When thinking about charity, most immediately imagine warm-hearted people who are willing to unconditionally give to help others. Nowadays this term implies much more than that. The International Day of Charity was established with the objective of alerting and uniting people, NGOs, and stakeholders all around the world to support others through volunteer and philanthropic activities. On this special day, we decided to approach several experts who have worked in the charity sector to find out more about it.
Key Takeaways:
- The International Day of Charity, celebrated each year on September 5th, was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012, with the prime purpose being to raise awareness and mobilize charity-related activities all over the world
- According to the latest data, 31% of donors worldwide commit to NGOs and charities located outside their country of residence, while 41% donate in response to natural disasters
- The biggest challenge facing the charity sector today, according to some experts, is insufficient funding.
How would you describe your work in the charity sector?
“I’ve been working in the development field for over 10 years. I’ve been fortunate to partner with charitable and philanthropic organizations throughout this time. They are an indispensable stakeholder in addressing development challenges in many parts of the world. In my experience, these organizations come mainly from the private sector and their actions are part of corporate social responsibility efforts. We’ve worked hand-in-hand in reducing the vulnerabilities of youth to recruitment by gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and extremist groups, and in promoting local development. Through these actions, this sector aims to improve their communities, the economy and/or the environment. They are an invaluable and trusted partner.”
“As the Africa Regional Coordinator for the World Association of NGOs, I am directly engaged with the governance issues and administration of NGOs across countries in Africa, as well as a wide range of networking among key international NGOs.”
What are the key challenges in the charity sector?
“I think the biggest challenge facing the charity sector today has to do with funding. Fundraising is increasingly difficult in times of financial crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic, among other global crises, and the ability of traditional funders from the private sector facing financial challenges themselves is making it more difficult for the charity sector to raise the necessary funding to address increasing demand for services and the immense workload. Despite the dire context, volunteering seems to be alive and well in many places and may provide an untapped valve in addressing some of the recruitment challenges.
“Some of the major challenges confronting the non-profit sector today are the paucity of funds to carry out projects that have a direct impact on people and the environment, the outbreak of pandemics that are restricting the movement of volunteers, and the lack of adequate cooperation by the government”
How does the charity sector impact the international development sector?
“Charitable and philanthropic organizations have proven to be a trusted partner in the international development sector. Working for the welfare of others is their raison d’etre. For them, just as for us in the international development field, every objective met means making the world a better place for a lot of people around the world, especially for vulnerable and traditionally excluded populations. Working in close coordination with the charity sector as well as with a diverse group of other actors should be the bread-and-butter in addressing development challenges.”
“Although it is claimed the world is living in a global village, culture, religion, and environment play vital roles in the impact the services that the charity sector can offer. The international development sector is further hindered by security challenges and threats across nations. Largely, however, this sector has helped greatly in changing the way of life in nations as well as increasing transparency of governance and accountability.”
Can the charity sector be improved? How? Argue your position.
“As mentioned above, the non-profit sector has proven to be a trusted partner in the international development realm. It deserves a seat at the table in terms of decision-making and advocating for social change in many domains. From climate change, youth development, education reform, health reform, citizen security, forced migration, to gender and equality, the philanthropic sector has a lot to give in addressing these social problems. Despite the challenges, actions need to be taken to fix what’s holding charitable organizations back. Since most of this has to do with funding, economic incentives need to be put in place to encourage altruistic donations. In the U.S., for example, tax benefits are essentially only available to the wealthiest 10% of Americans while almost no tax benefits exist for the remaining 90% of the population. Reforms need to be enacted to expand tax benefits for all Americans who want to give money to charities. This scenario plays out in other settings as well. This needs to change.”
“Of course, yes. The reality that the charity sector serves as the last hope of the people is an indicator of the need to sustain it. Given that the sector also accounts for most developments in society, the need to improve upon its activities is not a subject for debate.”
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