Respect, Not Pity - The End of Charity

Hi,
I strongly believe in Respect based Giving that involves or at the very least understands the needs and views of the people in need. A great deal of charity is too far removed from the people in need, particularly in the corporate sector. Projects that I have been involved in were art based where I travelled with Children in Crisis (www.childrenincrisis.org.uk) to Russia and the Tibetan Plateau to facilitate street children and nomad children in the creation of oil paintings and bronze sculptures, the results were exhibited and auctioned. The objective was to give a personal voice to the children in crisis.

I work as an Ideas Consultant in the Microfinance and Investment Banking Sector, my services include Executive Coaching, Strategy Planning, Product & Campaign Development and Global Training programs.

Here are some additional fundraising ideas that I have promoted, some more practical and inclusive than others:

The Global City Rickshaw Marathon 2008 - where 12 major capital cities participate in a 15k rickshaw marathon, with sponsoring participants pedaling the rickshaws that hold people in need passengers, e.g. the elderly, children with cancer and so on. Each rickshaw would represent a particular cause and promote its campaign. This would be a truly inclusive global event that would draw attention to both the conservation of the planet and respect based giving.

4 An Educated World - Digital Radio Based Education - While we are waiting for computer/mobile technology to be universally available at an affordable cost, there could be a mass distribution of digital radios to facilitiate basic education around the planet. Orgs like the BBC and PBS could provide some of the content etc.

The 1% Global Microfinance Fund (GMF)- Where every client of microfinance has the option to save 1% of their interest owed to the lender into the GMF which then underwrites the expansion of lending throughout the world and contributes to covering the risk. The fund would be managed commercially and like a mutual, each contributor would be a stakeholder. Banks can come on board but would have an equal standing to smaller stakeholders. This would create a new form of 'trading out of poverty and adversity'. Once the infrastructure was in place it could expand its services to include insurance, health and pension products. This idea requires the investment and support of the major foundations and financial sectors.

I celebrate this Giving movement and the inspirational work of the Clinton Foundation and look forward to reading other people's stories and ideas.

Contact info: margotfwilson@aol.com