In the past few years alone, ordinary Chi-nese citizens have donated billions of yuan to charity. From disaster relief efforts in Wenchuan and Yushu to regular charity programs like Project Hope, contributions from non-government sources have become a significant new source of funding for charitable undertakings.

Sympathy and benevolence are deeply rooted in our culture. Our compassionate compatriots never hesitate to reach out when help is needed. Yet there have been plenty of laments in recent years about people's reluctance, or, more specifically, the reluctance of the rich to contribute. The more one has, some say, the meaner one becomes.

That is obviously not fair. Aside from the high-profile philanthropist Chen Guangbiao, a Jiangsu-based private entrepreneur, who has donated hundreds of millions and promised to donate all he has to charity when he dies, there are plenty of other examples that refute such a blanket conclusion.

The truth is that many of us, no matter how rich, share a lingering doubt when considering making a donation: Will the donation be used for the intended charitable purpose? The chances are, if we do donate, we'll never know. The latest transparency report issued by the China Charity and Donations Information Center confirms this.

Based on a survey of 99 charitable organizations from across the country, the report found only 25 percent did a decent job of disclosing information in 2010. The report also revealed that although there was a relatively high transparency regarding the organizations themselves, that was not the case when it came to financial information.

Public opinion is the main reason charitable organizations are reluctant to share financial information, the report claims. They are afraid of facing more questions and suspicion after disclosure. But that is no excuse for denying donors the right to know.

Perhaps because most of them are attached one way or another to government institutions, those operating charitable organizations seem more accustomed to behaving like government agencies. Our government departments are not accustomed to explaining to taxpayers how tax money is spent. But donors, unlike taxpayers, are under no obligation to contribute.

In a parallel online poll based on random samples, more than 90 per cent of respondents said they are not content with the information disclosed by charitable organizations.

Without providing a convincing account of their operations, and sensibly addressing public inquiries, charitable organizations can hardly get rid of the growing credibility crisis.

(China Daily 12/06/2010 page8)