紐約時報 The New York Times 2008.11.11
Giving
付出
Ensuring That Gifts Go Where They’re Needed
確定禮物被送到需要的地方
EVEN amid widespread angst over withered portfolios and a rocky economy, some Americans remain committed to helping the poorest of the poor. The question for the compassionate is how to make sure their charitable dollars will be used as effectively as possible.
即使普遍處於股票衰退以及不穩定經濟的憂慮之中，有些美國人仍持續堅定地幫助赤貧的人。慈悲要面對的問題是如何確定他們的慈善捐款儘可能有效地運用。
“Very savvy individuals treat their giving like their financial portfolios — they do due diligence and research,” said Lisa Philp, head of philanthropic services at J. P. Morgan Private Bank. “Charitable decisions are close to the heart, often emotional, but they still call for financial savvy.”
「許多精明的人，對待他們付出的捐款像他們的股票一樣 -- 他們會做適當努力的研究」J.P.摩根私有銀行慈善服務主管這麼說。「關於慈善所做的決定是接近心靈的, 通常是情感的, 但是他們仍然要求聰明的財務運用」。
Certainly among the savvy is George Soros, the financier and philanthropist, who in 2006 gave $50 million to Millennium Promise, a charity founded to help realize the millennium development goals recommended by a task force headed by the economist Jeffrey D. Sachs and adopted by the United Nations in 2005.
必定屬於精明的人之一的喬治‧索羅斯，金融家和慈善家，在2006年捐給「千禧年承諾」五千萬美元，一個慈善團體被建立來幫助實現千禧年發展目標，這些目標是由經濟學家 Jeffrey D. Sachs 所帶領的特別小組所建議的，並在2005年被聯合國採納。
Professor Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a special adviser to the secretary general of the United Nations, argued then that extreme global poverty, which the World Bank defines as personal income of less than $1 a day, could be eliminated by 2025 if the world’s 22 richest nations increased their combined foreign aid budgets to between $135 billion and $195 billion for a decade and allocated that money, less than 1 percent of their gross domestic product, in the most effective way. Those wealthy countries include the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most of the countries of Western Europe.
Sachs 教授，哥倫比亞大學地球學院院長以及聯合國秘書長的特別顧問，主張全球性的極端貧窮，依據世界銀行的定義是每日個人收入少於1美元，可以在2025年被消除，如果世界上最富有的22個國家能在十年之間提撥不到國內生產總值(GDP)的1%，用來增加他們的聯合援外預算到1千3百50億至1千9百50億之間，並且用最有效的方式把這些錢分派出來。這些富裕的國家包含美國、英國、加拿大、日本、澳大利亞、紐西蘭以及西歐的大部份國家。
But Professor Sachs said that government funds were not the only source. Support from individuals and corporations is important, too.
不過 Sachs 教授也說，政府基金並不是唯一來源。來自個人以及公司的支援也是重要的。
“Everybody has a role,” Professor Sachs said last month. “A holistic approach makes a lot of sense. I haven’t changed my date,” he added, even though he said he believed the United States faced the hardship of recession, but not depression. “I have faith we will recover.”
「每個人都有一個角色」Sachs教授在上個月說。「全方位的進行方式是很有道理的。我還沒改變我所定下的期限」他補充說，即使他說他相信美國正面臨衰退的艱困, 但不因此而沮喪。「我有信心我們會恢復」。
Mr. Soros’s gift was for Millennium Villages, a project of Millennium Promise affecting a half-million people in Africa, where more than 80 villages are operating or are planned in 10 countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. Professor Sachs described the project as community-based development using a three-pronged approach — agriculture, health and education.
索羅斯先生的禮物是給千禧村的，這是千禧年承諾的專案之一，大約影響非洲的50萬人，在10個國家之中已有80多個村莊正在經營或計劃之中：埃塞俄比亞、加納、肯尼亞、馬拉維、馬里、尼日利亞、盧旺達、塞內加爾、坦桑尼亞和烏干達。Sachs 教授介紹該專案是以社區為基礎的開發，利用三管齊下的辦法--農業，衛生和教育。
Other big donors, he said, include Sumitomo Chemical, which has given treated mosquito netting to prevent malaria; Novartis, which has donated medications; and Ericsson, which has developed a telecommunications infrastructure and donated mobile phones to important people in the villages.
其他大捐助者，他說，包括日本住友化學提供醫療蚊帳預防瘧疾；諾華公司捐贈藥品；Ericsson 公司，它發展了一個電信基礎設施，並捐贈行動電話給村莊裏的重要人士。
“We’re getting very exciting results,” Professor Sachs said, not by giving handouts, but by helping villagers improve their lives. Agricultural production is doubling or tripling year over year, and once-poor school attendance is reaching 100 percent, thanks mainly to a school meal program, he said.
「我們已經得到令人非常興奮的成果，」Sachs 教授說，不是施捨，而是幫助村民們改善他們的生活。跟去年同期相比，農業生產增加一倍或兩倍，窮人上學率一度達到百分之百，主要得感謝學校供餐計劃，他說。
Asked why he had chosen Millennium Promise, Mr. Soros, a graduate of the London School of Economics, said, “Watching the Millennium efforts, I thought it was worth taking a risk.”
問他為什麼選擇了千禧年承諾，畢業於倫敦經濟學院的索羅斯先生說，「看到千禧年計畫的努力，我覺得這是值得的風險。」
“My calculation in supporting this is as follows: $500 will move a family out of poverty,” he said. “As a pilot program, it will make a big difference in the pilot villages.” That is the first level of risk, he said, and it alone would justify the expenditure.
「支持這個決定的計算如下：500美元將令一個家庭脫離貧困，」他說。「作為一個試驗性的計畫，它將使這些試驗村落變得很不一樣。」這是第一層次的風險，他說，單靠這一點就有充份的理由支出。
The second level of risk is leverage, or the hope that the villages will succeed in setting an example. “It can be a model for bringing about systemic change,” Mr. Soros said, and “if it can be scaled up, it will make a very big difference.”
第二個層次的風險是槓桿，或者說希望這些村莊能成功地樹立榜樣。「它可以是一個實現制度性變革的模式，」索羅斯先生說，並且「如果可以擴大規模，它將造成很大的不同。」
Often pilot programs do not succeed on a larger scale, he added, but in this case he is hopeful. The government of Mali is very supportive, he said, so it could be expanded there.
試驗計畫常常沒能在更大的規模上成功，他補充說，但以這個個案來說，他是充滿希望的。馬里政府非常支持，他說，因此它在那裏可以擴大實施。
Asked how he would advise prospective donors, Mr. Soros said they should “do as much research as possible. Looking at the expense issue is relevant but not decisive.” The humanitarian factor is vital. “There is no substitute for firsthand engagement,” he said.
當被問及他將如何提醒潛在捐助者，索羅斯先生說，他們應該「儘可能做大量的研究。支出的問題是相關的，但不是決定性的。」人道主義的因素是至關重要的。「沒有任何東西可以取代第一手的接觸，」他說。
John W. McArthur, chief executive of Millennium Promise, said, “People are motivated by giving to something that can have enormous results, a sense of impact.”
約翰‧W‧麥克阿瑟，千禧年承諾的首席執行官說：「人們的動機會被引發，如果給他們一些可以產生巨大成果的東西，一種衝擊的感覺。」
Poverty in Africa has existed for so long that people may view it as an intractable problem, but Mr. McArthur said he believed the Millennium Promise goal of ending extreme poverty through improved health, education and agricultural production was attainable.
非洲的貧困已經存在了很長時間，人們可能認為這是一個棘手的問題，但麥克阿瑟先生說，他認為通過改善衛生、教育和農業生產，千禧年承諾結束赤貧的目標是可以實現的。
“These are practical questions with practical solutions,” he said. “It is important that donors know their resources have a direct effect,” he said, and that the results be transparent with frequent updates available to supporters. “People want to feel the connection,” said Mr. McArthur, who earned a master’s degree in economics from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar, and a master’s in public policy from Harvard.
「這些都是實際的問題，也有實際的解決辦法」他說。「這是非常重要的，捐助者要知道他們的資源能造成直接的影響，」他說，而且這些結果會以透明的、頻繁的更新提供給支持者。麥克阿瑟先生說「人們希望能感受到關聯性，」。麥克阿瑟先生自牛津獲得經濟學碩士學位，他在那裡是一個領取羅氏獎學金的研究生(Rhodes Scholar)，也是哈佛大學的公共政策碩士。
Ms. Philp of J. P. Morgan Private Bank suggested several ways that people can research charities to be sure their gifts will be used effectively.
JP摩根私人銀行的菲利普女士建議幾種方法，人們可以研究慈善機構，以確保他們的捐贈能被有效的利用。
Charitable organizations must file I.R.S. Form 990, she said. Copies are available to the public at guidestar.org. “People can look at comprehensive information over the past several years,” she added. Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) and the Better Business Bureau (us.bbb.org) also offer information on many charities, including descriptions of their work, financial reports and sources of funds.
慈善組織必須建檔 IRS 990 表格，她說。複本可以從 guidestar.org 公開取得。「人們可以看到過去幾年裡廣泛的信息，」她補充說。慈善導航(charitynavigator.org) 和優良商業局(us.bbb.org) 還提供了許多慈善機構的資訊，包括他們的工作描述，財務報告和資金來源。
After doing the preliminary research, prospective donors, especially if they are contemplating making large gifts, should learn about the charity from personal experience, Ms. Philp advises. “Do some volunteer work. Roll up your sleeves and get to know them.”
經過這樣的初步研究，潛在捐助者，特別是如果他們正在考慮大額的捐贈，應該透過個人體驗了解慈善機構，菲利普女士建議。「做一些志願工作。捲起你的袖子，去了解他們。」
And those who intend to make substantial contributions — an endowed chair at a university or college, for example — can also ask to meet with the president of the university or dean of the college to discuss how their gifts will be used. It is also possible to make a conditional pledge, she
said.
而那些打算作出重大貢獻的人，例如一個大學或學院的捐贈董事，也可以要求與大學校長或學院院長會面，討論如何使用他們的捐贈。訂立一個有條件的保證也是可能的，她說。
One client who had a large private foundation wanted to support a planned arts center and pledged a major donation if it materialized. It did not, so his foundation’s money was used elsewhere.
一個擁有大量私人基金會的客戶，願意支持一個計劃中的藝術中心，並保證在它實現後提供一個大量的捐贈。後來它沒有實現，所以他的基金會的錢用於其他地方。
Some people like to give secretly, Ms. Philp said. “We work with a family in the Midwest who live very simply,” she said. “We are their go-between and do the due diligence.”
有些人喜歡秘密捐贈，菲利普女士說。「我們跟一個生活非常簡單的中西部家庭一起工作」她說。「我們是他們的中間人，並做盡職調查。」
For others, “philanthropy is part of a larger social network,” and naming opportunities and personal contacts are important parts of their investment in the community, she said.
對於其他人來說，「慈善事業是更大的的社會網絡的一部份」，命名的機會和個人的接觸是他們在社區投入的重要部分，她說。
“As a donor, be directed but also open to things you haven’t thought of,” Ms. Philp said. “As an investor, you want your financial portfolio to be diversified. It’s the same with giving. You might think of a university or a museum, but you might also want to think about alternatives and start-ups. Have a mix of things in your program.”
「作為一個捐助者，接受指導，並且對於一些你沒有想到的東西持開放的態度，」菲利普女士說。「作為一個投資者，您希望您的金融投資組合多樣化。捐贈也一樣。你可能會考慮一所大學或一個博物館，但你也可能想要考慮替代方案和初創企業。在您的計劃裏安排一些東西的組合。」
Or, like Professor Sachs and Mr. Soros, you might like to become part of the effort to eliminate global poverty. As Mr. McArthur said, “The fight to end extreme poverty is really all hands on deck.”
或者，像薩克斯教授和索羅斯先生，您可能也想成為消除全球貧困的力量的一部分。正如麥克阿瑟先生說：「結束赤貧的奮鬥真的需要每一個人的幫助。」
(翻得不好，歡迎指正)
