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US NGO Save the Children has been ordered to leave Pakistan, with an official accusing the charity of “anti-Pakistan” activities.

Police have sealed off the charity’s offices in Islamabad and foreign staff given 15 days to leave the country.

Save the Children said it “strongly objected” to the action.

Pakistan has previously linked Save the Children to the fake vaccination program used by the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden.

Save the Children has always denied being involved with the CIA or Pakistani doctor Shakil Afridi, who carried out the program.

The NGO has no foreign staff in Pakistan as they were forced to leave after the accusations emerged in 2012.

Save the Children now has 1,200 Pakistani staff working on projects in health, education and food, the charity said.Save the Children ordered to leave Pakistan

The charity, which has operations all over the world, has worked in Pakistan for more than 30 years.

The Pakistani government has not given a formal announcement explaining the decision.

However, one official told the AFP news agency: “Their activities were being monitored since a long time. They were doing something which was against Pakistan’s interest.”

A police official said that Save the Children’s phone calls and offices had been placed under surveillance. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, he added that the charity’s activities were “very suspicious”.

Condemning the move, Save the Children said it was “raising our serious concerns at the highest levels”, adding that its workers were all Pakistani nationals.

A Save the Children official told Reuters that the Pakistan government had been stopping aid shipments entering the country, “blocking aid to millions of children and their families”.

It comes after the Pakistani government announced it was tightening the rules for NGOs, revoking several of their licenses.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council has ceased all operations in Pakistan as its license has not yet been renewed.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has announced he is donating most of his wealth to charity before he dies.

The boss of the world’s most profitable company is worth over $800 million.

Tim Cook told Fortune Magazine that he would leave his wealth to philanthropic causes but not before paying for his 10-year-old nephew’s college education.

He joins a growing number of the world’s super-rich who are giving away their wealth, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.Tim Cook to donate his wealth to charity

Five years ago, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates launched the campaign The Giving Pledge. It aims to convince billionaires to give at least half of their fortunes to charity.

Mark Zuckerberg and over 100 others have so far signed up to the “moral commitment”.

Tim Cook’s base salary went up by 43% in February 2014, rising to $9.2 million a year.

According to Fortune Magazine, Tim Cook holds $120 million worth of Apple shares and a further $665 million of restricted stocks.

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David Beckham has revealed he will be donating the entire salary from his new contract with Paris St Germain (PSG) to a children’s charity in Paris.

In what is believed to be a world first, David Beckham, 37, will be donating around $5 million to the cause – if reports of his $250,000-a-week salary are correct.

Confirming his new role at a press conference in Paris on Thursday, David Beckham explained the philanthropic move, saying: “For me it’s always been about playing football, I considered other offers on the table. But one of the reasons I wanted to come to Paris was quite unique.

“We’ve decided my salary will go towards a local children’s charity in Paris and that’s one of the things we’re very excited and proud to be able to do. I’m not sure it’s been done before but it’s something I’m very passionate about.”

While not confirming the exact sum that would be donated, David Beckham did say: “I’m pleased that we can give a huge sum to a children’s charity in Paris – it’s very special.”

David Beckham also revealed that his wife Victoria and their four children will not be moving to France to accompany him during his five-month contract with the team, because the kids are enrolled in schools in London.

He said: “I am excited it’s something that we’ve been talking about for quite a while and now it’s finally happened. My wife and children will be staying in London because the children go to school there now.”

David Beckham also revealed that he will be needing to brush up on his French before his contract with the team begins.

He laughed: “My French? I haven’t spoken French for quite a few years, since I was at school, so I’ll definitely have to brush up on it.”

Asked by a reporter to demonstrate his grasp of the language with a French phrase, David Beckham kept it simple by just saying: “Bonjour!”

David Beckham has revealed he will be donating the entire salary from his new contract with PSG to a children's charity in Paris

David Beckham has revealed he will be donating the entire salary from his new contract with PSG to a children’s charity in Paris

David Beckham added of the move: “I’m very lucky. I’m 37 years old and I got a lot of offers. I’ve had more offers now than I’ve had in my career at my age so I’m very honored by that.

“I chose Paris because I can see what the club are trying to do – I can see the players they’re trying to bring up and the kind of club they will be in 15-20 years time.

“I’m not saying I’m going to be playing in 15-20 years but to be part of something like this is very exciting. I’m very excited and honored to be here.”

Asked why he signed for PSG and not another British team, David Beckham, who has played for teams including Manchester United, said: “I’ve always said I would never want to play for another English club. Manchester United is the team I support and it’s the team I always have supported.

“I’ve always said I don’t want to play for a team unless it’s Manchester United. I’ve had 13 or 14 championship trophies throughout my career, and I’ve played with some of the biggest and best clubs in the world.

“I’m 37 and I’m still fit, I can run around and play like I did when I was 21. I haven’t lost pace because I never really had a lot of pace.”

David Beckham was also asked why he had decided on a five-month contract instead of something more long-term.

He said: “I don’t see that it’s a short term project it might be a short term project for me playing but there’s a lot happening in this club with these owners. Whatever club I’ve gone to and whatever team I’ve played for, I’ve worked hard.

“I don’t expect to come into this team and play every game – I need to work hard. I don’t automatically expect a place in the starting eleven. I might have only signed a contract until the end of the season but I consider myself to be part of helping this club to grow, help the French league to grow and become one of the biggest powerhouses in football.”

David Beckham also revealed that another reason he signed with PSG was because he wanted to take on a new challenge.

He said: “Obviously I’ve played in Europe for a number of years and every time I’ve come up against a French team it’s been the most difficult games. At Real Madrid, the games we played in Lyon and Marseille were some of the toughest.

“The French league is full of talented players and teams. There’s a lot of talent here and it’s a difficult league. I’ve always loved a challenge whatever the league, whatever the club and whatever the culture.”

David Beckham also said he is hoping that the contract with PSG won’t be his last.

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Kim Kardashian donated nearly 100 pairs of designer shoes to charity after Kanye West dismissed her huge closet as “ghetto”.

Kanye West went through Kim Kardashian’s huge collection of shoes, and clothes, with a stylist in scenes broadcast on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

The bed was soon heaped with piles of unwanted designer clothes, many unworn, while pair after pair of shoes were stacked outside Kim Kardashian’s room. Many looked to be brand new, perhaps worn once or twice.

The rails were bare, with the items that remained having tags attached if they were deemed unworthy. Nearly every item was tagged.

Despite Kim Kardashian herself previously describing herself as a “stylist” she allowed her new lover to decide which items stayed, and which were rejected.

Kim Kardashian donated nearly 100 pairs of designer shoes to charity after Kanye West dismissed her huge closet as “ghetto”

Kim Kardashian donated nearly 100 pairs of designer shoes to charity after Kanye West dismissed her huge closet as “ghetto”

Even a fur lined Louis Vuitton bag, which Kim Kardashian admitted sheepishly that she was keeping for any future daughter to inherit, was consigned to the reject pile.

“Shouldn’t I just keep this for, like, my daughter one day?” she asked Kanye West.

Cringingly he failed to appreciate her hints that they might one day have a family, instead remaining pointedly silent.

“Kanye is coming over today with his stylist, and he is giving me a makeover,” Kim Kardashian had happily announced earlier.

And despite her boyfriend taking over her closet, Kim Kardashian claimed that he had “inspired me to be a little bit more of an individual”.

One person who wasn’t impressed was Kim Kardashian’s sister, Khloe.

She was furious, pointing out that she and Kim shared the same taste.

“I feel like half that stuff I have, so are you like saying that I need to get a stylist?” she asked Kim.

And she picked up one shoes saying: “You know I love this!”

When Kim Kardashian replied that the shoes had been labelled “ghetto” by Kanye West, Khloe was outraged.

“You gotta have a little ghetto in your life!” she squealed.

But Kim Kardashian didn’t care, in thrall to Kanye West.

And he seemed equally impressed, at least with his girlfriend’s “magazine worthy” curves.

“You look amazing,” he whispered, as he nuzzled her in front of the cameras.

Kanye West didn’t leave his girlfriend with nothing to wear, however, bringing with him a whole rail of replacement threads.

“Look how dope this s**t is,” he said, as he perused through Kim Kardashian’s new stack of clothes.

Kim Kardashian, 31, then tried on a cleavage-baring green dress, with Kanye West being very pleased with the results.

“[You’re] getting on best dressed lists now,” he raves.

“You’re stepping into this territory. You look amazing – it’s a new Kim!”

At least the clothes won’t be going to waste. Kim Kardashian tweeted: “The clothes I got rid of will be up on EBay next month for a charity auction! Going to Life Change Community Church.”