The Ministry of Civil Affairs reported on the investigation and handling of issues related to the Children's Charity Society (Photo source: Visual China)
After a nine-month investigation, tens of millions of donations from the China Children's Charity Aid Foundation (hereinafter referred to as: Children's Charity Society) were implicated The official characterization of the incident and preliminary handling results have finally been settled. In the end, relevant personnel were held criminally responsible, and the foundation ceased activities for three months and was included in the list of serious violations of law and dishonesty as a node. Although the incident has come to an end for the time being, the impact on the public welfare field and all practitioners has just begun. In addition to the interpretation and analysis of a series of experts and scholars in laws and regulations, the resulting direct and indirect impact on more public welfare organizations and people working on the front lines of the industry is extremely huge. The public welfare industry is in The image in the eyes of the public has plummeted compared to before the incident. We can even compare it to the end of an era.
Star institutions have broken their trust, causing a stir in the industry.
In fact, no matter what industry or whoever you are, as long as you violate the law, you must bear legal responsibility. This matter itself has no value for discussion. But what deserves attention is the "unique attribute" of the Children's Charity Association that is different from other organizations. It is this attribute that has had an extremely bad impact on the current public welfare industry, employees and the entire social environment. This is why the author is particularly concerned about this incident. reasons, it also reminds us of a fact that every public welfare practitioner must face. The era of impetuous and barbaric growth of the public welfare industry has come to an end.
First of all, for a long time, the Children’s Charity Association has not only been an ordinary public welfare organization, but also a model of successful operation in the charity industry and a model for countless public welfare organizations and practitioners. Once upon a time, the Children's Charity Society won almost all charity-related awards and was an absolute "top student" in the eyes of the news media, authorities, and even academic experts (relevant achievements are still well documented on the Children's Charity Society's official website). The author has also invited the managers of the Children’s Charity Association to share their experience in Internet fundraising in various fundraising classes in the past. After all, in this field, if the Children’s Charity Society says it is second, no one will. Dare to be number one. However, all this has become speechless as one truth after another is exposed. This will definitely make those in the industry who have carefully studied the experience of the Children's Charity Association on various occasions feel confused and confused. This has caused a lingering shadow on the psychology of almost the entire industry, and it is difficult to change it in a short period of time. eliminate.
Secondly, the core competitiveness of a public welfare organization is not actually the successful projects or the people who benefit, let alone the number of donations raised, but the trust from all walks of life and the high recognition of the organization's vision, mission and values, that is, People often talk about credibility. A star-level public welfare organization has been found to have serious breach of trust, and the consequences it has caused and the scope of its impact are much wider than that of an ordinary company. The areas directly affected by the Children’s Charity Association’s incident include serious illness relief, child support, personal donations, public welfare communication, volunteer recruitment, Internet charity and even platform donation behavior, etc. It also includes relevant management regulations and implementation control measures, and even The social image of the entire public welfare industry and public foundations will be extremely seriously affected, although this wave is far from completely "shattering" today.
In addition, perhaps we can still vaguely remember the "two-guang dispute" between Xu Yongguang and Kang Xiaoguang that lasted for several years in the public welfare industry regarding the positioning and development direction of public welfare organizations, which involved whether public welfare organizations should move closer to commercial organizations and whether Discussions about being market-oriented and judging success or failure based on fundraising figures may be brought up again. Obviously, the business philosophy of those institutions that were once all about fundraising will be completely subverted. But where do the donations come from? How can public welfare organizations survive in the current state of lack of trust? How can we effectively attract more social elites to join this industry and be full of hope for the future? As for the many public welfare organizations that are the main body of the industry, especially how small and medium-sized organizations obtain resources for sustainable development and stable social support, these problems have not been solved, and they have even become more directionless.
Of course, public welfare organizations and countless industry colleagues have been working hard to prove to the world the value of the public welfare industry, and have tried their best to restore the confidence of all sectors of society in public welfare organizations and practitioners. The number of participants and the amount of funds raised every year on the Internet fundraising platform have increased. The steady growth also demonstrates the value of these sweat and efforts; and the emergence of the Children's Charity Association incident is enough to bring the enthusiasm of many people in society for public welfare to a freezing point. This is for the public welfare industry that has experienced recovery in the public's mind and is gradually maturing. It must have caused a pretty serious injury.
New challenges and new risks that cannot be avoided
In fact, there are many more serious or less serious impacts caused by the Children's Charity Association incident, and these will inevitably be reflected in the future. As a member of the public welfare sector, As practitioners, we are destined to be unable to avoid it. And we must also be clearly aware of the upcoming series of new challenges and risks that we will have to face seriously.
First of all, the 9958 Project of Children’s Charity Society, as a high-profile public welfare star project, has shared its successful project operation and management experience with countless people from all walks of life, including experts from theoretical and academic circles, news media and even regulatory authorities. Managers; therefore, after this problem broke out, it was not only the employees of the Children’s Charity Association and the charity industry who needed to reflect, but also the higher-level administrative departments. We can foresee that for a long period of time in the future, the competent authorities will be more strict and cautious in terms of policy control, administrative supervision and project auditing. In terms of specific operations, we will definitely prefer to lack more than to overdo it. This is really not a very positive signal for the current unoptimistic business atmosphere of public welfare organizations and the general environment in which various systems are in urgent need of updating.
Secondly, the survival and development of public welfare undertakings are destined to be inseparable from the support and trust of all sectors of society, especially the corporate sector. As donors that account for more than 50% of annual donations, in fact, they are most concerned about the impact of various negative news on corporate reputation and Brand interference and eliminating risks must be the first principle. Although no companies or brands have been directly affected by this incident so far, more companies will inevitably be more prudent in their decision-making in terms of cooperation with public welfare organizations and even donations in the future.
Third, objectively speaking, the growth of public welfare undertakings and the increase in the number of individual donations in recent years are inseparable from the rise of Internet fundraising information platforms. Through the Internet, everyone has found the fastest and most convenient way to donate to support public welfare projects and recipients. This has also directly led to the year-on-year increase in the proportion of individual donations in the overall charity. As a benchmark for Internet fundraising, the Children's Charity Association has been a leader in this field with achievements of raising hundreds of millions for several consecutive years. The various problems exposed by 9958 today will not only make the public doubt the specific fundraising model of Internet fundraising, but also the verification system and management level of public welfare projects on the Internet fundraising information platform itself, as well as the most controversial The matching donation ratio and so on are even more doubtful.
Of course, the challenges are not limited to these. They also include the issue of the privileges of the Guozitou Public Fundraising Foundation and the guiding organization behind it, the issue of the proportion of the amount of donations raised and the use of the recipients, as well as the internal management mechanism, management level and volunteers of the foundation. Recruitment and management issues, etc., are far beyond what can be covered by just a few of the above, but these are situations that we will hardly avoid in the future and may even encounter sooner or later.
Ask your heart and find a way out
As practitioners in the public welfare industry, how can we turn crises into opportunities?
First of all, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves, why did we join such an industry in the first place? When we are enthusiastically chasing the digital KPI of charity, do we still remember the vision, mission and values of our organization? What is the reason why our industry exists? Is it to create profits? And if not, where is our professionalism and professionalism recognized by society?
Secondly, even if our original intentions and ideas are aboveboard and blameless, how much can our abilities (whether personal or institutional) achieve? If you set goals that exceed your own organization's operational management capabilities, the tide will rise year after year. Even if you exceed it, you will definitely encounter many unforeseen problems during the operation. This is completely based on public trust. For public welfare organizations with almost no room for error, all kinds of fame-seeking, over-the-top success, and desperate risks may bring immeasurable disaster. What we see today is the contradiction between the annual increase in the amount of donations and the unmatched internal management system of the Children's Charity Association. This is the best wake-up call.
Third, red line awareness. In addition to the fact that the bottom line of laws and regulations is absolutely insurmountable, we should also have a deeper understanding of the public welfare industry we are in. In an industry where trust means everything, any risk that may cause a crisis is completely unworthy and cannot be afforded by any public welfare organization. This has nothing to do with how many honors and awards this organization has received. No. This line may not be clearly stated in a specific provision, but as practitioners, we must always remind ourselves that we must withstand various temptations and tests, and we must not go too far.
Finally, confidence. In the author's opinion, this is probably the only gratifying part of this crisis in the public welfare industry. The public welfare industry is one of the few industries in today's society that is still in the blue ocean. Policies are gradually improving, talents need to be cultivated, competition is not sufficient, and demand is everywhere. So after such a major industry crisis, What about the state of the industry? Obviously, the sea is becoming bluer, and it is looking forward to more confident and patient sailors who can stand on the tide and swim in the sea.
If we look back on this incident as a time point, we may still vaguely recall the inspirational slogans at the annual fundraising mobilization meeting of the Children's Charity Association, the shining trophies and red carpets at various charity award ceremonies, The excitement when the major authoritative transparency indexes were released, and the sonorous and powerful comments of the theoretical experts on the projects... Of course, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs' heavy attack on the Children's Benevolent Society incident, everything has passed. It is undeniable that, That impetuous and noisy era has finally come to an end.
But we will not be sentimental about this, because a new era of the public welfare industry is bound to come, and its footsteps are getting closer and closer.
• (The author Kuang Jinan is a professor at the Shenzhen International Philanthropy Institute and an expert at the Southern Weekend Philanthropy Research Center think tank)
Special writer: Kuang Jinan
Editor-in-chief Zhong Jinxiu
Of course, public welfare organizations and countless industry colleagues have been working hard to prove to the world the value of the public welfare industry, and have tried their best to restore the confidence of all sectors of society in public welfare organizations and practitioners. The number of participants and the amount of funds raised every year on the Internet fundraising platform have increased. The steady growth also demonstrates the value of these sweat and efforts; and the emergence of the Children's Charity Association incident is enough to bring the enthusiasm of many people in society for public welfare to a freezing point. This is for the public welfare industry that has experienced recovery in the public's mind and is gradually maturing. It must have caused a pretty serious injury.
New challenges and new risks that cannot be avoided
In fact, there are many more serious or less serious impacts caused by the Children's Charity Association incident, and these will inevitably be reflected in the future. As a member of the public welfare sector, As practitioners, we are destined to be unable to avoid it. And we must also be clearly aware of the upcoming series of new challenges and risks that we will have to face seriously.
First of all, the 9958 Project of Children’s Charity Society, as a high-profile public welfare star project, has shared its successful project operation and management experience with countless people from all walks of life, including experts from theoretical and academic circles, news media and even regulatory authorities. Managers; therefore, after this problem broke out, it was not only the employees of the Children’s Charity Association and the charity industry who needed to reflect, but also the higher-level administrative departments. We can foresee that for a long period of time in the future, the competent authorities will be more strict and cautious in terms of policy control, administrative supervision and project auditing. In terms of specific operations, we will definitely prefer to lack more than to overdo it. This is really not a very positive signal for the current unoptimistic business atmosphere of public welfare organizations and the general environment in which various systems are in urgent need of updating.
Secondly, the survival and development of public welfare undertakings are destined to be inseparable from the support and trust of all sectors of society, especially the corporate sector. As donors that account for more than 50% of annual donations, in fact, they are most concerned about the impact of various negative news on corporate reputation and Brand interference and eliminating risks must be the first principle. Although no companies or brands have been directly affected by this incident so far, more companies will inevitably be more prudent in their decision-making in terms of cooperation with public welfare organizations and even donations in the future.
Third, objectively speaking, the growth of public welfare undertakings and the increase in the number of individual donations in recent years are inseparable from the rise of Internet fundraising information platforms. Through the Internet, everyone has found the fastest and most convenient way to donate to support public welfare projects and recipients. This has also directly led to the year-on-year increase in the proportion of individual donations in the overall charity. As a benchmark for Internet fundraising, the Children's Charity Association has been a leader in this field with achievements of raising hundreds of millions for several consecutive years. The various problems exposed by 9958 today will not only make the public doubt the specific fundraising model of Internet fundraising, but also the verification system and management level of public welfare projects on the Internet fundraising information platform itself, as well as the most controversial The matching donation ratio and so on are even more doubtful.
Of course, the challenges are not limited to these. They also include the issue of the privileges of the Guozitou Public Fundraising Foundation and the guiding organization behind it, the issue of the proportion of the amount of donations raised and the use of the recipients, as well as the internal management mechanism, management level and volunteers of the foundation. Recruitment and management issues, etc., are far beyond what can be covered by just a few of the above, but these are situations that we will hardly avoid in the future and may even encounter sooner or later.
Ask your heart and find a way out
As practitioners in the public welfare industry, how can we turn crises into opportunities?
First of all, maybe it’s time to ask ourselves, why did we join such an industry in the first place? When we are enthusiastically chasing the digital KPI of charity, do we still remember the vision, mission and values of our organization? What is the reason why our industry exists? Is it to create profits? And if not, where is our professionalism and professionalism recognized by society?
Secondly, even if our original intentions and ideas are aboveboard and blameless, how much can our abilities (whether personal or institutional) achieve? If you set goals that exceed your own organization's operational management capabilities, the tide will rise year after year. Even if you exceed it, you will definitely encounter many unforeseen problems during the operation. This is completely based on public trust. For public welfare organizations with almost no room for error, all kinds of fame-seeking, over-the-top success, and desperate risks may bring immeasurable disaster. What we see today is the contradiction between the annual increase in the amount of donations and the unmatched internal management system of the Children's Charity Association. This is the best wake-up call.
Third, red line awareness. In addition to the fact that the bottom line of laws and regulations is absolutely insurmountable, we should also have a deeper understanding of the public welfare industry we are in. In an industry where trust means everything, any risk that may cause a crisis is completely unworthy and cannot be afforded by any public welfare organization. This has nothing to do with how many honors and awards this organization has received. No. This line may not be clearly stated in a specific provision, but as practitioners, we must always remind ourselves that we must withstand various temptations and tests, and we must not go too far.
Finally, confidence. In the author's opinion, this is probably the only gratifying part of this crisis in the public welfare industry. The public welfare industry is one of the few industries in today's society that is still in the blue ocean. Policies are gradually improving, talents need to be cultivated, competition is not sufficient, and demand is everywhere. So after such a major industry crisis, What about the state of the industry? Obviously, the sea is becoming bluer, and it is looking forward to more confident and patient sailors who can stand on the tide and swim in the sea.
If we look back on this incident as a time point, we may still vaguely recall the inspirational slogans at the annual fundraising mobilization meeting of the Children's Charity Association, the shining trophies and red carpets at various charity award ceremonies, The excitement when the major authoritative transparency indexes were released, and the sonorous and powerful comments of the theoretical experts on the projects... Of course, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs' heavy attack on the Children's Benevolent Society incident, everything has passed. It is undeniable that, That impetuous and noisy era has finally come to an end.
But we will not be sentimental about this, because a new era of the public welfare industry is bound to come, and its footsteps are getting closer and closer.
• (The author Kuang Jinan is a professor at the Shenzhen International Philanthropy Institute and an expert at the Southern Weekend Philanthropy Research Center think tank)
Special writer: Kuang Jinan
Editor-in-chief Zhong Jinxiu
