How Do You Know If You've Donated Enough?
After years of witnessing Black people be brutalized and killed at the hands of the police, the only thing as heartening as seeing a nation rise up and demand change is watching its citizens put their money where their mouths are. A flood of grassroots fundraising and donation matching is directing resources where they're most needed, to local bail funds, venerated racial justice organizations, individual Black victims, and much more.
But alongside this, a less admirable phenomenon has bubbled up: that of figures with substantial means giving paltry amounts, and seeming to pat themselves on the back for trivial donations (like, yes, the Virgil Abloh debacle).
Philanthropy is not a perfect system. It can't fully compensate for the shortcomings and failings of our government and public institutions—or, for that matter, for the day-to-day work of self-education and allyship. At its best, it can endow transformative efforts and spur social justice efforts. At its worst, it is exploited for its tax benefits, wielded as a justification for inequality, and used as cover for vile corporate or personal practices. And yet, giving remains undeniably important.
It's important because it enables necessary work. There is no shortage of worthy organizations to give to, or a limit to what they could do with much-needed funds—whether it's how many protestors could be bailed out, how large a community-based program could grow, or how much systemic change can be lobbied for. The ceiling comes down where the money runs out.
And it's important because in our capitalist system, money is often synonymous with power, safety, and wellbeing. (It's also, according to the Supreme Court, the legal equivalent of speech, for both businesses and people.) Given money's unique status, donations represent a meaningful message on the part of the benefactor, and an enabling of the organization or individual on the other end of the exchange. A transfer of wealth is a transfer of power.
So, when answering the calls to open your purse, rather than just give lip service to a cause, how wide to crack it? When asked to "give what you can," how do you determine that amount? When have you given enough?
The answer, of course, isn't set in stone. The tradition of tithing, or giving 10% of your wealth to a religious organization, is often cited as a useful precedent, but it's not the be-all-end-all. It may also be helpful to look at proposals for progressive taxation, and determine your place within your society, and how much would be required from those with your resources for redistribution.
But here's a guideline I've found useful, as I've been answering the calls myself amid the Black Lives Matter protests and continued deaths of Black people at the hands of the police: if you're wondering if you've given enough, you probably haven't.
As I've been writing this, I've been doubting that I've donated enough. So, before publishing, I set up a recurring donation to Assata's Daughters, an organization that supports the Black community in Chicago, where I have roots. (Recurring donations are also an important way to commit to a cause—it's too easy to forget to keep giving once the news shifts its focus.)
I'll keep doing my part, supporting organizations like these, and I hope you do the same.
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