By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Being transparent and trustworthy is what attracts philanthropists to charities, Stephen Harvey, the new project manager of the British Charity organization Oxfam, said.
Oxfam, one of the largest charity groups in the world, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean charity foundation Beautiful Store, Tuesday, and decided to hold the ``Namaste Ganga!'' (Greetings to River Ganga) campaign together.
The project, designed to support flood victims in Southwest Asia, is expected to raise about 200 million won by the end of the year.
Beautiful Store has been keeping close ties with Oxfam since five years ago, when the British organization received the Seoul Peace Award.
The foundation's decision to join Oxfam's charity project came after its stores that sell second hand goods to assist lower income earners, bench marked Oxfam's 800 shops in Britain.
``For the past 60 years, we have built trust among people. When people come to our stores, they know that we sell not only used items, but also new and good ones donated from corporations. They now trust what we do, and our aim is to help less privileged people,'' Harvey said.
Oxfam now has more than half a million monthly donors, and more than 20,000 people volunteer at its shops. It has branches in 13 countries and developed a new profit making model _ a music download site and a gift-buying site.
``We were successful because we were able to meet people's needs and read the trends ahead and commercialize it. It has become normal to be a philanthropist, but if they get something at the same time, it is better,'' Harvey said. He said now simply promoting donations is not enough, and that they sell visions and more.
He said that Beautiful Store has lots of potential if the organization stays transparent in their money use and sets clear goals. ``If we gain trust, then the public will respond with charity,'' he added.