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Say NO to internet regulation in Singapore.
Of Charities
Posted by singaporedaily on July 20th, 2008
It began with NKF. Nows its Ren Ci. Who should we, the public trust?
Are we going to shy away from students holding tin cans with stickers? When a random person comes up to you wearing a pass, showing documents to support that he or she is indeed from a legit company and is trying to raise fund, don’t we all wish that we had the opportunity to Google for their registration number to prove their authenticity?
We are more inclined to give to charities that have made it to our television sets . We have watched performances and dialed into pledge our donations. Yet when we are approached by relatively unknown organisations, we are reluctant to pledge our money to their cause and we tend to decline even before listening to what they have to say. Is it because 1. we do not know them, 2. we do not want to get cheated or 3. all of the above?
We have been conditioned to recognise charity outfits that have held fundraising shows on our television sets. After all, they have to “have what it takes” to be able to raise funds on national tv don’t they? Moreover, the organizations that go on tv provide us with the convenience to donate. In that case, is our trust misplaced? Perhaps someone could enlighten us on what it takes to have Mediacorp help raise funds for a charity.
To stop all donations would effectively eliminate all hope that those in need have placed upon us. We donate not because we have to, but because we want to. We trust that by doing our part, the needy can receive some form of assistance. We do so because we trust that by entrusting our money with an organisation, this organisation can better their lives because the organisation has the means to reach out to the needy.
As with most things in life, anything with a middle person or a middle handling department, things can go wrong. Well things have. But it doesn’t mean that things will always go wrong or have to stay wrong.
I know I haven’t come up with a solution. The truth is I can’t think of any. What I do know is that to cease donations imho is robbing the needy of that ray of light.
P.S Singnet users, do bear with us. G is trying to rectify our blog accessbility as best as he can.
P.P.S. Marvel had treated us with Iron Man and Hulk this year. Now comes DC with The Dark Knight. If you thought Iron Man and Hulk were great, wait till you watch The Dark Knight! If not for the dark tale, watch it for the excellent chase scene, the fabulous CG, and for Heath Ledger who had an astounding outing as the Joker.
Why so serious?
the B
July 20th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I no longer donate to charities. For one, I lost faith in them.
Another reason being that our excellent government claims that our leaders alone have singlehandedly removed all traces of poverty in Singapore. Why should I worry in their stead then? Let these bloody million dollar rulers solve the problems.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
“As with most things in life, anything with a middle person or a middle handling department, things can go wrong. Well things have. But it doesn’t mean that things will always go wrong or have to stay wrong.”
bypass the middle collectors with the help of technology. use mobile donation machines to electronically channel( wireless technology) public monies to a central governing body which collections then dispersed to legitimate charitable organizations etc.
monies can be deducted from EZlink cards(zap the card and go just like paying for your train ride) etc since most carry one now a days. alternative, use ic to donate.
these machines can be stationed at mrt sttions,bus terminals, shopping malls etc almost any high human traffic areas.
can also jazz up these machines with relevant information to educate the public. you can also select which approved charitable organization you want to donate.
hopefully, this will eradicate suspicions and doubts.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I don’t think NKF can be considered a “middle man” or “collector”, since its NKF themselves that handles the dialysis machines and admisters help to those requiring treatment. So even if mobile donation machines were placed for donations, it still goes to NKF, who ultimately will still mishandle the funds.
Its the management board, management practices and transparency that should help guide the charitable organisations into being the non-profit organisation that they should be.
I wanted to say let the government handle charitable work… but with the recent happenings in the public sector, that would be suicidal.
So yeah, I also do not have a viable solution to offer. Then again, i’m not paid peanuts.
July 21st, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Agree with above. No matter how its collected, anything can still happen before the money reaches the needy. And he pointed out something that I’ve also noticed. Everytime one of these criminals fall, a PAP approved yes man is installed. The PAP creep is ever growing. Resistance is futile! Assimilation is inevitable!
July 21st, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Profit-Oriented = Inhumane.
As charities gets more concerned about its profits, its humanity will decrease.
We really need to revisit the 1800-1900 period and rediscover the true meaning of philantrophy.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
Perhaps we need more philanthropic organisations over charity organisations, the sort which serves to assist the needy altruistically in place of selfishness.
b.