( l - r ) Reynolds, Casserly, Beckford, Morgan

Fierce hardship brought about by a cruel hand of fate might have dealt a severe blow to the earnings of many Jamaicans, but it has not been able to bruise their caring nature.

There are signs that thousands of Jamaicans are still willing to be their brothers' keeper in fierce defiance of the tough times, brought about by an unkind economic climate.

Evidence of this is reflected in the accounts of the philanthropic organisation, United Way of Jamaica, which raked in $55.8 million despite the global recession.

The generosity of Jamaicans has given the organisation the impetus to broaden its base.

Philanthrophy alive

"At the point of where we are, I can't say philanthropy is dying ... indeed, it is alive and growing," Alvaro Casserly, immediate past chairman of United Way, said during a Gleaner Editors' Forum at the newspaper's North Street, central Kingston, office yesterday.

This year, United Way has its eyes set on between $80 million and $100 million.

"We received $55 million last year, and for the first half of this year we took in $40 million so we are well on our way," Casserly asserted.

To achieve this target, United Way is revising its strategy to target employees in the workplace to complete the list of corporate donors which have been a tower of strength over the years.

The initiative is dubbed the Workplace Philanthropy Programme.

"We are setting a target of 100,000 employees and asking them to contribute a minimum of $100 per month," Casserly disclosed.

This is to be done through salary deductions.

Casserly hopes that employers will be encouraged to match the total contributions made by employees.

He also revealed that United Way has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the credit union movement for a once-a-year contribution from its members.

Another far-reaching initiative of United Way is the establishment of a registry and volunteer centre to bolster the infrastructure at the organisation.

Casserly said this is being supported by the move to computerise the activities at United Way.

While expressing full agreement that philanthropy was still being nurtured, board member of United Way, Henley Morgan, raised concern that volunteerism was on the decline.

Query

Another board member and corporate donor, Michelle Wilson Reynolds, queried whether the generosity on display was being showcased by the same number of Jamaicans and corporate entities.

Board member Elon Beckford disclosed that preparatory work was being undertaken to carry out a study to quantify the value of volunteerism.

"The findings should be quite interesting," Beckford said.

gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com