GreaterGood South Africa

Small is the new big
Monday, November 30th 2009

A recent article in The New York Times (12 November 2009) heralds the everyday donor as philanthropy's newest hero, the driver of a more 'down-to-earth' approach to charity. Whilst the celebrity mega-donors still hold their place on the global stage, now high-profile organisations are focusing on smaller donations and new charities are being organised around the principle of modest giving. South Africa recently acknowledged our own local heroes, Ben and Shirley Rabinowitz as recipients of the 2009 Inyathelo Award for Lifetime Philanthropy. We take a closer look at how 'small is the new big'.

Less is more

From leaving a can of soup on your doorstep, donating one day's salary to a good cause or buying a micro-gift on an online giving website, the small givers are gaining attention for their good works and their willingness to keep giving in tough times.

After a tsunami devastated parts of Southeast Asia, individuals in the United States raised $2.78billion of the $6.2billion raised for relief efforts. The median donation was just $50. The phenomenon of the Obama fundraising campaign further underlines the power of the individual. The 2008 presidential campaign raised roughly $745 million by targeting the individual. The smallest donations were as little as $5.

"We are deluded by the attention paid to the large contributors in our world," says Wendy Smith, author of Give A Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform the World. Smith maintains that: "Small and regular donations are the bread and butter for most organizations."

A simple ask

Among the new philanthropic endeavours to think small is a new charity, called One Day's Wages, established by Eugene Cho, a Christian minister in Seattle. The ask is simple: donors give up a day's income to charity. The idea came to him on a trip to Myanmar, when he visited a school in the jungle. The school's teachers were leaving to take up better-paying jobs in bordering Thailand. He asked a village elder what it would take to retain teachers, and they said about $40 each. Not a week. Not a month. He realized that he meant per year.

Even the big guys are going small

Even big philanthropists can speak the message of smallness. "Just $2, that's all it takes" to buy enough vaccine to give a poor child a much better chance of living to the age of 18, Bill Gates once said. While the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is renowned for its grants in the millions of dollars, it recently launched the Living Proof Project. This initiative intends to demonstrate the impact that investments in global health could have on a micro level. So, for instance, how for mere cents, critical nutrients can be added to baladi bread in Egypt or to the diets of mothers tutored in the value of breast milk.

Local heroes

We have local living proof in the 'bigness of small' in Ben and Shirley Rabinowitz, our very own giving heroes and recipients of the prestigious Inyathelo Award - an accolade recognising their commitment of more than 52 years to helping others.

“Although many South Africans are giving to charitable causes, I don’t think that we’re giving enough.” says Ben. “Everyone can give, no matter how small or how big the donation, or how rich or poor you are. There are many emerging elites and new billionaires in South Africa and I’m yet to see their contributions to society, save for a few.”

Giving is about more than money

Not all giving has to be of the monetary variety, says Ben with a twinkle in his eye. “Giving food, clothes or blankets to a person living on the street or supporting events are all ways in which to help. One can even take a stand against something that can affect your community, like environmental issues,” he points out.

A lifetime of giving

What sets the Rabinowitz couple apart from most philanthropists that donate large sums of money to various organisations and establish funds and trusts, is that the pair are not extremely wealthy. They describe themselves as neither rich nor poor. They have enough to meet their needs.

“There are many avenues to take in order to raise the money needed,” says Ben. “We have often given to those whom the ‘big boys’ have refused to assist. I get really annoyed when people are denied assistance. We’ve taken loans and lived in overdraft in order to do our bit. We also don’t believe in giving money with strings attached.”

Set an example

Recently, they established the Ben and Shirley Rabinowitz Trust, which aims to support access to cricket for disadvantaged individuals and communities. “I can’t emphasise enough how important it is for people to give,” says Ben. “Try to set an example for your children. Your actions can spur others on to do more.”

And at GreaterGood SA, we couldn't agree more.

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