Letters to the Editor
PaigeLeeds
Published Letters: 1
-
Charity is Hard Work
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...And Oprah's Big Give makes it all seem like a cake walk. Which it is, if you've got an O camera crew going around with you. Everyone wants to look good and giving on camera, but it is much harder in real life to get people to give, esp. when your cause isn't well known.
I founded a nonprofit, and I can tell you from experience that even the best ideas, the best services often fall behind flashier, more glamorous "causes" that often make very little impact (or are often funded at a rate that outstrips comparable causes). I've had some success with my organization, but only because of sheer determination and the ability to scrap things together until I could build the organization's services and reputation. Building something from nothing is a hard journey that can't be encapsulated in an hourlong show.
I fear that shows like "Big Give" give Americans a false impression of charitable work, and may set many up for a crushing disappointment which turns them off from charitable work altogether. It would be great if season 2 of the "Big Give" didn't tell the contestants, or those they interacted with, that they were a part of Oprah's show. --They're just being followed around by a documentary crew or some BBC game show (of which there are seemingly thousands). Perhaps, then, you'd get some reality with your charity.