Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you're well. Finally, I'm back with another challenge. This time, the topic is really interesting: how do we ensure that the money we donate is used wisely?
In Indonesia, there are quite a lot of philanthropic institutions. There are also many programs designed to encourage people to give, whether in the name of humanity or religion. What do I do to better understand philanthropic institutions?
Creating a philanthropic institution is actually quite difficult in Indonesia. There needs to be clarity about the institution and a number of rules that must be followed. However, fraud still occurs. I once encountered a philanthropic institution where the donations weren't properly distributed. In fact, several administrators were given quite high honoraria.
Since that incident, some philanthropic institutions have been looked down upon. Yet, their charitable activities continue. What should I ensure? Every time I donate, I need to check the credibility of the philanthropic institution. If it's a religious organization, I'll check its monthly reports.
Every philanthropic organization sends out monthly reports to those who receive their donations. For example, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) certainly has a philanthropic organization. But, on the other hand, I also have other ways of giving charity. For example, on Blessed Friday, in my religion, Friday is the best day for charity.
Blessed Friday usually takes the form of food. Sometimes, I give money or food directly to those in need. Sometimes, I give it directly to the mosque. Some mosques have their own donation boxes. They summarize the donations each month, including who they gave them to, and what they did. That's the mosque near my house.
Actually, there are various ways to distribute our charity funds. The first is transparency from the philanthropic institution or mosque. What I like in Jakarta is that every Friday, the mosque management reports the charity money received and what it was used for.
So, I have a method for doing charity. The method's main task is to donate to the nearest mosque. The nearest mosque, during Eid al-Fitr, often provides transparency regarding who the zakat money is given to. That's why I donate money to the nearest mosque.
Second, donate my own money. Third, through a credible institution. I already have the data of several philanthropic institutions. That way, I can feel confident giving my money to charitable causes.
To a certain extent, learn transparency. This is a public demand. That's all I can say, what do you think? I hope you share my opinion. See you again. Thank you.
Picture by Nurdiani Latifah
About Author
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I live in Jakarta – Indonesia, and after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I have been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
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