Technical Thursday - 9.26
Gah. I'm incompetent at life apparently. Kuma here, late, no excuses other than forgetfulness and no computer on Monday. But I want to follow the form, so four Thursday posts it is!
Community - Part 4/4
So. I've got nothing really. No coding advice other than read through carefully. No life advice other than the be adventurous without being reckless. I could talk web design or appropriate design but I don't want to.
Instead I'm gonna talk about giving back to the community, how to do it, and how to not be a jerk about it.
I hate charities. I hate them because all of the not-for-profit work and research I did when learning how to be an accountant made me see how grossly they misspend donations. It is sickening.
Conversely I was a Lion's club assistant for 10 years, I've done four builds with Habitat for Humanity, I've helped build "Community" gardens in three different areas and I like donating my time and skills to appropriate causes. I've done walks as well but only to represent other interests so I can't say much about that.
I understand that time is precious. I understand that there are times when you can't give your skills or your time to do something for a charity. It is very, very, very time consuming. Rewarding, yes, but a massive and inconvenient time sink.
Fair enough. Here are some things I, Kuma, think that everyone should do before they throw money at something.
Do some research. Grab the financials for your not-for-profit of your choice, and check how much is spent on administrative vs programming and check the notes to see if they have explanations as to why. If 80% of their donations go to administrative.... I'd think twice about giving them money.
Do your research. Not all organizations presenting themselves as charities are not-for-profit. That is a Iegal definition with a very specific set of requirements. I can call myself a charity, but that doesn't mean I'm a not-for-profit. I'm not going to name names, because this isn't the venue, but a little digging is all you need. Ask a manager, or check their filings (public! not-for-profits have to file a specific type of tax filings)
Look on the internet for a way to donate your skills in other ways. I was on reddit a while back (I have to stay away or I get sucked in, I'm weak ; ; ) in the DIY/Woodworking sections and one of the new posts was a man in Africa talking about building an amphitheater. I've never built an amphitheater but I worked in theatrical productions, I'm pretty good with tools, I understand the concepts involved in large outdoor construction projects and I have a firm grasp on managerial concepts. I also was interested. I wrote him a rather lengthy response and he was very grateful for my assistance. There are all kinds of people around who want advice on something and the internet makes it so damn easy. Sure, I don't get a tax writeoff for it but w/e. That's not what giving is about.
Start in your backyard. That's a personal preference but really....it was hard for me to walk through the ghettos in NYC and reconcile some of my charity work with the shit that was in those areas - and I lived three blocks away with my affluent, if distant, father. I could have done better. We could have done better. I will remember until my dying day that shithole. I will remember until my dying day the legless vietnam vet begging for food outside of a Borders who was gone when I came back from the grocery store with a loaf of bread - too slow. I am displeased with my efforts in both of those cases, so now I try to do better when I can. Working in a church garden was far more satisfying for me, personally, than doing hours of clerical work for HfH in Florida.
Get organized or look for organizations. My college sponsored students on a trip to do HfH builds in rural as fuck Kentucky. Every student who went had an amazing time and they did good work, for people who needed help. That trip needed advisors and supervisors as well, and most likely the community members could have joined in on that and tagged along. It wasn't about the school, it was about doing some good works.
Alright. Sorry if that was preachy and you didn't like it. Sorry if I offended you, it wasn't my intent. I have a complicated relationship with charities, but doing good is never bad. I'm proud of everyone who can give up something of theirs for no reward. That is truly, in my eyes, one of the most honorable things you can do.
Volunteer. Donate responsibly, smartly. Give freely your knowledge to those who need it. Make the world better. I believe we can do it.
Edit:
Couple of quick notes. This is general advice mixed with personal opinion. Please don't spam me with things saying I'm wrong. That's counterproductive and I don't really care. Second, I know and love some people from Kentucky. That doesn't mean that there aren't some serious backwoods areas there. Not slamming the state or rural areas - I (Kuma, AKA Ned) lived most of my life in the sticks. Similarly, I've had lots of great experiences in NYC and other cities. Finally, if all you can do is donate money, that's fine. I'm not denigrating that. I don't do it personally, but that's my opinion. Do what you can. I do recommend some very basic detective work on bookkeeping. If you want more specific details on how to do that, I'll write about it for another Technical Thursday and outline the steps. Let me know at [email protected] if that is a topic that interests you.
Oh, also, Auston had no input on what I said here and this is NOT INDICATIVE OF AUSTON'S OPINION. I don't know what he believes. Charity is personal and we haven't talked about it. I don't have a stance on corporate charity, I don't think he does and Too DX as a company doesn't have one. That is all. Keep any disagreements leveled at me please. Thank you kindly.