Hello, everyone.
I welcome you to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learner's featured post. Gone are the days when givers give and look away because those in charge are trustworthy; today the story is completely different because as a giver, the moment you look away, the money you donated might be channelled towards something completely different or might even be for the personal interest of those in charge. Nothing hurts more than realizing that your actual reason for giving or donating was abandoned and the money used for something else. We now have a world filled with too many greedy people, people who are looking for opportunities to just loot donations and use them for their own personal interests.
These days people no longer want to be givers because when they do so, those in charge will always try to play smart and try to make them look like a fool, which whenever they find out, they tend to feel really hurt and regret ever making donations. So these days, in order to escape that feeling of regret or the hurt that comes with being played, they decide not to give at all and save themselves both the financial and mental stress that comes with finding out your donations were not used for the actual purpose or reason they were actually donated.
The funny thing is that this habit, where a donation is not used for the actual purpose it was donated for, happens even in religious places like churches. When I first gained admission, I was a member of a church (I won't mention the name of the church), and out of the blue they announced they wanted to start community outreach, and members would be giving donations from time to time so the weight would not be heavy on them. So we who had a role like ushering and were really devoted had a particular amount we were asked to pay every Sunday, while other members could give if they had it, and if they didn't have it, it was still fine.
After months of donating and contributing, on the day of the outreach I made sure to take record of everything because those in charge of the outreach were already moving funny and making their greed obvious, to my greatest surprise that day of the outreach we only visited two elderly people gave them 10,000 naira in an envelope, some toiletries and 10 kg of rice and then we moved to an orphanage nearby and did almost the same thing but no money was given and we all went home, thinking maybe another we will continue the outreach but only for those in charge to announce that there was no money left in the purse/account that when ready they will present a breakdown of how everything was spent.
On the day of accounting and giving us a breakdown about how the money we have been donating was spent, the prices they attached to everything were outrageous, and the rest of us insisted that a statement of account be printed because we were there, we saw what was given, and knew how much it should be worth. They cannot just make us look like fools, or maybe we are dumb. After weeks of going back and forth, the pastor was involved, and he forced them to do the needful, and we found out they took out of the money and paid for their own school fee and that of their siblings.
It happens everywhere; you give donations for a different reason, and then your donations are channeled towards something completely different, and when you find out, you tend to be hurt. Like in our case, many who were actually giving these donations have not actually paid their school fees, but those in charge used their money to pay school fees. The only way to make sure that some greedy fellows don't use your donations for something else rather than the actual purpose for which it was donated is to do a thorough follow-up of the money donated, ask for a breakdown from those in charge, and make sure that everything tallies. Don't just give donations and look away, trusting those in charge blindly, as people can be greedy.
In cases like this, follow up is really necessary within the organisers of the donation to make sure the appointed individuals achieve the purpose of the charity work but for others outside the organisation, it is kind of inappropriate for everyone to start seeking evidence of the donation being used, that is like policing them and an act of mistrust.
I believe before we donate for a cause, we should try to vet the organisers first before making any attempt.
You do have a point my boss, vetting the organisers is one way to void the stress of having to police them around.
Thanks for stopping by.
It's very unfortunate how some people don't know what they're bringing upon themselves with that negative act of syphoning funds for the needy.. I like your idea about follow-up. It's sometimes the best way to curtail such ugly habits..
Some people are just greedy and only after what benefits them.
Thanks for stopping.
It is very painful when we find out that the money we have donated is being misused by irresponsible people. It is true, as you said, that nowadays many people are greedy.
Thanks for stopping by..