The Rural Giving Difference? Volunteering as Philanthropy in an Irish Community Organization

Abstract

In 2013, a national giving campaign was launched in Ireland—the One Percent Campaign—as an attempt to bring philanthropy into the public consciousness. While the campaign garnered great patronage from high profile individuals and received support from the Irish Government, the diffusion of this campaign to rural Ireland encountered a stumbling block. Irish community and voluntary groups remain under extreme financial pressure with the immediate mend of severed finances—including from the public purse— means that strategic, long term philanthropy is viewed as low priority. This paper outlines a recent case study of a voluntary community-based sporting organization in the rural North East of Ireland that initially fits this description, unaware of the national campaign and concentrated wholly on the funding needs of their organization. However, an in-depth study of the organization actually reveals insight into hidden philanthropy that emerged naturally, without acknowledgement or understanding of this activity taking place. The organization’s knowledge and perceptions of philanthropy meant that although they engaged in a vast array of philanthropic activity—long-term volunteer commitments; regular and sustained donations; a means to transform the organization—they were unaware of this work as philanthropic activity nor demonstrated the ability or capacity to leverage this success towards a significant expansion. This paper offers an intriguing platform to consider the attributes of volunteers engaged in such philanthropic activity—even hidden from themselves as such—as a spirit to the commitment to their organization and their sporting cause. The findings suggest a need for training and support for community volunteers in fundraising and philanthropy. Although this paper concentrates on research from one case study, the findings may resonate with other rural community organizations, with the attributes identified as a potential checklist: do our volunteers possess such attributes? Could this combination of attributes contribute to our success? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Résumé Cet article présente une étude de cas récente d'une communauté-basée sur l'organisation sportive, dans le nord-est de l'Irlande, avec des activités conduites par des bénévoles. Alors que le bénévolat au niveau communautaire n'est pas particulièrement inhabituel dans le milieu rural irlandais, ce cas montre le bénévolat comme un mécénat: engagement à long-terme des bénévoles, donations régulières et durables; les moyens de transformer l'organisation et la communauté. L'organisation ne reconnait pas ce bénévolat comme un mécénat, malgré le fait que cette action s'enligne avec les valeurs clés de la Campagne Un Pourcent de Différence (One Percent Difference Campaign) —la campagne nationale de dons de l'Irlande—adhérant à l'esprit d'engagement pour leur organisation et leur cause sportive. Les résultats suggèrent un besoin de formation et de support pour la communauté de bénévoles en levée de fonds et mécénat. Bien que cet article se concentre sur un cas, les résultats pourraient trouver écho parmi d'autres communautés rurales et organisations bénévoles qui ont pour but d'impliquer dans les activités locales qui pourraient avoir un impact transformateur sur la vitalité rurale et l'inclusion sociale.