Money where their Mouth is

Whether your altruism is prompted by a large-scale tragedy or just oldfashioned goodwill, you should always carefully evaluate the organizations that will benefit from your hard-earned cash.

You want to be sure the money being donated is actually going to the purposes promoted by the charity, as many nonprofits spend a substantial portion of their donations on fund-raising, salaries and other administrative expenses.

A good relief appeal should define what special need or service the group is filling or providing, says Weiner. Even a newly-created organization should be open about why it was created, what niche it hopes to fill and how it plans on spending contributions. “If they don’t have a plan, it may be a sign of good intentions, but bad management. It may not be evidence of fraud, but it may indicate whether the donation will be used effectively,” said Weiner.

Charity watchdog groups, such as the National Charities Information Bureau and the Council of Better Business Bureaus, can tell you more about the

spending habits of individual organizations. Generally speaking, their guidelines demand that at least 50 or 60 percent of donations received by a charity goes directly to the cause being promoted, though 70 percent is ideal, says Langan.

Some smaller charities may not be evaluated by this watchdog group, but you can do your own homework. Charitable organizations are required to provide anyone who asks a copy of their most recent Form 990. The form includes the information about their budget and plans.

A charity has the right to charge a “reasonable” copying fee if this document is requested, so don’t be surprised if the group asks for a few dollars in exchange.

Charities with gross income less than $25,000 are not required to file a Form 990, but you can check with the help of your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the organization.

(From http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/)

4Answer the following questions referring to the text above:

a)What problems can people come across while donating money for some charitable purpose? Why is it necessary to evaluate the organizations people donate money to?

b)What kind of information should ‘a good relief appeal’ contain?

c)What is the function of charity watchdog groups in controlling the process of donating money to the cause being promoted?

72

d)What information should be presented in the so-called Form 990? Is it obligatory for all organizations to have such a document?

5 Can you explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations mentioned in the passage? Make up sentences with these words and word combinations.

altruism non-profits

charity watchdog groups Form 990

hard-earned cash fund-raising contributions

6 Fill in the correct word from the words in the box below. Use each word only once.

	goodwill	large-scale		fee	newly-created
	administrative		hard-earned		organizations
	intentions		charity	special		substantial

1.……… need or service

2.old-fashioned ………

3.……… portion

4.……… cash

5.a ……… organization

6.a “reasonable” copying ………

7.a sign of good ………

8.charitable ………

9.the purposes promoted by the ………

10.……… expenses

11.a ……… tragedy

73

7Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups:

Is it possible to

control money flows? Is it possible to avoid misuse of

given?

What charitable organizations do you know that exist in your country? What are the procedures when making donations?

Do problems of the same kind exist in the country where you live? What measures should be implemented to control the situation and prevent the society from being cheated by various charities?

8Role-play the following situation with your partner:

Imagine that one of you is a charity fund manager and the other is a very curious person who is going to donate a large sum of money for charitable purposes. What is going to win: curiosity or professionalism?

9 Answer the following questions and share your ideas with your group mates:

1.What social group of people would you donate or give money to?

2.Have you given money to anybody in the street recently? If not, do you ever give money?

74

3.Is begging prohibited in your country?

4.Do you often see people asking for money in the streets in your

town or in other towns in your country?

10 Look through the opinions of different people who were asked to express their views on whether they help people asking for money in the streets or not. Analyze their actions and motives and make your comments.

a)“I don’t think it’s a good idea to give money because I’d be really worried that somebody would spend it on alcohol rather than something nourishing… What I think I might do is to buy a sandwich or hot drink or give them something in winter: may be find some old clothes.”

b)“I usually put a couple of coins in a donation box if I’m not in a hurry and if it’s easy to get at the change. I don’t believe in giving money to beggars.”

c)“I never give money to anybody. As far as I’m concerned it just encourages them. I pay my taxes so the state will look after these people. I think it’s sheer laziness. I think they could get up off their bums and get a job if they really wanted to. It’s just that they don’t want to work.”

d) “Well, I don’t mind giving a few pennies to people who are doing something to earn them. I’d rather they actually did something…street artists or someone who is actually playing music; it puts people in a good mood on the way to work.”

e) “I never give money on the street any more. I do give money through my bank to charities that I’m particularly concerned about. Once a month they get money from my bank. And that way I know where it’s going and it also means that you’re giving extra money because of tax relief.”

f) “It really annoys me... these people with their squeezes. I don’t see why I should give money for cleaning my windscreen. I haven’t asked them. I think

75

it’s high time the government did something about it because it really is annoying.”

11 Summarize the ideas discussed above and express your opinion on the question suggested. Use about 120-180 words.

What do you think is the best way to help people who ask for money in the streets?

oWhat things do people do to raise money for charity?

oWhat kinds of events raise most money?

oHave you ever done anything to raise money for charity?

12Look at the headline of the article ‘A Weekend of Charity, Hope and Redemption (The Selfless Side of NBA All-Star Hoopla)’ and say what you think the article is going to be about. Read the first paragraph to find out if you are right.

13Read the article quickly to find out some specific information and answer the questions below:

a)Who are the main characters in the article?

b)What cause is Dikembe Mutombo raising money for?

76

c)What country was Dikembe Mutombo born in?

d)What sum of money is Alonzo Mourning planning to raise on the whole?

14 Now read the article more carefully to be ready to speak on the questions suggested after it.

A Weekend of Charity, Hope and Redemption The Selfless Side of NBA All-Star HOOPLA

There are stories that don’t need an apology playing out this All-Star Weekend, stories that have to do with men who want to be here, stories of charity, humanity and even redemption. There are two stories of heroism unfolding, not of scoring and rebounding, but of using one’s station in life to save lives.

There is no better place to start than with Dikembe Mutombo, the Atlanta Hawks’ center now halfway to his goal of raising $15 million to build a 300-bed hospital in his home country, the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. All- Star Weekend means schmoozing

potential corporate sponsors. It means asking people of means to support, in a tangible way, a project that many in America would hardly give a second thought.

“My target is to break the ground in September,” said Mutombo, whose wife is expecting their second child. “And then it will take 38 months to complete building. It does wear me out, because there is so little time to be a father and to be the best ballplayer I can be, to give something to my people that is important. This is an important thing in my life.

“My parents didn’t have that much, but they were charitable. They served their community. I have so much more than my dad; why shouldn’t I make a contribution?

Africa needs almost everything. The Africa of the future doesn’t look too good when you consider the poverty, the lack of medical care, the rate of AIDS. The human resources have to come together.”

Clearly, Mutombo needs every cent he can get. Still, just before he walked into a media session, Mutombo handed one of his former teammates Mourning a check for $50,000. Why? Because Mourning is also on a mission.

Mourning seeks to raise $4 million to fight focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a degenerative kidney disease that has sidelined him this season. He told his fellow NBA player what he wanted from them: one-half of one day’s pay. He wants to raise $2 million, then will match it by writing a check for $2 million himself.

Once someone asked Mouring, who has lost weight as he continues to undergo aggressive treatment, if he ever wakes up and asks God, “Why me?” Mourning replied with a short sermon.

“How could I have a nerve to ask, “Why me?” he said. “ I don’t have a problem. The people who have to ration their medication because it costs so much – they’ve got a problem. The people who have six days of sick leave a year – they have the problem. They have the right to ask, “Why me?”

“People out there need help. I never asked, “Why me?” I asked, “What do you

77

want me to do now?” I can utilize resources. I can get the best doctors, I can afford the medication. Man, I live in a fantasy world. We work two, three hours a day at the most. We’re getting paid extremely well to do something you love to do. You train your mind and body to ignore the injuries and rigors of your work and you think you’re Superman. I can’t put this in an ice bucket and know the

swelling will go down. This is a reality check”.

Of course, not every story is dripping with that kind of emotion, but these ones need public’s attention.

(By M. Wilbon, Washington

Post Service, 2001.)

15 Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups:

oHow are people in the article helping charity?

oExplain the meaning of the phrase “All-Star Weekend”.

oWhat are the reasons that inspire the main characters of the article to raise money for charity?

16Give a direct translation of the paragraphs underlined in the article.

17Look through the paragraphs of the article carefully and find the words that mean:

a)the act of doing smth. or having a quality that compensates for the faults or bad aspects of smth. (paragraph 1)

b)clear and definite (paragraph 2)

c)to make smb. very tired (paragraph 3)

d)the people living in one place, district or country, considered as a whole (paragraph 4)

e)a particular aim or duty that one wants to fulfill more than anything else (paragraph 5)

78

f)to remove smb. from a game, team, etc. (paragraph 6)

g)a talk on a moral or religious subject, usually given by a priest during a religious service (paragraph 7)

h)to limit the amount of smth. that smb. is allowed to have (paragraph 8)

i)harsh and difficult conditions (paragraph 9)

Make up sentences with these words.

18 Fill in the phrases from the article with the correct word(s) given in the list below. Use the word(s) only once.

corporate sponsors		humanity	to break	a contribution
rigors	human resources		to ration	medical care
to undergo		a second thought		served
1.	to ignore the injuries and ………
2.	my target is ……… the ground
3.	as he continues …….. aggressive treatment
4.	people who have ……… their medication
5.	many in America would hardly give ………
6.	……… have to come together
7.	stories of charity, ……… and even redemption
8.	they ……… their community
9.	why shouldn’t I make ………
10.	schmoozing potential ………

11. when you consider the poverty, the lack of ………

19 Decide whether you agree or disagree with the following statements, give any reasons to support your decision:

79

a)“Whenever a disaster appeal is launched or a charity begins a new campaign, there is one thing you should be aware of - there will always be a celebrity.”

b)“No one doubts the sincerity of superstars who lend their names to worthy causes, and many of them have backed other

campaigns. In most cases they genuinely believe in what they are supporting.”

20Do you know any celebrities who care enough to show real dedication and help out when there is no prospect of money or a photograph in the papers? Give examples.

21You have been asked to organize a fund-raising event. Consider the points below and make a presentation.

1.Who the money is going to.

a.Will it be a local charity?

b.An international organization?

c.Or may be a country or a group of people which is in particular need at the moment?

d.Why have you decided to help this particular cause?

2.The kind of event you are going to organize.

a.Will it be sponsoring sports event?

b.If so, what kind of sport?

c.Or, will it be some kind of cultural event?

d.Maybe a film show or a play or a concert? What will you do exactly?

3.Who you’re going to invite.

a.Are you going to invite any celebrities or local dignitaries?

b.If yes, who, why?

4.The practicalities.

Decide on the date, the time and the venue.

5. Prepare to present your ideas to the class following the structure given below:

a.Nominate a spokesperson.

b.Help the spokesperson to prepare a presentation according to the plan:

80

1.Explain who you are raising the money for and why you chose this cause.

2.Explain what kind of event you are going to organize and why you chose this kind of event.

3.Explain the practicalities.

4.Invite your audience to be generous in their support and answer any questions they may have.

5.Listen to the other groups’ presentations. Which group presented

a)The most original fund-raising idea?

b)The most practical fund-raising idea?

The headline of the article you are going to read is “Charitable appeals policy”. What do you understand by this heading? Try to predict what subject is going to be touched upon in the article. Is there any similar policy that exists in your country? If yes, speak about the major principles and rules of this policy based on your own knowledge and life experience. Be ready to share your ideas on the topic whether it is obligatory or not to have such regulations in contemporary society.

22 Read the article carefully to be ready to answer the questions suggested:

oWhat are the primary purposes of BBC appeals broadcasting?

oWhat is the main responsibility of the Appeals Advisory Committee?

Charitable Appeals Policy

The BBC has always three primary purposes in mind in its broadcasting of appeals.

∙The first is to raise money for good causes and, by extension, to encourage the habit of giving.

∙The second is to provide a service to those members of the

public who are charitably inclined, and to offer

81

authoritative information and guidance on causes that deserve their support.

∙ The third is to give charities an opportunity to raise public awareness of their work.

The policy incorporates the accumulated experience of over sixty years of appeals broadcasting. The following paragraphs summarize its main provisions:

Organizations should be concerned directly or indirectly through preventative work, with the alleviation of human suffering, or they should aim to promote social, physical, cultural, mental or moral well-being.

The policy continues with a list of working principles and rules, as follows:

∙ A charity should have gained or be likely to gain public support.

∙It should be registered with the Charity Commission.

∙It should have attained or have a good prospect of attaining an established track record of charitable achievement and be able to demonstrate financial viability.

∙Charitable work undertaken by certain religious organizations is eligible provided that the funds will be used for the relief of suffering or promotion of physical, mental or moral well-being, that these activities represent a substantial part of the work of the organization and that the benefits from the appeal are available to all sections of society.

∙Educational charities are considered only if their work has some special and additional social interest.

∙Organizations which exist primarily to raise funds for medical or other research should provide evidence that their work is of UK-wide significance and that they have appropriate procedures for ensuring that the research they fund is of the highest quality and is of public benefit.

∙When some serious or major disaster occurs at home and a public fund is set up, a special appeal may be arranged.

(From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policirs/charities/, http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi/docs/community_involvement/)

23 Explain the meaning of the underlined phrases.

82

24Make comments on the following quotation which summarizes the main idea of the appeals policy: “In general, appeals should be restricted to causes which concern themselves with the relief of distress, the preservation of life and health, and the amelioration of social conditions.”

25Point out the two essentials the policy is based on, analyze and comment on the main principles and the rules of the policy.

26Role-play the following dialogue in pairs. Use the words and word combinations underlined in the article to sound more sophisticated and efficient.

You’re a representative of an organization and you would like the opportunity to broadcast an appeal so as to raise money for a certain charitable purpose. Follow the plan suggested to present your views and do your best to reach the aim you have:

a)The sphere of charity and its main priorities.

b)The aims of the project (program) promoted and its specific features.

c)The benefits of the project for the public.

Stand your ground and make your partner accept your arguments. Use the word combinations underlined in the article so as to have a powerful effect on the listener.

83

You’re the representative of a BBC Appeals Advisory Committee. Listen to the representative of the organization that would like their charitable appeal to be broadcasted and find out whether the ideas suggested suit the main principles and rules of the Appeals Broadcasting Policy. Ask any questions to clear up unclear points.

27 Use any sources available (newspapers, magazines or Internet resources) to find the information about celebrities, their participance in different charitable events and their contribution to charitable foundations and causes. You may use the following table while preparing your project work:

Who?	………
When?	………
Where?	………
Motives of the person	………
Social reasons for the	………
charitable cause (event,
foundation etc.)
Results of the charitable	………
activities

28 Write a composition expressing your opinion on the following topic. Defend your opinion using 120-180 words.

84

What is ‘charity’? What person can be called a charitable one? Is ‘being charitable’ a quality people are born with or do we acquire it socially?

Evaluation

1.What have you done in this unit?

2.What have you learnt from it?

3.What did you enjoy about it?

4.Have you any criticisms of it?

5.Have you any recommendations or suggestions for doing it differently?

International Organizations Dealing with Social Problems

“Aid is not charity but a vital investment in global peace and security”.

D. Wolfensohn,

President of the World Bank, 2001

…………………………………………………………………………………………….....

1 Make comments on the quotation given at the beginning of the unit.

2Discuss the following questions in pairs or groups:

85

oWhat international organizations that help people solve their social problems do you know?

oWhat are the main problems these organizations are concerned with?

oGive examples of international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems that exist in the world.

3 You are going to read the passage about the United Nations Organization (UNO), one of the largest international organizations dealing with social, economic and humanitarian problems in the world. Before reading the passage try to recollect the events happened recently in the world that required the assistance and interference of the UNO. What is the role of the UNO in these events? Share your ideas with your partners.

4 Read the passage ‘Organization of the United Nations’ to be ready to answer the questions after the passage.

Organization of the United Nations

The purposes, principles, and the organization of the United Nations are outlined in the Charter. The ultimate goals of the United Nations, according to its Charter, are “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, … to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, … to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.” Its primary purpose, therefore, is to maintain international peace and security.

Other important objectives listed in Chapter 1 of the Charter include developing friendly relations among nations based on respect for the

principles of equal rights and selfdetermination of peoples; achieving worldwide cooperation to solve international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems; respecting and promoting human rights; and serving as a centre where nations can coordinate their actions and activities towards these various ends.

Chapter 6 of the Charter provides for the pacific settlement of disputes, through such means as negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and/or judicial decisions. When pacific settlement fails, the goal of collective security – whereby the security of each member is assured by all, and aggression against one would be met by the resistance of all – underlies the provisions in Chapter 7 for coercive measures, including economic and

86

military sanctions, against an aggressor. In practice, however, collective security has been extremely difficult to achieve. During the Cold War, collective security was replaced by peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy. In the post-Cold War period, appeals to the United Nations for peacemaking purposes increased dramatically, renewing discussion about the feasibility of putting into practice the original UN provisions for collective security.

In addition to traditional peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy tasks, the functions of UN forces in the post-Cold War era have been expanded considerably. From 1990 they supervised elections, encouraged peace negotiation and distributed food in many parts of the world.

(From: The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, V. 2).

5 Make comments on the quotation given at the beginning of the unit.

6Discuss the following questions in pairs:

oWhat are the main principles and objectives of the UNO listed in the Charter?

oWhat are the main ways that UNO uses in order to fulfill its functions and achieve goals listed in the Charter?

oWhat are the functions of UN forces?

7 Look at the words and phrases underlined in the passage ‘Organization of the United Nations’ and explain what they mean. Make up sentences with these words.

8 Read the passage about the importance of child caring in the international contemporary society and fill in the gaps with the prepositions suggested in the box. You may use the same preposition more than once.

by with	under for	in	to	of	at
up

87

To look into some aspects of the future, we do not need projections …1… supercomputers. Much of the next millennium can be seen how we care …2… our children today. Tomorrow’s world may be influenced …3….. science and technology; but more than anything, it is already taking shape …4…. the bodies and minds of our children.

Over 200 million children …5….. developing countries …6….the age of five are malnourished. For them, and for the world …7….. large, the message is especially urgent. Malnutrition contributes ……8… more than half of the nearly 12 million under-five deaths in developing countries each year. Malnourished children often suffer the loss of precious mental capacities. They fall ill more often. If they survive, they may grow ……9…. …10… lasting mental or physical disabilities.

This human suffering and waste happens because …11…. illness – much of it preventable; because breastfeeding is stopped too early; because children’s nutritional needs are not sufficiently understood; because long-entrenched prejudices imprison women and children …12…. poverty.

9 Use additional sources available to find the information about well-known international organizations that are involved in solving social problems in the world. Making your project you may use the plan suggested:

1.History

2.Members, National Committees, regional and field offices

3.Aims and objectives

4.Categories of people they help

5.Problems they deal with

6.Countries they provide assistance for

7.Plans and perspectives of the organization

9. Problems and difficulties the organization comes across

88

10You are going to read the article ‘To Feed a Growing World Family, Fund Science for Farmers’. Look at the heading and try to predict what this article might be about.

11Look through the words that will appear in the article and try to explain what these words mean. What context might these words appear?

malnutrition famine fertilizer underinvestment genetics and genomics philanthropic starvation

12 You are going to read an article where the writer Robert M. Goodman is sharing his ideas on how to solve the problems of poverty and malnutrition in developing countries. Some parts of the article are removed, read the article and fill in the gaps with the appropriate part (A, B, C, D or E). There is one extra part that you do not need to use.

A)And they need access to the best and most appropriate technologies, from modern genetics to organic methods, to serve the needs of farmers and local entrepreneurs who will play the critical roles.

B)But it isn’t enough. What shall we do in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the pressure of population, the underinvestment in infrastructure, the degradation of the environment and the constraints of natural resources conspire to make hunger acute in the coming decades?

89

C)The 19th century’s westward expansion in North America was in part driven by impoverishment of soils in the East. Intensive tillage made possible by mechanization helped create the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

D)All of this growth will occur in the less developed countries, where more than 2 billion people, mostly children, already suffer from grinding poverty, malnutrition, hunger and sometimes famine. In these countries the population will rise from 4 to 7 billion in a single generation. No one has a clue about how these people will be fed.

E)It also will help them be intelligent shoppers for appropriate technologies that enable them to make progress. Today’s situation is much more difficult than the problem the developed world solved in the Green Revolution. Population has doubled and will double again.

To Feed a Growing World Family,

Fund Science for Farmers

Madison, Wisconsin – Obesity and hunger coexist in the United States. Farmers in China rebel against low prices and high taxes. India raises excess grain but leaves its people malnourished in protein. Consumers rebel against genetically modified foods in Europe, where pesticide and fertilizer use is ubiquitous and uncontroversial.

These are a few of the visible issues that swirl around world agriculture today. More profound but less visible an issue is world food security.

World population will grow in the next 30 years to 9 billion.

………………………………1……………………………………

Since 1960, as world population doubled, agriculture has performed a small miracle. For the first time in human history, increasing food production came not primarily from using more land for crops but from advances in science. Any future increases in production will likewise depend upon wise investments in science.

Philanthropic dollars are trickling in – from the Gates, Rockefeller, Kellogg and McKnight foundations, to name a few that work to improve nutrition by funding agricultural research.

……………………………….2…………………………………..

Should we be promoting, as many are, adoption by developing countries of industrialized methods that are failing at home?

I say “no”. We should apply programs that empower the people of developing countries to better feed themselves. Instead of food aid in crises, we should invest for the

90