Introduction
Given that nonprofit organizations generally don’t have a lot of time, money, and resources, they are best served by the most efficient fundraising techniques possible. Through efficient fundraising, nonprofits can better survive no matter the economy or other unforeseen circumstances. In order for nonprofits to survive, they need to have diverse funders with the most important source of ongoing support being individual donors. Individual donors are the biggest source of donations nationally (Hatfield, 2008). In 2006, individuals gave 75.6% of charitable donations (Sargeant, Ford, Hudson 2007). Last year, over $300 billion was donated of which individuals again represented roughly 75% (Stone, 2008). Given their importance, it’s crucial to understand donors’ characteristics so charitable organizations can target those most likely to give thereby saving time and money in the process as well.
Forty-seven percent of individual donors in 1995 were college graduates (Fulkerson, 1995). Prior research indicates that higher education leads to an increase in charitable giving (Brown, 2001). People who choose to obtain a college degree may be more invested in their communities, to begin with, and learn about the value of charitable organizations in the school. Degrees raise one’s social hierarchy and therefore, people with degrees are more likely to be asked for charitable donations and more expected to donate (Brown, 2001). Among higher education, my hypothesis is that those who are in certain fields of study/work are more likely to give to charitable organizations. This research will offer insight into giving behaviors of the most likely future source of ongoing income for nonprofit groups.
Statement of the Problem
In America statistics have shown that in every five aged elderly, one is a destitute who has no home on a family to support and spends his or her nights out in the streets and survival for the basic needs is achieved through begging. An elderly dressed in lags spreading his on her hand to beg for money does not paint a good picture and the situation is wanting. The government has done its part by establishing homes for the elderly but the demand is too high. Also the funds that are set aside to cater for this problem are not enough because of the numerous needs that come with catering for the elderly.
The already established homes for elderly are overcrowded and lack enough funds which has seen this homes because run down fund are needed to build shelters which means modern buildings with all the necessities where this elderly people can live and cell a home instead of wandering in the streets and stepping in the cold and dusty open corridors in the towns.
Charity organizations have come up to assist such unfortunate groups. The community support these charities are not enough. There is need to study and understand what students can do to assist them if they want to get rid of those destitute people who are always begging. Time and money should be provided in ample.
The destitute people cannot do some services therefore people are needed to contribute. The community should know that even after donating there is a need for. It is also up to the organization to provide a social link between the destitute and the outer world. This can be done through the time and money contribution as well as interact with the destitute people.
Aims of Study
The aim of study is to investigate and understand students donating behavior in relation to their field of study. It will also assist students in various categories embrace the idea of time donating to charity organizations. The research is also aimed at equipping students particularly those related to social and health to look critically on the best ways of donating their time and money.
Objectives of the Study
The overall objective of this research work is to find out donating behavior of students of various fields of study. Other objectives will include;
- To find out which field of study students are likely to donate their time and money to charity organization.
- To asses the impact of donating time and money by students to charity organization.
- To come up with recommendations on what can be done to encourage students to donate their time to charity.
- To assess the donating behavior by students.
- To analyze and critically evaluate the extent to which students donations impacts on the image of the university.
Hypothesis
Students in the nursing, MPA, social work and psychology programs are more likely to donate time and/or money to charitable organizations.
Research Questions
- Are people in certain fields of study more likely to donate time and/or money to charitable organizations?
- What is American population donation behavior?
- What do students donate more to charity organization?
Benefits of Conducting the Research
This research will be applicable to all those students who wish to donate their time and money to charity organizations. It will provide focus and insight to them as well as portraying to the college the importance of students donating resources.
Limitations of the Study
Because this is an exploratory study it will mean that more time will be required to carry out the research in order to find the relevant information that will reflect the issue of resource donation among students of various fields of study. Also, another limitation is that of availability of funds because the study will require the researcher to reach a wider population through interviewing many respondents.
Literature Review
General Giving Behavior in the US
In America today culture is one of the most fundamental determinants deciding for donations of time and money. Most of the people due to their cultural influence have started donating their time and money naturally to charities. Children growing up in such a culture will follow suit. These values common in children remain in them even if they grow up.
From the American culture donating is not something strange. It is believed that for you to live comfortably and successively one must be ready to donate her time and money to the needy. Cultural factors influence a person’s behavior. American people believe in values like efficiency, practicality, justice, equality, and many social issues.
In America, each culture consists of smaller subcultures that provide more specific identifications. To some people in America racial groups such as the black Americans have good distinct cultural styles. They are known to join in charity or social movements that require donations.
Another factor that affects donations is one’s personal characteristics like his age and life-cycle stage, lifestyle, occupation, economic circumstances and personality. A child growing up in America is exposed to some characteristics like material comfort, external comfort and achievement and success that influences how one spends his time.
Donation behavior is greatly influenced by social factors like status, family and peer groups. When one wants to donate to charity he will take consideration to his peer groups. These are groups having direct influence on one donating decisions. These are the groups one associate with most of his time. Some people fall into economic groups like the upper class prefer donating extra disposable. The influence of a family is also of great value to contribution behavior. These families have some charities associated with them and they greatly encourage their family members to contribute. A co-worker also influences one’s donation decision to a specific charity.
People are influenced by peer groups in three ways. Peer groups usually expose a person to new behavior and lifestyle. One can belong to a group whose lifestyle believes in. Peer groups also influence one’s attitudes because their desires fit in these groups. Also peer groups influence similarity and conformity that may make a person to alive at a specific decision. So doing one will eventually donate to similar amount charities to that of his friend. People who are in the same social class share similar values, interests, and behavior. In America we have upper class people who are social elite with a good family background. This is one group in America that is in a position of affording to donate.
September 11th, 2001 and Giving Behavior
Most Americans were donating little to charities before the September 11th. However after the event of that day majority of Americans changed their donating behavior. This made Americans understand the need for donations. This episode acted as a catalyst or a publicity event for charity organizations. It is said that most people in America do not donate or contribute to charity due to a number of factors such as the inability to get an accountable record for the charity.
The September 11th increased donations made to a greater level. It acted as a new wave that lured people to contribute resources to charities. Research carried out indicated that the September 11th event influenced people’s donation behavior. In contributions to charities, there must be a motivating factor to the citizens to be able to give up consumption or future consumption to donate to charities. This motivating factor must show the contributor that there is something he is to gain from his contribution. The realization by the Americans after the 11th September 2001 was that each person may need a donation at one point in life. Donations in terms of time and money are gaining momentum in the market.
Demographics
In contributing to charities the population plays an important role in helping managers of charity organizations to understand the likelihood of receiving funds. The population of the area in terms of density, mobility tread, age distribution, marriage, birth, death rates, race, ethnicity, and religious structure will determine the contribution trends. Religious people like donating to charity organizations while the level of education will also be a determining factor in the population whether they will be contributing. Unmarried individuals without responsibilities will find it difficult to contribute as compared to aged and married people. It means that better educated with a white-collar job who have extra disposable income will release some funds to charities as contributions as compared to uneducated people with no income. Race is another factor that determines the contribution of individuals to charities. In an area where there are people with ages of sixty and above will contribute to charities because they will find it easier since they don’t have extra responsibilities as young family people. However young family people who have invested heavily will also contribute to charities in large amounts.
Old Age Charity Homes
The old people cannot do the cooking those selves and some services people are needed, to prepare the meals as well as do the required washing in the home so as to maintain good hygienic standards. These aged people need proper beddings and clothes. They cannot use sleeping bags and most of them wear tattles for clothing. These charities’ missions should take up the responsibility of ensuring that these elders steep comfortably and their cleanliness is observed.
Most of the old people do suffer from poor health and take medication almost throughout their old age. They should provide such medicines to them and also avail professional medics so that they can be able to do regular check-ups and offer advice to these people. Also due to their advanced ages, some of them are unable to attend to themselves and that calls for professional assistance like nursing. The home should hire nurses who can be able to attend to these people as required.
A clinic within the proximity of the home can avail medical services as well as the community. The enterprising wing of the clinic can always restock the required medical needs and bring the medical services closer to the elderly people. He can slash off the expenses of having to pay the service workers like the nurses and doctors and ensure a stable medical facility to the institution.
Volunteers who want to help with their daily needs like cooking and clearing in should be welcomed. The laundry room can also be commercialized if the space is enough to do so. Some of the aged people do feel strong enough to carry their hobbies which still interest and this can include gardening, backing as well as tailoring; the home should let them do it. It would be a good way of increasing their resources by reducing expenses and also a healthy way to regulate the old people’s passion for their hobbies which has a healthy element in it.
The communities’ social attachment to the home is a resource on its own; the society can either make or black the home. Their contribution to the home is both emotional as well as physical. The community is the one that understands the need for these homes and thus they are the people who can be counted on to offer steady support to this home.
The aged people at times suffer from a denial or undergo a crisis of fearing to die or even more feel useless at this age and neglected by society. To give them a positive attitude towards themselves and a better perception about life at this age the mission will enhance services like religion and counseling programs.
The aged people at times suffer from a denial or undergo a crisis of fearing to die or even more feel useless at this age and neglected by society. To give them a positive attitude towards themselves and a better perception about life at this age the mission will enhance services like religion and counseling programs.
Uplifting the spirit of these aged people is important so as to promote good health in them, an emotionally sick person cannot have an upright physical well-being. The life out in the cold streets can change the old people to a people with inhuman attitudes towards life due to the harsh and unbecoming environment of the street life. Such elderly help reshape their spiritual state.
The transformation is gradual and involves a lot of patience. The church can be a good source of the spiritual fulfillment as well as counseling session. In severe case where the person has a disoriented mind the services of a psychologist can be entranced. All these will play a major role in restoring the aged people’s attitude towards life. The transition period is usually difficult and the community can help either indirectly or directly by accepting and acknowledging the presence of this aged people in the society. Assisting the old has always been there for ages, although earlier on the case for aged was mostly done in the homes, today’s society has altered that because of the busy and involving life styles.
Research Methodology
Research Design
This study necessitated the researcher to identify the donation behavior of students in various fields of study. The researcher mainly concentrated on the issue concerning the money and time donation and how students do it. Given that the study is an exploratory research it is based on; desired activities and time-based plans, research questions, selection of sources and types of information required, outline of procedures for every research activity to be carried out and also it is based on the framework that specified the relationships among the samples identified for this research purpose.
Sampling Procedure
Before adopting the suitable sampling technique several factors for example; cost of conducting the research, time constraint, accuracy of sources to be utilized, availability of population respondents, physical impossibilities of acquiring all the necessary items in the target population and the destructive nature of certain tests are considered in detail in order to avoid minor mistakes in the course of conducting the research.
Probabilistic type of sampling technique has been chosen since the sample identified gives each and every respondent a known likelihood of being included in the sample selected. For that reason, the research will be conducted using simple random method of collecting data because it is difficult to reach all the participants in the population. Under this technique, the selected sample gives the person identified the opportunity to have an equal chance of being incorporated in the research work.
Target Population
The target population for this study will be fifty (50) students from various field of study. This target population could be easy to get through the UNCW where their records can be traced as well interview them. However not all will be willing to give the much needed information. May be approximately forty will be willing to participate in this study.
The Recruitment Strategy
To be able to get the required number for the study, the researcher must have with him / her introductory letter from the institution where he / she is a student. The letter elaborates more on the contents of the study. The researcher will then visit the departments in charge of fields of study with the introductory letter, explain to the officials of that department of his / her mission so that she can be granted permission to obtain for records of the students. These records contain vital information including as to where they have visited as students. The researcher will then visit the lecture halls and hostels of the respondents, explain his / her mission and then ask for permission from the potential respondents as to whether he can be interviewed or not. This method will ensure confidentiality because the researcher will have obtained all the permission required and the respondent will have accepted to be interviewed after having been assured that all that will be discussed will be confidential as the interview will be done in an atmosphere chosen by the respondent.
Strengths
- Having obtained all the permission to get access to the potential respondents, it gives the researcher easy time to conduct the study. The letters of permission give the researcher much hope that the study will be successful and will be able to obtain that entire he/ she requires within a specific time.
- Through this strategy, the researcher is assured of getting the required number of potential respondents. It will be very difficult visiting hostels and lecture halls trying to find out whether there are students without records of their details.
Weaknesses
- The strategy raises a lot of suspicion even among the departmental heads and the potential respondents. They may be suspicious on why they could be interviewed and some will ask for payment after the interview.
- The process of obtaining permission is too long. At times getting access to the management of the college may not be easy. They will not be willing to meet the researcher if they do not fully understand their mission.
- The researcher may at times not be able to get the required number of respondents in that he/ she will not automatically get the potential respondent at the locations as some will have moved / shifted to some other places.
Data Collection Method
Since a sample of the population has identified the researcher will utilize both open and closed questionnaires to collect the required information from the respondents that are selected from the sample identified. This method is considered and found to be effective and efficient to the researcher since he only drops the questionnaires to the respondents and collected them at a later date. The reason for choosing both open and closed questionnaires to be administered is that it gives the respondents an opportunity to answer freely to set of questionnaires that is administered to them during the study. The other methods data collection will be personal interviews. These methods are elaborated as follows;
Personal Interviews
In this method, the investigator follows a procedure and seeks answers to a set of pre-conceived questions through personal interviews. Personal interviews usually depend on capability of the interview since it uses structured questions. If the interviewer is not well prepared then the research outcome may be poor. This can apply to those will not be able to use the questionnaire / or cannot be able to read or write.
Strengths
- The researcher is able to read the respondents mind as they are discussing. There is that atmosphere of free expression between the interviewer and the interviewee.
- Confidence is built between the researcher and the respondent as there is a provision for confidentiality.
- As the discussion takes place, new information comes into the fold, some which may be beneficial to the researcher.
- Information gathered is reliable. The information that is collected through this method deals with the feelings, emotions, sentiments etc. Only the person who is affected can give description of their depth.
Weaknesses
- The method is time consuming, at times the respondents can talk for too long at the expense of the researcher. Sometimes it becomes very difficult to control them and so persevere till the exercise is over.
- Some clients may not be willing to give out some confidential information to the researcher for fear that they may tell the same to other people. They could rather prefer write it on paper but not including their names.
Questionnaires
This is the method most commonly used when respondents can be reached and are willing to cooperate. This method can reach a large number of subjects, who are able to read and write. If need be it can be translated into the language which the respondent will be able understand or the researcher can translate it for the respondent to understand.
Strengths
- The method saves time. The respondent is able to answer the questions on the questionnaire within a very short time without asking any other additional questions.
- The researcher is able to get many respondents. The questions in the questionnaire are easy to understand and so respondents answers quickly and return to them to the researcher who then moves to the next respondent.
- Free from external influence. The respondent is able to all the questions without being influenced by anybody, hence provide information according to their knowledge, views and attitudes.
Weaknesses
- It is expensive to many copies of the questionnaires. The researcher may not be able to have enough resources for making the copies for the target number of respondents.
- Sometimes, if questionnaires are left with the respondents, there is a possibility that they may not be sent back to the interviewer. This can seriously affect the end result of the study.
- Respondents may answer some questions irrelevantly. This will force the researcher to make a follow up on the respondent so that he can answer the question well.
- This method applies best to those respondents who are able to read and write.
- Incomplete entries and bad handwriting. Respondents are sometimes not responsive and aware of the importance of the study and so they will leave out many questions unanswered, and some have very poor handwriting which cannot be clearly visible to the researcher.
Data Analysis
The analysis of data requires a number of closely related operations such the establishments of categories to raw data through coding, tabulation and then drawing statistical inference. It should be anticipated that that the large amounts of field data should eventually be condensed into few manageable groups and tables for further analysis.
In SPSS, I will arrive at a sample by randomly selecting 2% of courses taught at UNCW at the time of the research excluding courses in the nursing, MPA, social work and psychology programs. I will also take a random sample from the combination of nursing, MPA, social work and psychology courses to ensure a good sample. This will allow for around 1,000 students by my estimation. Through the use of this random cluster sampling, I will deliver the survey to each of the students in these classes.
First I will classify the participants into different majors. Then I will determine a low, medium and high range based on the information found in the survey. I will classify my participants’ average volunteer time and monetary donations separately and combined. Based on these averages, I will classify the participants in a low, medium and high range of giving behavior.
I will perform a cross tab correlation with majors to see which major would be most likely to give time through volunteering. Then I will repeat this procedure with the dependent variable monetary donations and again with the combined giving behavior. I will use the composite score of both volunteer time in hours and money donated in dollars. I will classify low, medium and high range of giving all together and then do another cross tabulation on the composite score and majors. I will repeat for the second most likely and so on.
Reflection Essay
Community service, for some people, denotes the killing of their precious time or money which they had reserved to treat themselves after school, work, or the like. To some, the words community service rhyme with the words chore, work, and go with reluctance. Others perceive community service as a bit like philanthropy.
The work I immersed myself and that changed my life was my being summer camp junior counselor for the causes of Rylee’s Hope. It was my take at community service and I have got to admit that it was full blast right away, in the sense that a big responsibility was heaped upon my shoulder. My job was to organize sponsors to financially endow our organization. Rylee’s Hope is a non-profit organization which aids the families of premature children all over the country. It seeks to raise funds to usher in further awareness concerning pregnancy and neonatal care and how to curb the frequency of babies being born prematurely. From the very beginning, my heart was pinched because the organization that I thought would only impose additional duties on me would instead be the changer of how I view life. Children personify innocence, purity and hope, and how much more is the case with premature babies? I asked myself. Premature babies not only need financial help, I thought to myself, they need to be sure that they would have a new lease on life. After realizing the vision and mission of Rylee’s Hope, I fully committed myself to the task without qualms, without any questions. Under the guidance of my Miss Lewis, I helped set up everyday fun activities which include basketball, football, and aside from that, I also organize and maintain the order among kids on our trips and teach them the importance of teamwork, respect, and camaraderie. The irrefutable joy in the children’s eyes still mesmerizes me now, a couple months after. The children thanking me and expressing their gratitude for my efforts to make them truly happy by way of playing was indeed one of a kind. The looks on their faces telling me that I had helped them in a very big way was almost unfathomable. From my perspective, it is to them I owe a lot and I should be the one to thank them that very moment. Why? Those children personified unadulterated happiness, contentment, and love. As blatantly superficial as this might seem, if only people would learn the ways of children and feel their hearts for a day, it is easy to say that the world would be a much better and safer place to live in.
Although it sounds overly vibrant, I can blatantly say that the experience was the best I ever had in a long time and the feeling was utterly incomparable and absolutely incomparable. I am very sure that people who find fulfillment in helping other people can relate to the sentiments I am conveying here. All charity deeds are equal in goodness, but as I have aforementioned, charity for the betterment of children is what I deem as most endearing to me. But if I were to do community service again but this time for the benefit of other disadvantaged, I would not even think twice for it was charity which made me see the world from a whole new point of view. In fact, I plan to help out at the police department next summer. For me, peacekeeping and helping the police is a very noble task. They are the men who keep our streets and homes safe and make us feel secure. But then again, I will only “cross the bridge when I get there,” meaning I will only decide when summer is only a matter of days away. After all, all forms of charity and community service are equal in nobility.
Assessing my performance as junior counselor, I can say that I did a marvelous job, bragging aside. Why did I say so? Because when I came to the realization of what my being junior counselor meant, I right away perceived it as a privilege and not as a responsibility. A privilege to give back to the less fortunate a share of the blessings I possess. The mere fact that I am physically and mentally fit has taken on a new meaning to me and the meanings of the word “blessing” have multiplied. What I thought was a simple task to be accomplished over one short summer has become my life’s turning point.
When a person realizes that there is so much more to life than just living for the sake of him and that he has so much more to give, the supreme beauty of life is beheld and the essence of it felt in the most glorious manner.
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