Flag Day: Money, Philanthropy and the Currents of Social Change
Flag-selling is a distinctive method of fundraising in Hong Kong. On Saturdays, it is common to see groups of children, accompanied by their parents, carrying collection bags and proffering stickers to passers-by. Donating the spare change in your pockets will earn you a sticker “flag” that you can stick to your clothes to show that you have donated.
So why do people donate? Are the motivations behind donation always as altruistic as they seem? In fact, anthropologists believe that self-interest and altruism are inherently linked to giving. Marcel Mauss, the author of the book, ‘The Gift’, suggested that gifts are never ‘free’. While they often appear to be “voluntary, disinterested and spontaneous, they are in fact obligatory and self-interested.” (Mauss, 1954). A person makes a charitable donation and receives tangible or non-tangible rewards in return — in the case of flag-selling, the flag itself as well as social acclaim and the emotional rewards associated, also known as “the warm glow of giving”.
This theory is perhaps exemplified in the history of flag-selling. Prior to the emergence of sticker flags, organisations sold paper flowers instead. Donors were offered different types of paper flowers — honorary and ordinary flowers, based on the amount they donate. Some flowers are designed to be placed at the front of donors’ cars so that others would recognise his/her generosity. Yet, is one’s generosity solely determined by the amount he/she donates?
Consider time, one of our most precious resources. Rich or poor, every man on earth has the same 24 hours each day, and how we spend our time is no less important than how we spend our money. In this sense, no one, not even the poorest person, lacks the resources to be generous. In fact, all human beings are equally wealthy when it comes to time.
Ever since we were young, we have been imbued with a reciprocal mindset that we need to give back to society after growing up. Flag-selling is usually the first opportunity for kids to learn about charity and giving. Yet, every child who engages in flag selling as volunteers (or even donors!) should be taught that no matter whether a rich person placing hundreds of dollars into the collection bag or a poor person donating a dollar or two, they are all acts of generosity and deserve equal respect. Money is only one of many different means by which generosity can express itself, and even kids themselves as volunteers display generosity too!
Perhaps money is called a currency for a reason — it provides a current (in physics terms) to drive social change. However, to do so, it must flow within a circuit, connecting the ‘battery’ and the ‘device’ that it supplies. At the end of the day, what is the purpose of donating more money if there is a lack of volunteers to link societal resources to those in need?
