Do you donate or help out in charity by accompanying other less fortunate people? Why?

Do you buy greeting cards that are from NGOs? Do you know how much goes to the NGOs?

This is a scanned picture of MAKNA greeting cards sold by Granton, a marketing company:

bigger > MAKNA Granton

For every card sold, 25% of nett sales will go towards 3 deserving charities. ONLY 25% of NETT SALES!

Buying cards, keychains, pens to donate for what? Do you feel like you’ve gotten a great bargain where you thought you gave RM10 for charity and get back cards? Do you think that whatever you give, you expect to get some returns?

If the cards are worth RM10, then you are donating RM2.50 only. RM2.50 for charity? What can you do with RM2.50? Can you buy nasi lemak at mamak? The remaining 75% goes to the cost of producing the cards, marketing, hiring people to sell these cards to you. Oh well, at least you donated a bit.

Another type of donation is to sign up to donate directly from your credit card to charitable and NGO. More about it in Interview for Management Trainee for a marketing company.

So if you really want to donate, please donate directly to the charity bodies. Instead of donating to marketing companies and charities, you’ll be channeling your goodwill to people who really need your help - the charities & NGOs.