Does “We Disclosed It” Make It Okay?—The Controversy Over Ashinaga's Donations

Recently, criticism has been spreading online over how Ashinaga, a Japanese nonprofit, uses the donations it collects.

News reports and online discussions have focused on claims that a significant portion of the donations went to aid programs in Africa, while some children in Japan reportedly cannot receive scholarships even when they need them.

I was somewhat surprised when I heard this.

I had always thought of Ashinaga as an organization that supports Japanese children who have lost a parent.

I have seen students collecting donations outside train stations. Surely many of the people putting money into those boxes believe they are helping children in Japan.

In reality, however, a considerable amount of the money was reportedly being used for overseas aid as well.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with helping children in Africa.

The question is whether that is what the donors intended.

Is “It Is on Our Website” Really Enough?

Ashinaga did not keep its support for Africa secret. Its official website describes those activities.

Some people therefore argue that there is no problem.

But that sounds rather bureaucratic to me.

When someone puts ¥1,000, or about $7, into a donation box on the street, how many people first take out a phone, find the organization’s annual report, and check how its funds are allocated?

Most people donate because they trust the image that the organization has built over many years.

I thought Ashinaga was an organization that supported Japanese children who had lost a parent. If I had donated, I would naturally have assumed that my money would be used for that purpose.

If I were then told, “Actually, we also spend a considerable amount on overseas aid. It is written on our website,” I would not find that easy to accept.

Disclosing something and ensuring that donors understand it are two different things.

Who Decides How Goodwill Is Used?

People donate for different reasons.

Some want to help children in Japan. Others want to help children in need around the world, regardless of nationality.

I believe both are admirable intentions.

But that does not mean the two may be combined without the donors’ consent.

An organization may decide to redirect money donated by people who wanted to support children in Japan who had lost a parent toward aid in Africa. Even if that decision is consistent with the organization’s philosophy, it may not be consistent with the donors’ wishes.

Moreover, there are children in Japan who need support.

If a large amount of funding is directed overseas under those circumstances, the organization should have explained that choice to donors much more clearly.

The organization no doubt has ideals of its own.

But donors have their own ideals too.

Something has gone wrong when an organization begins to treat the goodwill entrusted to it by others as unrestricted funding for realizing its own ideals.

Trust Can Disappear in an Instant

What concerns me about this controversy is not the support for Africa itself, but the gap between the organization’s understanding and that of its donors.

The longer an organization has operated, the easier it is to assume that the public understands its philosophy and activities.

But the public does not know nearly that much.

People hear the name “Ashinaga” and think of support for Japanese children who have lost a parent. That is why they donate.

Fundraising depends on that simple trust.

If the organization’s activities have changed, it must also make an effort to explain that change to its donors.

If this controversy causes more people to stop donating, the children who need support will suffer.

A program begun with good intentions may end up driving away another source of goodwill.

It is deeply ironic.

I believe donors naturally have the right to express preferences about how their money is used. They should at least have the freedom to decide whom they want their money to help.

Before saying, “Our ideals are admirable,” say, “This is where your money will go.”

Should that not be the proper order for any organization asking for donations?

Just because money was raised through goodwill does not mean goodwill alone is enough to decide how it should be used.