Lei Xiangping

    lagon235@163.com

    AS China enters the “Internet Plus” era, Internet platforms like WeChat and Weibo have increasingly become new channels for charity organizations and individuals to solicit contributions. With these platforms, soliciting philanthropic funds is easier than ever because people can donate with a tap or a click.

    However, because most donors don’t check the authenticity of requests for help and the philanthropy law loosely stipulates the qualifications of individuals’ online solicitation activities, scams were bound to pop up.

    This January, a man pretending to be a girl on zhihu.com, China’s largest online question-and-answer community, claimed to have transferred money to help another user on the same website who purportedly suffered from an incurable disease. The man has nearly 60,000 followers and he eventually cheated other users out of more than 150,000 yuan (US$22,830).

    Another cheater, who sought help after the deadly Tianjin blasts last August, was severely punished in January. The cheater falsely claimed on Weibo that her father was confirmed dead in the explosions and she needed urgent assistance. She received over 90,000 yuan from Weibo users. She was sentenced to three years in prison last month.

    Similar cheating cases have one thing in common: By exaggerating miseries or faking pitiful experiences, solicitors arouse sympathy and obtain donations quickly. Because Internet solicitation platforms have low entry requirements, almost anyone can access them easily and receive donations.

    When people’s good intentions are misused, their trust in others will be jeopardized. The number of people who run online scams is relatively small compared with those who really need help, but their disgraceful behaviors hurt legitimate charities as well. Just as the saying goes, “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”

    Why not just ban online solicitations since they have brought about severe consequences? Raising money through Internet platforms has unparalleled advantages, which traditional charity channels, such as the Red Cross, don’t have. By receiving hundreds of thousands of small donations, charities can raise more money than ever before. Without these platforms, many needy people’s requests for help may go unnoticed because traditional charity systems have limited capacities and resources to reach the needy.

    Meanwhile, Internet solicitation platforms are becoming an important supplement to the traditional charity system. Despite scandals surrounding the Red Cross, Chinese people’s zealousness in supporting charities in general has not cooled down, which is indicated by the drastic increase rate in the amount of charity money raised on the Internet. As Internet platforms gradually expand their roles, many people have an increasing interest in directly donating to people who they think are qualified to receive help and to charity organizations they think are credible.

    Internet donation solicitation has a learning curve and should be given a chance before it matures. Most cheating is done by individuals, so people can donate to trustworthy organizations or charity programs instead. The disadvantages regarding Internet solicitation will be resolved once Internet platforms gradually improve and better their charity service standards.

    The newly revised philanthropy law leaves room for innovative charity initiatives by stipulating that individuals and organizations that have no legal qualifications to receive donations can cooperate with qualified organizations. Hence the “Internet Plus” strategy can also be applied to charity. Internet charity endeavors can help more people by joining hands with traditional charities.

    (The author is an editor with the News Desk at China Radio International.)