The Government and Nonprofit Funding Dichotomy
“It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and our air force has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber.” Robert Fulghum, American Author
When the United States announced last month that $4 billion would be spent to assist the COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort to 92 low- and middle-income countries, it was easy to see why a democratic government could be mistaken as a nonprofit with virtually unlimited funding. Yet money alone doesn’t solve every problem, especially one as complex as a global pandemic. When a public entity wishes to materialize a solution in the most efficient manner, they rely on the experience and drive of nonprofits, NGOs, and private enterprise. The vaccine distribution money in this case will be provided to Covax, a coalition that includes UNICEF and the World Health Organization as NGO partners.
Nonprofits and similar organizations often exist to provide likewise crucial services that a government cannot or will not do. illuminAid believes educating the poorest billion people on the planet through low-cost video technology is a case in point. Like the government, illuminAid partners with many organizations that contribute to our mission in the most efficient manner possible. In addition to funding, teamwork is critically important whether a world power is attempting to distribute and administer a vaccine, or a diminutive nonprofit is striving to empower a billion people.
Actual nonprofits, however, do not have anything close to what could be considered unlimited funding. The problem is reversed when compared to governments--nonprofits have near unlimited ambition and ability to achieve great things, but a very limited amount of funding. It may seem obscure, but time spent chasing grants and donations is part of the work required in order to change the world.
At illuminAid, we specialize in effective altruism. When you involuntarily donate money to the government, they may spend it in the form of public services, or they may spend it on a bomber. When you voluntarily donate to illuminAid, your dollar will go as far as it can to improve the quality of life in the developing world. At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team.