When giving goes wrong
Not what was expected
What happens when it all goes wrong and charity does not work out as desired?
Wow. This is a tough one. Givers need to understand that all organizations are run by human beings. Whether through human error or through malicious intent, nonprofits can misuse funds given to them. There is no organization immune to human error. Even the most in depth research may not reveal all things. So how does a donor handle lost impact in a donation?
The Mite Way
We cannot speak for every organization out there, but we can speak from Mite’s perspective. It is our pledge that every mite donated to our organization goes toward the assigned project, to provide the greatest benefit to both recipient and giver. This does not always work out the way we desire or to the level of impact that we desire. It is at these times that Mite covers the costs of an ill fated project through operational funds. This means the failed project is not supported by Miters’ donations. We will assign those mites to be used on a future project. This guarantee ensures that all donors to Mite realize the greatest possible impact from their donations.
Ways to go beyond
We believe that the Mite way is the best way. While that may be true, we certainly do not expect all your giving to be to Mite and we also do not expect every organization to treat your donation as we do. If in your giving experience you come upon a time when your donation does not accomplish what was intended or even promised, we humbly submit the following suggested actions:
First
Don’t let it spoil all the other opportunities you have had or will have to give. One bad experience, or even many bad experiences, should not steal the great benefits available to you through a generous life.
Second
Learn from this bad giving experience. What happened to make it go wrong? What could you have done to prevent it from going wrong? How do you avoid such giving experiences in the future?
Third
Remember that giving is about your heart. The misuse of your donation is not your fault. If your heart was right in giving your donation, you have accomplished what was intended. Do not let its misuse diminish the gift.
Conclusion
All too often negative experiences in charitable giving drive donors way from a fulfilled life of giving. The experiences steal the joy and purpose that come from engaging in charity. If we will learn how to properly handle these mishaps and even how to get past the negative results that may come from them, ultimately the benefit will be to us as donors. There is so much good awaiting us if we will have the courage to overcome those times when engaging in charity failed to produce what we wanted it to do.