A cyber friend recently blogged about the ethics of those charity gift catalogues (such as the world's most useful gift catalogue) from which you can buy a gift for someone you know but in reality the gift goes to a person or community in need (eg goat, medical supplies)while the person just gets a card telling them money has been given on their behalf. These catalogues have proliferated recently, I guess because this is a chance of having some of the money that flows around at Christmas rather than all of it swelling the coffers of multinationals - and fair enough really, on their part. I wrote a lengthy comment and thought I would share it and also expand on it, as it has been something on my mind.
Here is my original comment:
"I have thought about this and I am ambivalent - so much so that I haven't done it. It strikes me that giving money that is NOT earmarked for someone else's gift is more charitable - money you would have spent on yourself. Giving the money you would have given to someone else anyway strikes me as wanting to have your cake and eat it to - to not sacrifice anything for yourself but still be seen as charitable. Perhaps then the card idea is better, though it still has the trumpeting your own goodness thing about it. On the other hand, I expect the people who got the much needed goat or medical supplies, really don't care how the money was given - so if this strategy means more money when it is needed, then maybe it is a good thing. I suspect the better way to do it might be to: tell people you want presents given to you to be charity ones OR to give money you have received as a present to charity (as long as the giver is happy with this). And then I think that it isn't wrong to get some nice gifts at Christmas either - God intended for us to enjoy his creation. So a hard question all told......"
In addition, I would like to say that what prevents me from getting all self righteous about this issue though is that this stategy does see money reach those who desperately need it. And I don't think I give enough to these people. So, when I start do that, maybe I can get self righteous about it! So if anyone does do this on my behalf, I will try to accept the gift humbly and with thanks for those who needed it more than me! though maybe not if it is an anniversary gift from my husband :).
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3 comments:
I agree, asking for others to get these charity presents for you in lieu of stuff you don't really need is a good idea should you be so inclined...not that I'm quite ready to instruct people to do it in my name :P But giving them to others who haven't asked for this type of "gift" - not so great. Apart from anything else, for me, the joy in gift giving is finding or making something that you know will give someone pleasure and I just can't quite see this working in most cases.
I reckon if funds were so limited that I had to choose between charity and indulgent gift giving then the ideal answer would be to get inventive with the gift giving - crafting, cooking, gifts of time (babysitting perhaps) - and use the cash for charity. I don't claim to always live up to my ideals though ;-)
I didn't need very much for Christmas this year, so I happily asked family to give to charity on my behalf, and they have even found gifts that suit me too - gifts of tree seedlings etc (considering I am a botanist).
I agree. I see the charity catalogues as a "gift +" thing, rather than an "instead" thing. If someone asks me to give to charity then I will happily oblige. But I see it as rather selfish and boastful to say "I'm not going to give anything to you this year, I'm going to buy a goat instead. Be happy! See how generous I am!"
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