Why Do People Donate In Times Of Crisis?
The COVID pandemic has been a bane for everyone. For someone working in the crowdfunding platform, this was a time when s/he was baffled by innumerable requests of help. What happened then? Read on to know what our Head of Campaigns has to share about it.
When we went into lockdown last year in 2020, everything was uncertain. I stocked up on my art supplies because I didn’t know if I’d have any work. As someone working with a crowdfunding platform; I wasn’t sure if people would donate in such a volatile time.
I was bombarded by distress calls from various NGOs all over the country, I remember breaking down because I felt so helpless. I found myself eating more than usual and sleeping a lot less. Sometimes, I couldn’t sleep at all. Colleagues would call me and I would get the sense that they’d been crying.
However, despite our personal struggles, the entire team at Donatekart sprung into action and we got to work. We started different campaigns and then something surprising happened. In a time when people didn’t know what their future would look like, they donated and they donated generously. During the first wave, we raised around 500,000 ration kits and people would donate the same way once again during the second wave for oxygen. We raised around 35 crores worth of oxygen supplies and in the midst of all this, our team worked tirelessly. We showed up and did what we had to do, we stepped up for our people.
I’ve been thinking about what makes a person donate?
So I asked a few people in my inner circle. “Little children will be able to eat”, “I want young girls to have the same opportunities as me” “It is good karma” etc. were some of the things I heard.
During the second wave, if you had a loved one in danger then you also would have experienced how many people helped you to find that cylinder or that bed. People of our country kept the country afloat during this time.
Most of us have seen a lot of upheaval since last year. For me personally, I thought the worst was behind us as we entered 2021. However, I lost two relatives this year and I have an uncle recovering from a brain stroke post-covid at the moment. My mom’s health also deteriorated this year. I’ve had to move cities to be with her. If anything, we’ve all come face to face with our own mortality. I know of friends who’ve moved back with their parents or at least closer to them as we realize that time is finite.
“Loka samasta sukhino bhavantu.”
You must have surely heard of this phrase. It loosely translates to “let the whole world be at peace”. Most religions have a similar prayer. Maybe, at the heart of it all, this is what it is. We donate because we all belong here and we all deserve to live a life of dignity no matter who we are. We are a part of something bigger than ourselves.
PS: If you’re wondering what I did with those art supplies, here is the only painting I was able to make last year.
-Shrisha Shetty, Head of Campaigns
