Article published in Businessline May 05,2008 in the section called "The New Manager"
Give from the heart
Charity must come from the heart, not just the pocket
To fulfil their corporate social responsibility, companies need each one of their people to understand and assimilate the concept of giving back. After all, a company’s heart is its people. A set of socially responsible individuals is the most important ingredient in a company aspiring to present itself as socially responsible. Is Charity the answer?
Many famous and not so famous people assuage their conscience by associating with events and galas presumably as a charitable gesture. They are visible at fashion extravaganzas, dance performances, music concerts and all kinds of events, all in the name of charity. I understand that people sometimes do this in order to highlight certain causes. Mohammed Yunus, founder of the Nobel Prize winning Grameen Bank, however says: “What all these pop stars and politicians want is the usual recipe: charity. But charity is not the way to help people in need; it is not a healthy basis for a relationship between people.”Categorising charity
Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon was a 12th century Jewish scholar and physician who wrote a code of Jewish law in which he organised the different levels of charity (called tzedakah) into a list from the least to the most honourable. The lowest forms are:
Donations that are given grudgingly. For example, schools send out notices about their efforts to collect money for disaster relief. Some parents then give because of the perceived pressure that such notices bring.
Giving directly to the poor on being asked. This often happens when some people come with their receipt books and ask for donations for the disabled, refugees, old age homes and so on. The highest form of charity according to this code is one that helps to help sustain a person before they become impoverished. This is the most unfashionable way of providing charity and can be done by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, by extending a suitable loan, by helping people find employment or establish themselves in business or any other way as well. This makes it possible for them to become financially independent. In a spontaneous show of generosity after the tsunami of 2004, people flocked to give their old and tattered clothes and used the occasion to clear up their clutter to such a degree that some aid agencies had to ask them to stop such ‘contributions’. We need to contribute in accordance with the needs of the recipients, the caretakers/aid workers and work in harmony with them. They are in the best position to judge this. We cannot expect them to be happy with just random items that we give them. Charity Time
Many corporations have trusts that are not for profit and are involved in improving the lives of the under-privileged.
Nevertheless, to touch more lives, companies should focus on ‘charity time’ spent by their people, in addition to setting aside sums of money to be spent on charitable causes. President Jimmy Carter builds houses with his own hands under the umbrella of an organisation called Habitat for Humanity. Mohammed Yunus set out on an unfashionable and difficult path by turning charity into a partnership rather than a throw away gift. There are numerous such organisations, albeit not as famous, which are led by eminent professionals. Companies should lend their people for 6-12 months to these dedicated organisations which can harness this resource effectively. People on the bench can be used in a truly noble manner if there is a partnership between profit making corporations and these non-profit entities. When I was in college, we had a National Social Service scheme. We got extra marks for being involved in it. It even counted towards cut-offs for entrance exams. Public sector banks have a rural posting requirement. To have an even distribution of services, officers had to serve in a rural area if they wanted to get promotions. While the implementation of these ideas is riddled with gaping holes, the direction is right. Companies can institutionalise this aspect by giving visible credit for social involvement. Social awareness and willingness to give can be as important a factor as a degree from a premier institute,Straight from the heart
Merely giving things does not constitute charity. Most young people feel more empowered by giving their time to charity rather than their money, which is quite limited at that age, and they probably achieve more than those who simply give away things. Bob Hope, one of the best-known Hollywood comics, said, “If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” Charity has to come from the heart, not just the pocket.