The rationales behind my decision that I now dare to share.
In February 2020, I launched my personal donation/grant-making project called “CHANGE Education Fund” to support creative educational activities for under-resourced children primarily in Malaysia and also other countries in Southeast Asia.
In my last article “5 Crucial Pieces of Advice for Starting Your Own Charity in Asia”, I touched upon the useful guiding principles that I got from my mentors in the past few years.
Today I want to write more about my personal struggles and rationales to overcome in order to take action.
I started my charitable project with the following motives:
A) Starting my own charity has been my long-term goal since childhood.
B) After developing my career for over 15 years in international educational exchanges and grant-making, I gained a good amount of knowledge and skills to manage programs.
C) I realized that I can, and should, make maximum use of physically being in Malaysia, even though I was still very new here.
D) I was very sure that reaching out to offer donation/grant opportunities and educational programs to local organizations would lead me to more opportunities to know the local situation and new networks.
However, before taking actual steps, I was full of FEAR. I think this is a very common thing that happens to people who take on challenges outside of their comfort zone.
My negative internal voice spoke to me constantly and loudly.
”Isn’t it crazy that I want to spend my time, money and effort for some cause?”
“Do I really have that extra energy for it?”
“What would people think when they see me doing it?”
It would have been very easy to just buy in these negative thoughts and do nothing. Take no action. There was a temptation.
But I knew that I should NOT give control of my life to these one-sided voices, which often people are tempted to do.
Some of my readers such as yourself, might be in a similar situation.
The answers to these questions above vary according to who you ask and in what context. So, it’s essential where and who you look for answers.
I pulled up my curiosity antenna to catch some useful information for me to move forward.
And here are the summaries of the answers to the question:
“Why should you get involved in charity?”.
I am hoping that these wisdoms can lead you to take action forward, just as I did.
1. Giving is actually good for you.
Many researchers found that giving makes you happy.
For example, this article titled “5 Ways Giving Is Good for You” by Jill Suttie and Jason Marsh published in 2010 by Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at the University of California, Berkeley shows 5 ways that giving is actually good for yourself.
According to Jill and Jason, giving a) makes you feel happy, b) makes you healthy, c) promotes social connections for you, d) brings you back gratitude, and e) amplifies the good actions. They summarize multiple research results in this article, so it’s quite informative and interesting to read.
From another angle, this article “The Secret of Happiness Is Helping Others” on Time.com by Jenny Santi summarizes the tips for gaining happiness by your act of giving. In order for your giving act to lead you to happiness, they advise you to: a) follow your passion, b) give your time, not just money, c) request transparency, d) use your skills, e) be proactive, and e) don’t let guilt navigate you.
In December 2020, I found this rather bright piece of news. “Volunteering and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Older Adults: An Outcome-Wide Longitudinal Approach” showed that people with more than 100 hours per year of volunteering have 40% less risk of dying.
Hence, we can suggest that senior citizens that are actively engaged in volunteer work may live happier and healthier. I found it quite agreeable, and very positive.
There are more resources that you may find online, concerning how giving is good for you.
In short, if you choose a right cause that you feel your genuine motivation, and if you partner with efficiently managed and transparent organizations, you have a very high chance of gaining something in return, such as genuine smiles on your face and on others from happiness and satisfaction.
⇒My reflection to the point #1:
Starting a charity surely makes me feel happy.
Starting my own charity has been my dream, my long-term goal.
I was a child inspired by watching the animated television series “My Daddy Long Legs” based on the novel by Jean Webster.
I was a girl who thought “why only one? Support two or three more!”, after hearing that my father sponsored one child in east north Thailand to attend school.
I was a high school student who organized a fundraising stand at a busy gigantic train station in Tokyo metropolis, calling for cash donations for school tuitions for those who cannot afford it.
Recalling these small memories from earlier stages of my life, these moments have proved to me the sciences and research mentioned above.
— — I just enjoyed it.
Simply put, by doing something good, I surely got something in return.
In this context, we should see charitable activities as a Win-Win situation, and not as a Win-Lose. In other words, we should craft our engagement well so that we create a Win-Win for all who are involved.
2. Giving enriches your social networks.
Today in the developed world, people being alone, or loneliness, is recognized as a serious problem, not just as a personal psychological problem, but also as a collective societal matter. The act of giving and involvement in charitable work can restore your connections with others.
In the UK, a cross-party Loneliness Commission established by British Member of Parliament, Jo Cox, published its report in 2017 calling for attention to the issue of loneliness. They claimed that 9 million adults in the UK were “often or always lonely” and called for leadership on the issue. Following this report, the first Minister of Loneliness was appointed in January 2018, and the UK Government launched its first loneliness strategy in October of the same year.
Their work has impacted many countries including Japan, which created a new position as Ministry of Loneliness in February 2021 as a measure to support citizens affected economically or psychologically by the whole virus situation in the past year.
These governments are seriously tackling the issue of loneliness, because it has come to be known as a dark gateway to problems related to health, economy, society, and more.
Many studies, such introduced in this article on Harvard Health Publishing and this guide by Befriending Networks of UK, have shown that volunteering can enhance social connections and positively impact the health of volunteering people.
Getting involved in nonprofit activities is a critical and effective way to gain connectedness and eliminate loneliness. Your work will make you involved with people. The connection and network will enrich your life.
=> My reflection to the point #2:
Starting a charity has brought me to meet with new people, to discover new horizons, and to learn a new language.
I reconnected with several people I knew from work. I came to know different organizations and new people working for the cause. I also began to learn a new language, Malay.
Running a charity needs you to be proactive. This proactive work style — and lifestyle — have helped me to go through different phases in my life.
It is quite interesting that when you start taking actions, like-minded people are attracted, and your world is suddenly enlarged. It will bring a powerful and pleasant change into your life.
3. Some people can get tax benefits.
This is rather a technical matter and it varies depending on where you live and where you claim tax, so I cannot go in detail here.
Still, I can simply say that many charitable organizations have tax exemption status, and it is a rational economic incentive to follow it.
In the United States, they have the famous 501(c)(3) status. In Japan also there are accreditation systems that those who donate to accredited nonprofit organizations can receive tax benefits in their annual tax filing.
As this technicality is very much dependent on your individual status, you should do some research online, and ask for advice from certified professionals, if you are interested in more.
=> My reflection to the point #3:
I received (a very little) tax benefit.
Among the 9 organizations I made very small donations to in the year 2020, just one organization was accredited as a tax exemption organization for me. So I received just a very little tax benefit, if any. It is so small to be considered as an incentive. But it was a good feeling to know that the tax office appreciates it even in a subtle way.
I am hoping that this tax exemption mechanism becomes more known and more utilized by those who are involved in charity. This monetary incentive can support and ensure the market for charitable activities.
So, these are the 3 Reasons why you should get involved in charity.
Did this article make you interested in work on charity? I hope so.
I intended this article to encourage people, who are interested in giving but are not sure whether they should start or not, to take actual steps forward. I hope that my points mentioned above can encourage you to take the step forward!
In my next article, I plan to write about how I initiated my program development. So stay tuned! Thanks for reading!
PS I welcome you to like and follow CHANGE Education Fund social media accounts!