Think Philanthropically

Someone once said that we should act as if what we do makes a difference – because it does.  In the past month or so we have been implored by charitable organizations to make a difference during the holiday season. We’ve been told we need to act with kindness and compassion. But is there ever a time when we shouldn’t be kind?

Two of our local mainstream media networks were loudly promoting the idea of being kind in the season by giving to efforts to help the less fortunate. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. Except every December we are implored to be sensitive to the same complex social challenges that are still very much a reality in January and February. If we only support organizations that assist people in need during the holiday period, do we think we’ve done our part?

“Food insecurity can’t be solved by a random collection of non-perishable food because the challenge is poverty – not hunger.”

I don’t know about you, but personally I found some of the messages that were omnipresent in the past month in the media and on social media just a little bit over the top. Not in a good way. Purolator was running television commercials claiming that they were on the cusp of solving the challenge of food insecurity by collecting little red bags of non-perishable food. Then the commercial cut to a well-scrubbed family of four eating a lovely dinner in a well-appointed suburban home. News flash! The images are nowhere near representative of reality.  Additionally, food insecurity can’t be solved by a random collection of non-perishable food because the challenge is poverty – not hunger. The solution is to do something about affordability, or address the root causes of poverty. Marshaling the resources required to assemble a food basket can help a person who is food insecure manage for a couple of days, but it is actually one of the most inefficient forms of charitable assistance that individuals can undertake.

As someone who works in the community-based non-profit sector and is active in advising senior level policy makers at all levels of government I find it interesting that sensitivity to the 24/7/365 struggles of people who are housed precariously or who struggle every day to simply survive tends to produce a flurry of collective responses in December. Then our sensitivity appears to evaporate as we navigate through the early months of each calendar year. It is also interesting that many of the end-of-year charitable actions that are promoted and glorified are patches that are only temporarily helpful. Furthermore, while our generosity is operationalized during “the season”, we may not feel compelled to continue our support even though the needs we respond to in December don’t go away when we take down our seasonal decorations.

“The needs we respond to in December don’t go away when we take down our seasonal decorations.”

This year I intend to write several columns in The Montrealer about something that I’ve labelled “philanthropic distortion”. Philanthropy is a truly wonderful thing – but it is vulnerable to several forms of distortion. What does that mean? It means that acts that appear to be kind and considerate can be driven by a false premise or can camouflage intentions that are less than generous. There are two sides to this coin. Donors can act with less than well-informed or honourable intentions. Similarly, philanthropic organizations can be less than forthright in their efforts to procure revenues and engage in processes that produce distortion. So…I am hoping that these columns will continue to challenge and inspire all of us as we navigate through what promises to be a very interesting 2025.

Sam Watts serves as the CEO of Welcome Hall Mission  www.welcomehallmission.com  He serves on several non-profit boards and is an appointed member of the National Housing Council of Canada.  He is the author of Good Work…Done Better www.goodworkdonebetter.com

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