做善事付出時間還是金錢

1、做善事付出時間還是金錢A friend once invited me to spend a cold winter s day picking up trash in a park. It was a community-service event organized by a charitable organization she was involved with. I immediately told her I was not interested.“It just makes no sense, ” I explained.“Why would I spendthree hours

2、 of my time picking up trash?” I argued that if thegoal was neighborhood 1)beautification, then I would rather donate three-hours worth of my labor income. The organization could then hire several people in need of a job. The trash gets picked up, we provide jobs, and I do not have to spend three ho

3、urs in the cold.“ Where can I make a donation?”My friend sighed, mumbled something about it seeming like a good way to meet men, and then shuffled off to ask someone else.When we feel inspired to do good, many of us choose to give time instead of money. Given how precious our time is 2)cramped by de

4、mands of work, family and friends setting some of it aside to clean parks or deliver meals seems like a valuable donation. But is this the most efficient way to give?The economist in me is inclined to say no. As I explained to my friend, what my time is worth may be far more valuable to most chariti

5、es than my actual labor. The money could go towards hiring people with limited employment opportunities, or to help3)cover more pressing needs facing the charity, such as rent or staff salaries. My hours of labor, on the other hand, serve the charity in only one way, and can only be provided by me.V

6、olunteer labor becomes more valuable if it involves a special skill. For example, if a talented doctor donates a few hours of his time to a free clinic, this may serve the charity better than a $1,000 donation. Unfortunately, I can think of few local charities that would benefit from the unique skil

7、ls of an economist.I recently explained this to a professional who regularly donates his time to a local4)soup kitchen. But he argued that “just throwing money at a cause ” is potentially irresponsible and enables 5)detachment. Donating time may be a greater personal sacrifice, but it also gives him

8、 a stronger connection with the cause. He has 6)forged a bond not only with the other volunteers, but also with the people he feeds, and the result is an enriching sense of community. He also believes, as a member of the same minority group of many of the people he serves, that he provides them with

9、 a positive role model. He recognizes the value in the social interaction volunteering provides.Of course charities benefit from both kinds of donations. They need some people to just hand over cash, but they also thrive by being an integral part of the community. Whether it is better to give money

10、or time depends on your goals as a donor. If the objective is simply to provide food for the hungry or to clean a park, then money is more valuable. However, if you hope to also engage with your community not only with your7)peers, but also with less fortunate people whom you might not otherwise enc

11、ounter 8)no amount of money can compensate for your time spent.本文為全文原貌 未安裝 PDF 瀏覽器用戶請先下載安裝 原 版全文有一次 ,有個朋友邀請我在某個寒冷的冬日去公園里撿 垃圾。那是她所在的慈善機構組織的一次社區(qū)服務活動。我 立刻對她說 ,我沒興趣?！斑@么做毫無意義 ,”我解釋道 ,“為什么我要花三個小 時去公園里撿垃圾呢 ?”我認為 ,如果這個活動的目的是為了 美化周邊環(huán)境 ,那么我寧愿捐出我三個小時的工作收入。 慈善 機構可以用我捐出的這些錢去雇傭一些需要工作的人。如此 一來 ,公園里的垃圾得到了清理 ,同時我們還提供

12、了工作機會 , 而我也不用在外面挨凍三個小時。 “哪兒能捐款 ?”我的朋友嘆了口氣 ,嘴里嘟囔著說這似乎是個認識他人 的好機會 ,然后就走開去邀請其他人了。當我們感到受到了觸動決定去做善事時,我們中的許多人會選擇付出自己的時間而不是金錢。要知道我們的時間是 多么寶貴光是分配給工作 ,家庭和朋友都已經不夠 了那么拿出一部分時間來清掃公園或者派發(fā)食物就確 實是寶貴的貢獻。但是 ,這是最有效的捐贈方式嗎 ?作為一個經濟學家 ,我的觀點傾向于回答說“不是” 。正 如我向朋友解釋的那樣 ,我的時間可能遠遠比我貢獻給大部分慈善活動的實際勞動更有價值。我的捐款可以用來雇傭那 些工作機會有限的人 ,或者幫助滿

13、足慈善機構所面臨的更為 迫切的需要 ,例如支付租金或是員工的工資。 從另一方面來說 我的勞動時間只能通過一種方式為慈善機構提供服務,而且還只能由我本人提供。如果志愿者擁有某項特殊技能 ,那么他們付出的勞動會 變得更有價值。 例如 ,一位優(yōu)秀的醫(yī)生貢獻出幾小時去做義診 這對于慈善機構而言 ,或許遠勝于 1000 美元的捐款。很不幸 作為一名經濟學家 ,我就想不出本地有什么慈善機構可以讓 我的專業(yè)技能派上用場。最近 ,我把自己的這個想法告訴了一位專業(yè)人士,他定期在當地的一間施粥所做義工。 但是他認為 ,“只是用錢來支持 某項事業(yè)”在某種程度上是不負責任的 ,而且會使人變得淡 漠。貢獻時間也許是一種更大的個人犧牲,但是也讓他對自己所從事的慈善事業(yè)有了更深的感受。他和其他的志愿者以及 那些他幫助過的人之間都會建立起一份友誼 ,從而得到了一 種深刻的群體歸屬感。他還相信 ,作為少數族裔群體中的一 員他所服務的許多人均為少數族裔他給他們提供 了一個正面的榜樣。他認為志愿者活動中的社交互動正是其 價值所在。當然 ,無論是哪種捐贈方式