The Australian public has been extremely generous in its response to the Boxing Day Tsunami appeals conducted by foreign aid non-government organisations (NGOs) but the time has come for the question to be asked -- how much is enough?
On the 26th Fenruary in England, British aid agencies will end their tsunami appeal having, like their Australian counterparts, broken all previous fundraising records.
Prior to this, a number of groups ceased taking money, most notably Medecins Sans Frontieres. Having achieved its stated target it stopped taking funds. However few others aid NGOs followed its lead.
Some aid NGOs in Australia have indicated that they are winding down their appeals or have ceased them. However, they have not made this clear at all. There is still some confusion within the public as fundraising events and advertising continue seemingly unabated. For example, next week there will be yet another tsunami benefit concert and a number of sporting-related fundraising activities
While this desire to continue to help is laudable, the danger is that all of this activity will cut fundraising for a host of local not-for-profit organisations such charities, schools and churches which also rely upon peoples' generosity.
The reality is that the charity dollar is finite and while there is a lack of hard data, anecdotal evidence in Australia indicates that many not-for-profit organisations are already finding it tough going.
The Adelaide Advertiser ("Disasters put charities on a tight rein" 15/2/05) has already reported that several local charities in South Australia are starting to feel the effects of the foreign aid fundraising frenzy triggered by the tsunami. Some charities have admitted that regrettably their own fundraising efforts have suffered due to the public's quite natural desire to help victims of the tsunami.
A similar picture is emerging in countries like the United States, England and Canada.
While foreign aid NGOs do have a responsibility to raise funds for people overseas, they also have broader social obligations, than just their own narrow institutional interests. This is certainly what they have pushed on government and business over the years, so it is not unreasonable for them to practice a little of what they preach.
By any measure, the international response to the tsunami disaster is extremely well-funded.
While it is difficult to keep track of the numbers, it is estimated that amount of money pledged globally is around US$10 billion ($13 billion) from all government, private and corporate sources. The English translation of the Japanese word tsunami may mean "harbour wave", but in the fundraising world of the aid industry the word means "money" and lots of it.
The international director of the British Red Cross Matthias Schmale has noted that aid agencies typically US$50 per affected person, whereas the tsunami appeal generated a staggering US$1000 per affected person.
The Times of London has reported that privately a number of aid NGOs have said that they will be struggling to efficiently allocate the large amounts of money that they have collected.
The Australian public's response to Asian tsunami disaster has been fantastic, but the time has come for all the foreign aid NGOs to close the tsunami fundraising appeals and get down to the business of assisting the tsunami victims get their lives back on track and leave as soon as possible.
If they do not, they do run the risk of their fundraising efforts been seen as less about the needy and more about the greedy.
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