How to get an armoured SUV donated?
Jay Nappalli, Founder & Director
You know, I often struggle with how to present an idea and wonder if it will be received well. I’ll give a side-track example. I shall omit details, but someone who works for me (sort of), more like provides a household service, her son passed. The way I connect with people is putting myself into their shoes. Anyways, when I asked my friend for his opinion of what I thought was a very heartfelt message (that I drafted and wanted to send) from someone’s son to a mother who lost her son… well, let’s just say my friend was not a fan of the proposed message. So I kept it short and sweet, but I wanted to say so much more. A lot of times I’ve either censored how I feel or not said something because I was afraid of how what I had in mind would sound to someone else.
When I told a relative of mine that I was starting a charity, what she essentially said was, “Why are you even doing that if you cannot fund it yourself fully?” She essentially said that it was something you did if you were rich. I was appalled at her suggestion. Charity starts from compassion for another being and wanting to help suffering beings. You absolutely do not have to have a lot to start helping people.
You do what you can, however much you can, in whatever way you can. It is not something you need to postpone till you are swimming in it.
I created this charity and I am doing this because it is what I CAN DO. Now, someone who is successful in other aspects maybe could not live here in these conditions, and maybe their talents lie elsewhere.
So an idea I had was to ask people of means to donate an armoured SUV so I can expand eastwards and provide a bigger variety of services. But this is a complicated issue. I am pretty sure that I won’t be able to do this by way of acquiring donations and then using those funds once they reach the Ukrainian charity accounts; there are limits on how much you can use and for what.
So I keep asking myself questions I don’t have answers to yet.
If someone donates a vehicle, who should own it: the charity, the person who drives it, or the donor?
How do you make sure that a vehicle given for humanitarian work stays with that work, in a country at war?
Would a donor rather lend a vehicle than give it away?
And how do you ask for something this big without it sounding like you are asking for yourself?
When I get a donation from anyone, it is my responsibility to ensure that it is used as intended. Until I know how to do that properly, I would rather ask the questions than pretend I have the answers.
If you have thoughts, experience, or an armoured SUV you no longer need, I would like to hear from you: jay@dhanaaid.org
– Jay