The joy of giving

If you would like to lose weight, fight wrinkles, prevent stretch marks and beat disease, then you need to add charitable giving to your monthly budget.

In 2010, scholars in Canada and The Netherlands gave people an amount of money to share or keep. Not only were the participants who chose to share the money happy, but they were also gladder when they increased the amounts they gave away.

Those who kept the money tended to feel shame, which increased the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Over time, an excess of cortisol manifests in numerous ways, such as weight gain, particularly around the mid-section, thin skin, stretch marks, acne and suppressed immunity. Elevated cortisol levels have also been linked to diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A 2011 study by Ipsos-Synovate found that, while 75 per cent of Kenyans across the country support their immediate relatives financially, only 27 per cent give to charitable causes. It is said that charity begins at home. Does it end there?

Jennifer*, who partners with a children’s home in Nakuru, believes that it does not. “If charity begins at home, then those who are homeless will not receive any,” she says. To her, taking care of relatives is not charity; it is a duty.

BUDGET TO DONATE

Jennifer, who donates Sh5,000 to the home every month, was moved to add philanthropy to her budget about a decade ago. “It dawned on me that were it not for God’s mercy and grace, my life would not have been any better than the lives of the poverty-stricken orphans who roam the streets,” she says. “I did not do anything to deserve a family that could cater for my education and basic needs.”

At first, Jennifer gave between Sh15,000 and Sh20,000. As her bills mounted, however, the mother of one reduced the amount. “In the beginning, I paid the rent in full,” she says, “but after two years I could no longer afford to do so.”

In a country beset with a sky-high cost of living, it is possible that many cannot in their wildest dreams imagine contributing even the reduced amount of Sh5,000 to charity. However, the choice to be generous is more important than the sum that is donated. The participants of the 2010 study were given the equivalent of Sh800.

A few years ago, Koki* quit her job because it required her to spend time away from her daughter. She had hoped to find a more family-friendly position or start a business. However, for months, the single mum’s efforts were in vain. It took the help of her siblings for Koki to stumble onto her feet.

Today, Koki manages a salon at the Coast. Despite her struggles, she has continued to donate the occasional Sh500 to two causes. One is a children’s home in an informal settlement in Nairobi and the other educates a bright and needy high school student. “I have always believed that the hand that gives is more blessed than the one that receives,” she says.

“I could say that I will stop giving until I have sorted out my finances, but there will never be a time when I have arrived,” Koki says. “I need to be blessing somebody at the same time as I am growing.”

An alternative avenue through which we can help meet the needs of the others — and in a big way — is social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship, according to Wikipedia, is “the process of pursuing innovative solutions to social problems.” It does not matter if your organisation seeks to make profits or not; if you are in the business of achieving social change, then you are a social entrepreneur.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

One example of a social enterprise is Adopt-A-Light, which was founded by Esther Passaris, and which since 2002 has lit up highways, streets and informal settlements.

This makes it difficult for thugs to lurk around between dusk and dawn, waiting for people to attack. Another example is Kakenya Center for Excellence, a girls’ school run by Kakenya Ntaiya in her village in Enoosaen.

Through the school, the 2013 CNN Hero is not only addressing illiteracy — only 11 per cent of Maasai girls make it through primary school, but also female genital mutilation, early marriage and gender-based violence. Although a social enterprise has a wider reach than a donation to charity, one must have an entrepreneurial streak in order to run it successfully.

Whether through charity or social entrepreneurship, how are you going to be the answer to somebody’s prayer?

*Names have been changed.

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Tips for charitable giving: What to know before turning over the dough

By Elizabeth Schwinn

Charity experts say you should pick charities and give money before being asked. Not only are you more likely to find groups whose missions matter to you, but your money will go further. When donors give money in response to a fund-raising appeal, only a portion of the gift goes for the charity’s mission, according to the American Institute of Philanthropy. The rest will be spent on the cost of the appeal.

Here are some other tips to help make sure your money is well spent.

1. Give to groups you know

   It’s not always possible, of course, but experts say it’s the best thing to do. “If you know the organisation and their work, you will have some degree of confidence that your gift will be put to good use,” says Dan Moore, vice president of public affairs for GuideStar, an online source of financial information on charities.

2. Understand the group’s work

   Charities tackle problems in different ways. For example, groups that try to lower the rate of teenage pregnancy may do so by teaching sex education, by promoting sexual abstinence or by offering programmes that aim to build self-esteem among teen girls. “You want to give a gift that’s addressing a cause that tugs at your heartstrings in a way that best addresses your needs,”  says Moore.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

   Charities are required to provide information about their programmes and expenses. Start with these questions: How will my gift be spent? How many people did you help last year? In what way? If you don’t get adequate answers, don’t give anything.

4. Find out about expenses

   Even if the charity is a good one, you might feel cheated if you later find out that most of your gift went to pay the people who called you up and asked for money, or to pay the salaries of the group’s top officers. In general, efficient groups will spend at least 65 per cent of their funds on the causes they support, says Laurie Styron, an analyst with the American Institute of Philanthropy, which rates charities for donors.

5. Think twice before giving to a university or hospital

   While worthy, these institutions are also the heavyweights of the fundraising world. For example, Harvard University’s endowment, the amount of money it has tucked away in savings, now stands at more than Sh2.3 trillion ($25 billion). Meanwhile, other groups often struggle to raise enough to keep going. Such groups may not have the resources to solicit funds from you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t appreciate your gift and make good use of it.

6. Volunteer

   This can be a great way to get information about a charity before giving money. Hands-on experience will tell you how well-managed the organisation is and how effectively it accomplishes its mission.

7. Protect yourself.

   Don’t give out credit card or personal information in response to phone, e-mail or door-to-door appeals: They may be fraudulent. If giving online, locate the charity’s website yourself rather than linking through an e-mail. 

Adapted from NBCNews.com