Trends show that individual giving peaks every time it’s a loved one’s birthday or anniversary in the family. This type of charity achieves multiple purposes:
1. It makes you feel good, driving home the feeling of having done the good deed for the day on your special day.
2. It goes a long way in establishing your relationship with the organization you give to. In all likelihood, you will give to the same organization the next year too. And especially, if the charity has been diligent in keeping you informed on its activities.
3. It actually helps the organization further its cause.
Recently, we had a beautiful case of giving at Akshaya Patra, which we’d like to share with you. Not only does this episode prove that such giving need not be restricted to family occasions, but it demonstrates that giving transcends all barriers.
Naveen, one of our relationship managers, got a call one morning from a potential donor who stated that there had been a breavement in the family, and they would like to make a donation in the name of the deceased one.
As is often the case, Naveen expected that an aged family member had passed away, and the family would perhaps want to feed a few hundred children on an auspicious date. “I was happy to know that he will be supporting our cause, so I went to his home, prepared to explain our vision, mission, our work, and so on,” says Navin. Of course, he was to receive a big surprise when the donor mentioned that they had recently lost their beloved pet – a cat named ‘Prince’ – and that they would like to make a donation in the name of Prince!
Of course, Naveen being the good relationship manager, accepted the amount and presented the receipt to ‘Late Prince’ for an amount that would feed one child for a year.
As a first, this certainly left us surprised! But not before it had also made us wiser on the fact that giving doesn’t really need a reason or a person to be involved… in fact you can give whenever you feel like and as many times as possible.
Thank you Prince for proving this to us!
