24 December 2010
Acknowledging the important role the South African Diaspora can play in shaping the future of the country, Homecoming Revolution has launched an online giving community to enable South Africans living abroad to connect with thousands of good causes across the country.
The campaign, It Feels Good To Do Good, encourages South Africans around the world to give their time, money, goods or skills to various causes in South Africa.
Launched in November, the campaign portal is powered by GreaterGood South Africa, a registered non-profit and public benefit organisation with significant experience of working with givers and causes.
“One doesn’t need to live in South Africa in order to contribute towards the future success of the country,” Homecoming Revolution managing executive Brigitte Lightfoot said in a statement.
‘A platform for giving back’
“We often get feedback from South Africans, both locally and abroad, who want to make a difference but don’t know where to start; this platform provides an easy, secure and meaningful way to give back.”
Rachelle Lane, a South African living in the UK, told Homecoming Revolution that she felt the need to give more back to her home country, “and I am looking into a few things that will allow us the flexibility to live here for a few years but still contribute towards building our country.”
The campaign aims to capitalise on the nation-building momentum and global presence created by the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
“We’ve seen how the World Cup unified the nation, and we believe the time is ripe to mobilise South Africans to commit to a common purpose and to take action towards doing good”, said Homecoming Revolution founder Angel Jones.
The campaign portal – www.itfeelsgoodtodogood.co.za – enables givers to:
- Connect with and give to registered causes all year round, securely.
- Post stories about giving and volunteer experiences.
- Sign up to volunteer during national campaigns like Do It Day and Mandela Day.
- Post offers and fundraise for the causes they are passionate about.
- Buy alternative gifts which really make a difference.
- Invite friends to support good causes.
‘People do good in order to feel good’
According to Homecoming Revolution, a recent study by an MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science sought to identify the emotions influencing the willingness of South African emigrants to transfer knowledge to people back home.
“The overwhelming sense was that emigrants who were prepared to share their knowledge did so because it made them feel good about themselves, thus adding value to their lives,” the organisation said.
“Thus the evidence suggests that the South African emigrant most likely to share knowledge is a highly educated person who loves sharing knowledge generally, who left South Africa to reconnect with loved ones, and who is happy to be living abroad even though he or she still experiences some feelings of nostalgia and guilt.
“Taking these findings into consideration, The Homecoming Revolution believes there is a substantial market of South Africans abroad who are willing to share their skills, knowledge, money and time to benefit their home country.”
Founded in 2003, The Homecoming Revolution is an independent non-profit organisation, sponsored by First National Bank, that encourages and helps South Africans around the world to return home.
SAinfo reporter
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