Blog 3...Singtel charges admin fee for donations to Szechuan Charity Show

There was a charity show not so long ago in Singapore to raise funds to aid the people affected by the Szechuan earthquake. The response was good, but many people were unhappy with the administrative fees that Singtel charged.
The reasons Singtel gave were quite valid and I respect that they have a business to run as well, as all their reasons seem to point to.
However, I'm still not completely convinced, and there are definitely ways to prevent this problem.
Firstly, donors want to direct their money flow to help the earthquake victims, and do not want to pay money that will not be channeled to them. As Singtel said, the organizer didn't want to bear the administrative fee for fear of not being able to support the cost. If this is true, then they could find some way to cut back costs, for example inviting fewer celebrities to perform in the show. This would definitely cut back a lot of the cost!
As for the celebrities appearing, I believe they received a sum of money as pay. I think that if they really wanted to help, to do a part for the victims, they should not have accepted the money.
Singtel donated S$200,000 to China's relief and reconstruction. In other words, the company feels that this is an important cause. And shouldn't it support the cause it feels strongly about? I'm not saying that the company should sponsor every charitable cause in Singapore, but the few that it supports. I'm sure the shareholders wouldn't mind earning a little less to help out so many needy, right?
Without the administrative fee as a sort of deterrence from donating, I'm sure the quake victims would have benefitted more, from more donations.
However, I feel that SingTel's efforts in giving aid to those in need is really commendable, and the fact that they started the SingTel Touching Lives Fund, and donated millions to charities in just one year, shows that the company really wants to help. They also lowered rates for China mobile subscribers, so they could contact their families.
So, while there could have been some points that could have been done better, I guess the public must appreciate what SingTel is doing for the cause of charity, and support such events! After all, there is no flawless plan in the world, right?
On another point, should we be helping and fulfilling foriegn needs? China already has a bustling economy on it's own, and is certainly capable of saving itself. So should we be channelling so much money their way? After all, there are people who need help in Singapore too. I feel that we should focus on solving our own problems before we start going all-out in helping other countries, especially those who, as they have emphasized so many times, have a developing economy that outshines Singapore's.
Still, I applaud Singaporeans for their willingness to help others. I think this really reflects well on our people, doesn't it?