Alternatives to Charity

As we have seen, charities can be harmful by treating their clients as inferior, needing paternalistic help, and assuming the world will always be unequal. However, there are alternatives to this type of charity. Some of these alternatives are analyzing the charities you support and supporting social justice through your government or other organizations.

If you want to make sure that the charities you support do not cause more harm than good, analyze their practices. Read their mission statement and see if they are actively trying to change the inequalities in society. Try to uncover any paternalistic or superiority stereotypes. If you think that the organization is being harmful, you can contact them with your concerns. Instead of just dropping your support, you can let them know what issues you see with their operation and how they could change to make more of a difference in society.

This change in the world really comes about through social justice. Social justice is the idea of changing society so that it is fair to all people. The government should be involved in passing legislation that assures this equal society. In his article, “Charity vs. Justice,” Dan Schreiber states that social justice is “guaranteeing that everyone be provided basic protections, rights, and material well-being.” Social justice asserts that every person on the planet is equally valuable and governments all over the world should enact legislation that follows this principle.

There are many social justice organizations that also work for this ideal. These groups tend to eliminate the negatives of charity while making a difference in people’s lives. Sharon Gaskell of the Starthrower Foundation says that “the humility of justice calls us not to do things FOR the poor of this world but rather do things WITH them, in service, in community, in negotiation, in partnership.” She goes on to say that these people know their needs and true social justice listens to these needs and addresses them in a meaningful way. This shows that social justice does not operate under paternalistic and superiority stereotypes, but actually works with people.

A great example of one of these organizations is the International Justice Mission (IJM). They are a “human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.” This group works to change the system of structural violence through their four purposes: victim relief, perpetrator accountability, victim aftercare, and structural transformation. The IJM is different from other charity organizations because they embrace the ideals of social justice and recognize that society is flawed and it should not be. They address the root causes of oppression and fight them through their purposes of perpetrator accountability and structural transformation.

You can make a difference in reducing the harm that charities cause and in increasing the good that they do. Look into the values of the philanthropies that you support and encourage them to adopt values of social justice. Get in contact with your legislators and make it clear that you want them to be adopting laws that promote social justice in your country and around the world. Finally, find valuable social justice organizations and volunteer your time and money. You really can help them make a difference in the world!

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