Charity
The NKF business has been talked to death, and I have nothing new to offer, only to say that the real issue here is not how much money one makes, but how they make it -- Zen|th and mr brown are right on the money in this case (pun intended).
(Of course, it never helps when people who you'd expect to have more tact than that to refer to $600,000 as peanuts.)
It looks like NKF's loss is KDF's gain, with more people likely to channel their contributions to the latter. But here are another two organisations that you may want to take a look into:
Handicaps Welfare Association
I recognised some people when I tuned in to the President's Star Charity show a year or two ago, so I think they might receive some funding there. Unfortunately, I am unable to find a complete list of beneficiaries to confirm this. Nevertheless, if the NKF saga has left you paranoid about all 1900 calls, you can donate to them directly. The website is pretty comprehensive, and they really do a lot of good work there. Definitely no gold taps, unless the gold is buried under all that rust!
Apex Day Care Centre for the Elderly
My dad used to be on its board, and I'm pretty sure if there's $600,000 hiding in the house, I would know. They really do this for the elderly -- voluntarily -- on top of their own full-time jobs. Singapore has an ageing population, does anyone remember that? The nuns who serve the elderly work there until the day they die, and they refuse to take more than $4 a day (for transportation). Yes, $4 a day -- less than the minimum donation of $5 of the 1900 calls these days.
Donation to these two organisations may not be as convenient as making a phone call, or a monthly Giro donation, but I'm pretty sure making out a cheque to them will do the job.
That being said, I think we need to keep in mind there is never any guarantee that funds won't be misused. To terminate future donations to NKF is one thing, to ask for refunds -- how do I put it? -- I understand the indignance, but that's just part and parcel of what we call "life." Sometimes, there are no "refunds"; others abuse our trust, but we have to remember that we're not accountable for their mistakes.
All we can do is to be more discerning in where we put our resources. If you want the 100% assurance, don't donate. Keep all of the money; volunteer your time instead.
(Of course, it never helps when people who you'd expect to have more tact than that to refer to $600,000 as peanuts.)
It looks like NKF's loss is KDF's gain, with more people likely to channel their contributions to the latter. But here are another two organisations that you may want to take a look into:
Handicaps Welfare Association
I recognised some people when I tuned in to the President's Star Charity show a year or two ago, so I think they might receive some funding there. Unfortunately, I am unable to find a complete list of beneficiaries to confirm this. Nevertheless, if the NKF saga has left you paranoid about all 1900 calls, you can donate to them directly. The website is pretty comprehensive, and they really do a lot of good work there. Definitely no gold taps, unless the gold is buried under all that rust!
Apex Day Care Centre for the Elderly
My dad used to be on its board, and I'm pretty sure if there's $600,000 hiding in the house, I would know. They really do this for the elderly -- voluntarily -- on top of their own full-time jobs. Singapore has an ageing population, does anyone remember that? The nuns who serve the elderly work there until the day they die, and they refuse to take more than $4 a day (for transportation). Yes, $4 a day -- less than the minimum donation of $5 of the 1900 calls these days.
Donation to these two organisations may not be as convenient as making a phone call, or a monthly Giro donation, but I'm pretty sure making out a cheque to them will do the job.
That being said, I think we need to keep in mind there is never any guarantee that funds won't be misused. To terminate future donations to NKF is one thing, to ask for refunds -- how do I put it? -- I understand the indignance, but that's just part and parcel of what we call "life." Sometimes, there are no "refunds"; others abuse our trust, but we have to remember that we're not accountable for their mistakes.
All we can do is to be more discerning in where we put our resources. If you want the 100% assurance, don't donate. Keep all of the money; volunteer your time instead.
posted by Laughingcow at 4:55 pm
2 Comments:
An interesting critique, especially in the last paragraph. I think most have failed to notice the number of Singaporeans who sought "refunds" for a supposed act of charity, like cinema-goers demanding their money back when fire breaks out in the theatre. :)
... And the people who asked for a refund on their air ticket when they were on their way to Indonesia when the tsunami occurred and they had to turn back. =\
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