WITH all the rush and the competitive working environment these days, it can be almost impossible to find enough time to run errands, go to the gym, go out on a date, or spend quality time with your family and friends, let alone do things like making merit.
After the recent riots, which profoundly affected the country at different levels, many Thai people have become more than willing to make social contributions and donate to charities as a gesture to reach out and help the healing process.
But for first-time donors, they may have no clue where and how to start. In this electronic age, charity can be conveniently accessible. The simplest way to donate is via an online transaction. Google your preferred charities and settle donations over the Internet. This is as easy as any online payments. For those who are non-technology savvy, printable versions of donation forms are also available. You can just fax and mail the complete form later.
Most of the time, these methods are good for a one-time donation or for a special occasion. If you wish to donate as a routine, here are a few options.
Credit-card owners who can afford to donate a fixed amount on a monthly basis can apply for what is called a "recurring" service. You may apply for such a service by contacting your bank. The intended donation amount will be debited from your credit-card account every month. With this option, along with the merit, bonus points will also be credited to your balance, since donation is treated like a regular purchase.
Another alternative is bonus point redemption. There may be customers with accumulative bonus points on their credit cards who fancy no merchandise rewards, no air miles, or no hotel vouchers. Their bonus points can be redeemed as a way to participate in a charitable programme, since those points are as good as cash. The conversion rate is calculated under terms of conditions as previously agreed when the credit-card accounts have been activated.
Meanwhile, some financial institutions with a more sophisticated customer-oriented segmentation have customised their products and services in such a way that multiple contribution channels are at customers' convenience. In Thailand, the Thai Red Cross Society has made donation giving accessible to good-hearted credit-card customers by jointly collaborating with a card issuer to launch a particular card, the first of its kind. The Thai Red Cross credit card enables both the card-holder and the card-issuing bank to give a donation to the society every time the card is used. With daily purchases, we can be turning heartbreaking cases into hope. All that is needed is for a card-holder to simply use the Red Cross co-branded card as often as possible. A fixed percentage of each card purchase will be topped up with the same amount by the card issuer, and that whole amount will be transferred to the Thai Red Cross directly.
One important point is that with all of the above methods, receipts will be available just like regular donations.
Now is the time to make your rushed life more meaningful to others. It is much easier than you thought.
Janejit Ladpli is vice-president of the Travel and Leisure Marketing Division of Krungthai Card Public Company Limited.