Sue's story: One-stop shopping
August 15, 2005
By Cam Tait
It's something donors have grappled with for years: how
to ensure their contribution goes directly where it's needed. Unless
we follow our cheques all the way through the charity's offices, over
to the bank, into the account, and then see it withdrawn by a
specific program so people can use the funds to improve their lives,
we really don't know 100% that our gift goes where we assume it will.
Of course, we trust the charity's board of directors, staff and
volunteers to act in good faith, and for the most part, they do a
very commendable job. So this is, in no way, a criticism of their
efforts.
Then there's Sue's story. Perhaps the reason it is so
compelling is because it combines the contribution of not only
funds, but also time, and sharing an important lesson.
A conversation surfaced recently on a glorious evening. The topic:
people asking for money outside of grocery stores - an image popping
up more and more. Sue took an active approach. Rather than giving the
young person cold hard cash, which could be used in many different
ways, she said she would buy groceries for the person asking for
money. The response was 'thanks, but no thanks'.
A week or so later, Sue was on another grocery run. This time another
person was standing outside of the supermarket asking for money.
Again Sue said no, but offered to buy groceries. Surprisingly, the
young person agreed.
So away they went, Sue and her new friend, down the aisles of the
supermarket. Sue said she could tell the young person really didn't
know a lot about grocery shopping. That gave her a great opportunity
to teach and share some knowledge.
But here's the thing that just might be the essence of the story: Sue
knew exactly where her money was going. Exactly. She didn't have to
worry about administration costs or her funds not really ending up in
the exact program that she wanted. She wanted to buy groceries for
someone who needed them so that is what she did.
Perhaps this also demonstrates a new kind of giving. There were days
when writing a cheque seemed to be all we needed to do. Once we put
the cheque in the envelope, we knew, maybe selfishly, that we didn't
have to worry about it again for another year. Maybe we even
whispered to ourselves that since we gave money we really didn't have
to volunteer within our community. We're told, too, by the pundits
that we live in a world that is increasingly busy, with more and more
demands on our time. That would suggest strongly that we're don't
have the time to share with others.
Sue has shown us otherwise.
She took a problem and turned it into a learning experience. She
mixed two gifts - one of money, the other of time. The result was a
great experience that two strangers will probably remember for quite
some time.
These days we are seeing more and more charities joining hands and
working together. Perhaps we should promote the same model for giving
and volunteering. In this case, it gives new meaning to the term
one-stop shopping.
And we would certainly know where our money goes. Surely, we can find
time for that.
Cam Tait is a sports reporter and columnist for the Edmonton Journal. He covered community investments and volunteers for 19 years. E-mail Cam at cam@charityvillage.com with thoughts, suggestions or ideas.
Opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CharityVillage.com®.
