It’s quite clear that many people in South Africa actually want to make a difference but are not sure how. Most of us don’t have as much time as we’d like to but we do have some money, some of us have plenty of time but no money, some of us have a specialised skill and others are just happy to do some heavy lifting for others. So this blog is a starting point for those of you who want to do something but aren’t sure what you can do. Let’s call it action tips for dummies.
1. If you have money, but no time you can donate money. This is a) good for organisations and NGOs many of whom run on external funding that can at times be prescriptive and limiting and b) good for your taxes and c) good for your mental health. Money really doesn’t buy you happiness, but it can buy someone who’s hungry lunch or help a school to get computers for their kids. If you want to look for causes to donate to there are literally millions and this can be overwhelming. Two really great starting places are The Greater Good Campaign and the Prodder Directory. The Greater Good allows you to match your time/money to an organisation’s need. They list their needs, you fill them in any way that you can. It’s very simple to register and you’ll be surprised how many organisations in your area there are. The Prodder Directory is more like a telephone directory of all the NGOs in South Africa. If you have a particular area of interest, whether it is the environment, women’s rights, children’s needs etc, you can search using those fields by clicking on the “Advanced Search” tab at the top of the page. It will then take you to a list of NGOs and civil society organisations that you might be interested in funding and voila, you’ve taken action.
Individual NGOs also have donation pages on their websites. For example, The Rape Crisis Cape Town Trust has the 1 000 hearts campaign which you may have read about in Marie Claire. Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN) has a donate here button on its home page. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) is always looking for donations and it’s very easy to do it. These are just organisations that are close to my heart, and there are many more that you can choose from. It’s really simple. You’ll be amazed what a little bit of money can do.
2. If you don’t have money, donate your time. This is the trickier of the two options because somehow getting up early on a Saturday to do “charity work” always seems like work the second time you do it. The first time you are always bubbling over with joy and excitement and afterwards you feel incredibly proud of yourself too. However, when the alarm goes early the following Saturday morning, that feeling can quickly ebb away. You need to be realistic with yourself about how much time you have to offer, and how often you’d like to offer it. What’s great about most organisations is that they ask you to be specific so that you don’t feel guilted into doing more than you’re able to.
Some great examples of places to donate your time include The Greater Good Campaign which allows you to specify where and when you’d like to work, The Upliftment Programme which basically just needs your time to play with kids and bring joy to their lives and the One Man Can Campaign led by Sonke Gender Justice which allows men who are committed to a South Africa without gender-based violence to speak out against it.
3. If you have a special skill and some free time, share that skill. You’ll be amazed what a little bit of skill sharing can do for both you and the person who learns something from you. Teaching another person to do something can be extremely fulfilling and often, we don’t realise the huge amount of skills that we have. For example, most of you got up this morning and turned on your computer, started working away (or checking your email/facebook/twitter) without even thinking about it. Most of us have known how to use a computer for ages, and you don’t realise how many people don’t share this skill. Ask your domestic worker if she’s ever used a computer and if she’d like to learn. If you have another skill like painting or crafting or something that you can share, share it. It may allow the person on the receiving end to earn a little more money, and may encourage them to share the skills they have with you.
Unfortunately an unequal society means that we’re in a great context at the moment for making change in other people’s lives. It’s not always as hard as we make it out to seem. It can be easy. Just give it a try.
You can help with education by passing on print outs of a free email education newspaper to people without access to the internet. Visit http://www.learnthenews.com
brilliant !!!
Now that was constructive – well done.
It is amazing how good you feel donating your time to a cause that needs it. I volunteer at the SPCA on the weekends, and yes, the second time around it was a bit of a drag…but the third and fourth etc were just as fulfilling as the first time, if not better. It’s also important to realise that you make a committment, so you have to follow through whether you feel crappy, its raining, you’re hung over etc…
Its also contagious, so the more you talk about it the more people become interested and all of a sudden there are four of you walking the dogs and enjoying each others company at the same time. Also a really good way to celebrate an occasion is to arrange a get together at an organisation that needs help, a friend of mine decided that for his birthday he was going to spend the day volunteering at an animal shelter and if we wanted to spend the day with him then we had to go there. it was fantastic and made us all want to go back. That’s how i became involved.
Spread the word. Make it a fun thing and then you will want to give your time. It makes a difference to you and the organisation.
Jennifer, I don’t agree with most of your articles.
However, I must say that this one is a nice initiative and a break from the norm. Although not new, it gives South Africans food for thought and that coming from our somewhat erstwhile media.
Thank !
Could not agree more there is so much for people to do! Also just be a bit more generous to your local car guard, till packer, waiter or petrol attendant- you can help to uplift everyone!
Great piece!
I’m coming back tomorrow to see how many comments there are here. I can almost feel the vacuum…
Thank you Jennifer for these two sites. What a wonderful blog after the moan you had yesterday as so many of us want to help and have skills and just don’t know where we can actually slot in without money for example. TIME is more precious than money as I’ve realised since I got older and my children all live abroad. Volunteering your time to children whose mothers work for you in your home or even reskilling or newly skilling someone who has been stuck doing things they hate gives others a better attitude. I missed out on so much of that when my own children were growing up and enjoyed teaching English to challenged children until physically I couldn’t manage the marking anymore. My YS worked incredibly long hours as an attorney but he made time every weekend to go into Soweto and teach Biology and Business EC to 2nd language speakers because he speaks an African language. This is what we need to be doing on this forum. Thank you again.
YES! Awesome – if everyone could support just one cause in some way.. magic. Its so simple – it could even be buying a ‘Big Issue’ every month (I think its only in Cape Town & JHB though The Big Issue). It all helps.
Now all those angry bloggers with enormous chips on their shoulders, Black and White, do something useful instead and see how it makes a difference: to those you assist + yourself.
Great blog, hope everyone reads it
Brent
Beautiful article!!!!
Fathers-4-Justice is a good cause.
http://www.f4j.co.za
I would love to help at the SPCA, but cannot see how I would survive emotionally. At any NGO, for that matter. In that respect I would rather donate. I don’t know about elsewhere, but in Pretoria, Sungardens Hospice runs major shops where they sell anything from books to secondhand PCs. Instead of throwing away something rather donate it to them.
Every little bit helps. Such a cliche, but TRUE!!
Not all the volunteer work available is heartrending. Most libraries have support groups, Friends of… who raise funds to amplify the official budget. Volunteers man the bookshops, read to kids, help members find books in the new systems etc. Friends group support parks, orchestras, schools…
@jen I agree with you 100%. Make a positive contribution to society, every little bit counts, and the opportunities are limitless. The other thing is seek always to gain a deeper understanding of the whys and wherefores of people’s behaviour especially of behaviour that is socially destructive.
Notice the absence of the resident white supremacists?
Great article Jennifer.
Rape Crisis Cape Town would be nowhere without its dedicated team of volunteer counsellors, community educators and court supporters. The extraordinary efforts of professionals who do pro bono work for us doing what they love and are best at is also enormously strengthening to the organisation. Thanks Jen for punting the 1000 Hearts campaign!
Great article! What a pity FreeSoul says “Notice the absence of the resident white supremacists?” …. wonder what that says about FreeSoul
I have been giving a lot of time to community acticities: such things as helping kids (of various races) with their studies; nature conservation etc.
I, for one, will not donate money to any charity unless I know who controls it. The Cancer Society was a good example of just how immoral people can be when put in charge of even a charity.
@FreeSoul: Are you sure you are not Dave Harris? In an article as innocent as the one above, all you are interested in is where the “white supremasists” are. I am as white as they come but do not consider myself as superior to others.
Why not rather give us some constructive ideas of where we can be of assistance? We might just be able and willing to help!