In these unprecedented times, as we all band together to #kitajagakita, it has been heartening to see the willingness of Malaysians to come together to feed the underserved, support local enterprises and generously donate to charities.
If a nation’s greatness is measured by how a society takes care of its weakest, Malaysia should be proud of the many COVID-19-shining moments as we continue to battle this pandemic together. We observed the prominence of NGOs and charitable foundations coming forward to bridge the critical gap of resources and the failure of supply chains. We bring you this guide to assist in any charity-related endeavours to ensure effective and impactful giving.
There is nothing like the chaos and uncertainty caused by an unprecedented pandemic to inspire scammers to prowl for easy prey and in our haste to help the needy, we may overlook warning signs.
If you want to initiate your own fund raising efforts amongst your colleagues and network of friends and contacts, do take note that a licence from the Royal Malaysian Police may be required.
The world witnessed how the pandemic served to magnify the gap between the have-s and the have-nots. Developed countries which have found it acceptable to run 2 spheres of parallel lives, one for its entitled citizens and another for the “others,” have had to learn the bitter lesson that the virus does not discriminate. Everyone bears a risk of infection and the burden of a locked down-life because excessive capitalism earned profits, often at the expense of tragic living conditions of workers. Wealth distribution must be managed better. The time has surely come for poverty to end.
In recognising the disparity in the living conditions of the developed, developing and under developed countries across the globe, many ultra-high net worth (“HNW”) individuals and families have pledged a significant proportion of their wealth and resources to advance philanthropic causes, diverting a not insubstantial part of the family fortune away from their children’s legacy. This is evident in the number of HNW individuals and families who have committed to The Giving Pledge, a movement of philanthropists who commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropic or charitable causes. Most of the philanthropic causes by the HNW individuals and families are focused on causes that have long-term impact on a global scale such as providing the essential medical needs, promoting education as well as eradicating diseases, hunger and poverty in the most vulnerable nations. Amongst the most visible of these charities, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which counts billionaires Warren Buffet and Jeff Bezos as contributors as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Whether directly or otherwise, this seems to be a concerted response to the Noble Peace Prize winner, Professor Mohammed Yunus’s clarion call. He had repeatedly expressed concerns of the serious danger of excessive concentration of wealth and stressed the need for equitable re-distribution. He once remarked that despite the immense capacity of the human brain, we have only ever used it for self-enrichment, rather than to solve real human problems- and how tragic this was.
If you are looking to start fundraising for a cause close to your heart or if you are looking to allocate your available funds in a more structured manner for the purpose you have in mind, do consider the following before you decide on the charity set-up most suitable to you.
Why Choose This Vehicle?
Who Is It For?
Charities not only require funding but more often than not, are in need of contributions in kind for example board participation and professional management. An excellent board of trustees supported by a team of professionals can elevate the charity’s potential exponentially. A good governance structure can greatly improve the perception of the charity and in itself would pave a passage of ease for fund-raising efforts. That being said, perceptions would of course be short-lived if not followed through by accountability, responsiveness and a reporting discipline.
Zain & Co has been privileged to have walked the paths of several charitable foundations which have made it their mission to assist in noble nation-building endeavours including Teach for Malaysia and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, from its earliest steps.
Teach for Malaysia (“TFM”) was inspired by the success of Teach for America and founded to empower our nation through education. We welcomed two ambitious, visionary young men, Dzameer Dzulkifli and Keeran Sivarajah, the co-founders with open arms and took great pride in assisting them with the provision of early advisory, assistance in fund raising efforts and we continue to proudly walk the TFM path. Today, the Foundation is revolutionising the Malaysian education landscape through their belief that 1 teacher can change a student, then a classroom, then an entire school and finally, the entire education system.
Dr Jane Goodall is best known for her ground breaking work in relation to chimpanzees and being the first to prove the theory of animals experiencing emotions. Through Jane Goodall Institute she aims to protect the 3Ps-primates, people and planet and to inspire young people with a vision of hope. In recent years, Dr Jane Goodall has been on a mission of corporate advocacy. She understands that more than ever, the most significant environmental decision-making occurs in the boardroom and more was needed to raise consciousness of inclusive decision-making to impact a fourth ‘P’-profits. We have been privileged to have enabled Dr Jane’s voice to be heard amongst more numbers within corporate Malaysia. We continue providing advisory for Roots and Shoots and their strategic collaborations.
Zain & Co. acknowledges Associates Sandhya Pillay and Wong Ding Sheng for their contributions to this article. For further information or any related inquiries, please contact our Partner, Salwah Abdul Shukor.
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