New Global Citizens Philosophy of Giving

Any way you can give to the fight against global poverty is a step in the right direction. But while there may not be a “wrong” way to get involved, certain methods are much more powerful than others.

You are probably most familiar with an approach to giving that we’ll call the “charity model”: you are presented with images of suffering people in a foreign country and asked to send money or goods to help. In most cases, your involvement ends there, with a donation that provides immediate help for a basic need. While this kind of giving can help alleviate challenges in the short-run—especially in situations such as natural disasters-- there are several problems with this model if applied to all situations.

One-way Giving vs. Reciprocal Giving

In the charity model, a donor usually sends a check to a relief organization working in a developing country. That’s where the relationship stops, leaving the donor with a limited understanding of the situation, and leaving the people receiving the donation without participation or involvement in the process. When the people living in the affected area are not given a say in determining their own needs, the money might not be spent on what is needed most, but instead on what relief organizations coming in from the outside think is best.

The charity model can be patronizing and disempowering to the people on the ground. The recipients of donations are often portrayed as helpless people who are just waiting for our donations. In actuality, people in developing countries are struggling every day to address the issues they face, and creating innovative ways to make the most of their limited means. Social entrepreneurs and local community members are taking the lead to find long-lasting solutions to the problems facing their own communities. Our donations should go to helping the members of the community—the true experts—with what they need and have already put in place. In addition, we in the United States have a lot to learn from people living in situations very different from our own. Our financial donations should reflect a partnership in which parties on both sides of the exchange are “givers” and we respect the unique position of people in the community abroad. They know their social, cultural, political, and environmental context better than anyone coming in from the outside and they know what “aid” would help the most.