Charity

Like last year too, I have enrolled myself as a part of the corporate team for the Mumbai Marathon. Besides the fact that I have a chance to participate in the marathon itself, it gives me an opportunity to contribute to the funds that would be donated for charity by the firm.

The new thing this year is that the participants are also required to take a few pledges from the general public and collect donations for a charity of their choice (In my case the employer decides, and I dont disagree!).

I had a few apprehensions. This was like my experience as a Boy Scout. I would take part in collecting money for charity. Or the time in Sanvedna where we collected money for the disadvantaged children!

The corporate environment has its own challenges when it comes to requesting for donations. First of all, the fact that I have to request those people to donate whom I work with is a tricky situation. Asking is not the problem. The problem lies with their discomfort. Since it is for a noble cause, most people cannot be seen to be not donating. Hence, many of them feel compelled to pay. While the money is important, my thoughts are that any money that is not given from the heart should not be collected.

I try to ensure that people do not feel compelled to pay up. I throw the idea across and then gauge the enthusiasm. If there is no enthusiasm, I do not pursue the matter any further. In fact, I make it a point to request only once. Only if the person has shown a strong desire to donate would I get back to them.

Another thought is that people judge others based on their donations. I have had instances of people commenting on the amounts donated by others. Personally, I believe that it is the thought that counts. Another point to take cognizance of is that we are unaware of their participation in money and/or kind in other charitable causes. They may make it a point to have a token gesture to participate.

I made it a point to explain whatever that I could with regards to the Non-Government-Organization (NGO) that the proceeds would go to. The NGO in question is one named Magic Bus. I explain all the work that it does for the children and how we as a firm have been associated with this NGO for the past 2 years. It is important for people to realize that the money that they are donating is going into the right hands. I do not blame them for that as I would probably have done the same.

Anyway, there has been a notable collection of INR 5000/- (and counting) as of now! I have a total of 20 or so pledges. And I am yet to add my money to this! :)
It feels nice that a lot of people have donated!
I used a different strategy from the others. Instead of mailing and requesting others, I gathered the attention of a group of individuals and addressed them. This gave me a better attention span. Having explained the basic process, I would wait until the individual showed some enthusiasm!

On a personal note, I realize that I am 1500/- INR away from matching the person with the highest contributions that was cited in the booklet that we were given!
That sure is great going!