I've been thinking lately about what motivates people to give to charities. Are our motivations altruistic or do we do it just to make ourselves feel good? I suppose it doesn't matter why people do it, just that they do!
Conversely why do some people not give? I know some people say they don’t donate because the charities spend too much on themselves. How do people expect them to run without staff or administration? Others believe they don’t have enough money to give. I believe that the majority of people can afford to, they just choose to spend the money elsewhere.
I’ve always been someone that donates. I see natural disasters on TV and the devastation pulls at my heartstrings. People knock on my door and I feel that I should reward them for giving their time to collect. I have lost people close to me to cancer so I always buy merchandise from the Cancer Council. Like many people I choose which charities I will make a larger donation to, but generally if any charity asks I will give at least a few dollars.
Since having cancer my passion for fundraising has really intensified. I have experienced the amazing support services offered by cancer charities and without donations these services would not exist. Furthermore, without donations to cancer research the amazing treatments that are around today would not have been developed.
I live in constant fear of my lymphoma returning. There is nothing I can do to stop this from happening, but I can support research that will help to cure it if it does come back.
I now have a regular donation to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation debited from my account each month, I have participated in World’s Greatest Shave, Light the Night and Relay for Life. I am participating in Relay for Life again this year (click here to donate or join our team).
Without cancer research I would not be alive. I only hope that my donations can help others to say the same thing.
