10 myths about charity

Irina Shanaeva

The representative of the charity fund "Friends».

1. It is better to help a stranger than by Fund

Targeted assistance attracted by the fact that you can choose who specifically want to help, and immediately see the result: where were sent the money and what came of it. It says so much of the population of Russia, which has decided to help.

With targeted assistance in our country everything is pretty good. And this, of course, well, people do not leave each other in trouble. But on the other hand, targeted assistance deprives the sphere of charity opportunities for systemic change.

That is 200 rubles towards you (and thousands more just like you) for the treatment of the child, allow to pay for an expensive procedure in a foreign hospital. But the same amount of money received by the Fund on the implementation of the program will help bring treatment technology in Russia and help not one child, but thousands. This is all, of course, conditional numbers, but the mechanism works.

2. Any help is good

When representatives of the charity said that any help is needed, they mean that it is not necessary to abandon the idea to help if you can not directly donate one million dollars or to build a shelter for homeless animals. It is important that everyone helped to the best of his ability.

Another thing is that these forces should be sent in the right direction. Drag a bag of toys in the children's home - it's many years as irrelevant really help if you do not sabotage.

Some attempts to "cause good" - whether money, toys or volunteering - often lead to disastrous situations.

Much better to learn from funds which help is really needed. communication with the elderly and children, by example, help with logistics, regular contributions to statutory activities - most of the fund are a thousand and one urgent task and a few long-term system projects. Find employment and bring real benefits fairly easy, you only need to ask.

3. Charitable funds should be used only for donations wards

Do charities also have statutory activity that requires resources. The statutory activities of the fund includes all the administrative part, without which a fund is closed: office rent, utilities, staff salaries, office supplies and so on.

If you donate only for specific programs (and we remember that everyone wants that it was his money went necessarily need treatment), the funds for the basic needs of the fund remains. Most likely, the NGOs will not be able to develop, will try to survive, or will soon be closed.

4. If you help, do it quietly

There is such a plant people in our country. But it is fundamentally wrong. You say that helping out loud - and you reach for others. When people see that someone from their environment - with the same interests and income, with the same values - help, they are more willing to try to do the same.

Do not doubt the reaction of others, and to lead by example, encourage friends, relatives and colleagues to do good deeds. We assure you in no one to throw a stone. And if your submission to participate in charity begins even just one person, you are not in vain live this life.

5. The sole purpose of the funds - to find the money for the ward (surgery, forgery, etc.)

This is the main, but not the only goal. There are side objectives and tasks that help find donors and volunteers. To learn about the foundation, it is necessary to develop a website, start a group on the social networks, participate in charity events, to be published in the media. This requires a professional staff or freelancers. This funds are no different from business.

6. Employees charities do not receive a salary

according to a studyADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES NGOs, or should the Fund's employees receive a salary?Conducted by the Foundation "Help", about 88% of users of the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet are not willing to donate money for the salaries of employees of charitable organizations.

Now let's think. Employees of the funds have an important job? This work is easy?

Employees funds perform the same work as everyone else, but most of this work is much harder emotionally and rarely has at least some standardized schedule.

These people have families and monthly expenses, like the rest of us? Yes, they, too, live in apartments, pay the bills, feed the family.

And if the charities will work only people who can afford to do this "hobby", what percentage of the population of our country will be able to do it? And how many of these people want to do this? And the main question: how many of these people are really competent for the job?

7. The best way to help - to transfer money

NGO law allows employees to use the fund to 20% of donations on administrative costs. This means the smaller the fund receives income, the less can spend on their own needs. Including the hiring of permanent or temporary staff, the logistics fee (something to move, something to take away), and contractor services.

Therefore, sometimes the funds more than the money, need help here and now with the decision of specific targets. Rescue at such moments volunteers. Many funds are established to work with volunteers, trust them a huge and important part of the work and, therefore, implement large-scale long-term projects. Some funds, and small non-profit organizations can only survive thanks to the help of volunteers.

8. Volunteering - a washing windows and painting fences

Volunteers different needs, volunteers of various important. Traditional volunteering - an important part of help funds. It can take many forms: motorists often help with the delivery of oversized cargo, someone to help with the cleaning and minor repairs, with green areas and ennobling organization events.

However, volunteering is not limited to this. Some funds have volunteers who, not being employees, are responsible for a portion of the inner workings. Constantly. For example, for the coordination of all the volunteers, or a separate program, the processing of incoming proposals from corporate donors and donors, and so on.

Less common in our country, but it is quite popular abroad Practice Smart volunteering. She came from the legal sphere, where pro bono work in favor of the unprotected layers of the population - the norm for any lawyer.

Now spend a few hours of their professional time to the Fund can be any professional who wants to help their skills and expertise. Therefore, if you are not very handy with a hammer and nails, but it copes with the imposition site or write brilliant texts You can offer their services free of fund - and the effect of this will be much higher than if you suffered a tenth bent nail contract. To fund this contribution will be very valuable, because with a new site or a good text, it will be able to collect more money and attract more resources for the implementation of targeted programs.

Thus you will save money in the fund to attract your level of specialist time searching for professional, reduce the risk of collision with the Fund unqualified or unscrupulous contractor will remove the headache with NGO workers, who will be able to focus on their immediate problems. And help raise funds for major projects.

9. Volunteering - a gratuitous, and therefore unnecessary work

Volunteering - it is voluntary, it is true. But it only means that you have voluntarily come to the Foundation and offered to help, to take responsibility and use the trust fund. Or else, you can at any time, the abyss and did not fulfill its obligations.

It should be understood that the NGO workers on you expect to spend the time and effort for your learning and immersion into the problem, and try very hard to motivate and thank you to the extent possible.

If you understand that, for some reason can not fulfill its obligations, please, sweep the same way as you would They behave with relatives, customers, any other people not from NGOs: find a replacement, pay the task, perform before going. Find a way to bring the work to the end. For you, this is not the main job, and penalize you, of course, no one will. But his irresponsibility you punish fund, and even worse - his charges. Someone just does not bring drugs, someone goes wrong holiday, someone will take a much needed course of socialization.

In business, if you fail the task, will remain dissatisfied customers and bosses. IN charity rates still higher. So the best advice for volunteers - this is to be an honest man, and keep his word.

10. A significant contribution can only large companies like to take part and no one will notice

The best contribution of the company to charity - is to attract employees to the process. After all, corporate donations or volunteering often are ad hoc, irregular. Although there are remarkable exceptions when companies develop long-term charitable programs in conjunction with the funds. Most often it is international companies that choose large, well-known funds. This is definitely a good practice that should be promoted.

However, Russian businesses, especially in regions prone to give to charity the "extra" money when they are, and it is unknown whether they will be more. Therefore, a little-known small and medium-sized funds remain without regular support and can not plan their activities for at least several months in advance, not to mention the long-term plans.

In the world, and Russia is no exception, the lion's share (and the most reliable part of) the income - is private donations. And most importantly - a regular donation. Your 200 rubles a month allow the Fund to plan the development of a program or to host an event.

And if you can personally donate a few hours a month of his professional time, it will save (For example, do not take the employee's state or refuse services paid freelancers) and to allocate funds for specific programs Fund.