Clearing the way to create philanthropic society<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The spirit of philanthropy has long been enshrined in
\nIndonesian culture and is still cherished by many Indonesians,
\neven if not all people here are familiar with the English term.<\/p>\n
In Bahasa Indonesia, there is the term gotong royong,
\nliterally meaning \"mutual cooperation\", which means about the
\nsame thing as \"philanthropy\". The term is famous as all
\nIndonesians are taught about it at school. According to
\ntextbooks, \"gotong royong\" describes the real character of
\nIndonesians culturally.<\/p>\n
The spirit of helping each other can still be seen in many
\nremote areas. In remote villages in Java, for example, people
\nautomatically help neighbors who are building houses.<\/p>\n
In other regions, people will donate food to neighbors who are
\nplanning wedding parties.<\/p>\n
In urban areas, such traditions may no longer be practiced by
\nmany people, but urban people have their own ways of expressing
\ntheir care for others. Many people donate money to charitable
\norganizations to help the needy.<\/p>\n
The recent response of Indonesians to the suffering of
\nhundreds of thousands of tsunami victims in Aceh and in Nias,
\nNorth Sumatra, was evidence that the spirit of philanthropy still
\nexists among urban people.<\/p>\n
Tens of billions of rupiah was collected by various
\norganizations from institutions and individuals in Indonesia
\nafter the tsunami.<\/p>\n
There are numerous charitable organizations in the country
\nwith different focuses of attention and sources of funds. Some of
\nthem rely on donations from individuals, religious institutions
\nor the corporate sector. Some deal with education, while others
\nfocus on health, the environment or people's welfare.<\/p>\n
These charitable organizations have done a lot to help many
\npeople, particularly the disadvantaged, but there are still many
\nmore people who need help from such organizations.<\/p>\n
Thousands of children across the country each year are forced
\nto drop out of schools because they do not have the money to pay
\ntheir school fees. Many children are suffering from malnutrition
\ndue to a lack of food, and there are still many people who cannot
\nafford to seek treatment at a hospital.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Association of Fundraising Professionals
\nIndonesia (AFP Indonesia), Elam Merdy, said that given the strong
\nphilanthropic spirit in Indonesian culture, charitable
\norganizations had a lot of room for growth in the country.<\/p>\n
Yet, for a number of reasons, local fund-raising organizations
\nhave failed to explore much of this potential and optimize their
\nfund-raising efforts.<\/p>\n
First, many organizations have been unable to professionally
\nmanage the funds they raise. As an example, there are still many
\nreports about the misuse of charitable funds.<\/p>\n
\"As a result, many people are reluctant to channel their
\ndonations through such organizations,\" Elam said.<\/p>\n
Second, many Indonesians prefer to channel their donations
\nthrough religious organizations like mosques and churches, which
\nthey believe can better manage the funds.<\/p>\n
And third, the government has not provided the support
\nnecessary for the emergence of professional fund-raising
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
This is evident in the fact that the government has yet to
\ncreate a mechanism to ensure transparent management of charitable
\nfunds. Furthermore, the government does not provide tax
\ndeductions for donations to charitable organizations.<\/p>\n
The program director at the Indonesian Humanitarian Committee,
\nSri Daryanti, said AFP Indonesia was a forum for Indonesian
\ncharity fund-raisers to exchange experiences and views to help
\nthem improve their professionalism.<\/p>\n
\"AFP Indonesia wishes to become a forum where philanthropic
\norganizations can learn to improve their professionalism through
\nvarious activities,\" said Sri.<\/p>\n
She said AFP Indonesia held regular events to improve the
\nprofessionalism of its members, most of whom are executives of
\ncharity fund-raising organizations.<\/p>\n
The association sets standards for fund-raising professionals,
\nprovides guidance for members on ethical fund-raising, enhances
\nthe credibility of member organizations and advocates policy to
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
Elam said his association, which has 42 members from some 20
\norganizations, would push the government to draft a bill on
\nphilanthropy.<\/p>\n
According to Elam, there are two important tasks such a law
\nmust perform. First, its must set high standards for the
\nmanagement of charitable funds. Second, it must set rules on tax
\ncuts for people who give donations to charitable organizations.<\/p>\n
In order to ensure that charity fund-raisers have high
\nstandards of fund management, he said, the law should also
\nestablish a certifying body for charitable foundations.<\/p>\n
It must also establish an accreditation team for fund-raising
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
\"All these efforts are aimed at helping charity fund-raising
\norganizations to better manage funds. It will encourage people to
\ndistribute their donations through these organizations because
\nthey can have confidence their money will be managed properly,\"
\nElam said.<\/p>\n
\"The final goal of all these efforts is to create a
\nphilanthropic society. That society would consist of people who
\nare ready to help those in need without worrying their money will
\ngo to the wrong address,\" he added.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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