As the sole organisation that presides over the sport of football in Japan, the JFA has established their principle as follows: "Through football, we realise the full benefits that sports can bring to our lives the soundness of our bodies, the expansion of our minds, and the enrichment of our societies." Consisted by five experts in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the Committee for Social Responsibility is one of JFA's Expert Committees that covers “how" the JFA can contribute to the society.

In order to share the activities carried out by the Committee for Social Responsibility, we have started a relay column by the members of the committee. As our fifth relay column, we will share the article on “Learning the beauty of donations from Birthday Donation," written by our fellow member TAKAHASHI Yoko, who is the President of Japan Philanthropic Association.

Vol.5: Committee for Social Responsibility Member TAKAHASHI Yoko

Donation is an economic activity that stimulates money and trust

The Japan Philanthropic Association believes that a healthy democratic society is created through social involvement and social contribution of each individual. That is why we promote volunteer works and donations to corporate stakeholders, workers, and clients. Many people say that donating money is a unilateral action. However, in many cases, donations are consumed instantaneously; to fight against poverty, support nature conservation, or to promote art, etc., which would ultimately stimulate the economy. In other words, donation is an economic activity that stimulates money and trust. That is why we created the “Birthday Donation,” a platform where anyone can make donations.

Instead of getting celebrated, you make a donation on your own birthday?

The project was launched with the principles of, “Celebrating your birthday by showing your gratitude towards life” and “Supporting the next generations who will pass on the baton of life.” The original concept of the “Birthday Donation” was inspired by the inaugural chairman of the J.League, and current JFA Executive Advisor, Mr. KAWABUCHI Saburo. For over 25 years, instead of receiving presents, Mr. Kawabuchi has made donations on his birthday. An episode was shared about the time he made a donation to the Sawayaka Welfare Foundation. Mr. HOTTA Tsutomu, who is the chairman of the foundation (chief director at the time), was asked by Mr. Kawabuchi, “How much should I donate?” Normally, you would ask for a conservative amount in such situation, but to Mr. Kawabuchi’s surprise, Mr. Hotta replied by asking for “An amount that would actually hurt.” It’s hard to define an amount that would hurt one’s financial status but being able to invest a lump sum of money to future generations is not an easy thing to do, and we were deeply inspired by this episode. That is why we have asked Mr. Kawabuchi to become an advocate of our project.

Donations are investments to the future and the returns are priceless

Our objective is to support the young generations who are dealing with adversity. We hope to provide the helping hand to bring back hope to their future. These donations come with the hope that these young generation would pay it forward to the next generations. Donations are like long-term investments. In both cases, we are making investments to achieve our future dreams. The return for these donations can be seen in the form of the children’s development and the joy that comes with it. Let’s hear some stories of our donors.

“When I first registered for the Birthday Donation, I was healthy, but I became ill soon after, and now I am fighting my illness. When my birthday came, I was conflicted by the act of making a donation while I was sick, but I reconsidered that thought and decided to make a donation while I am alive. It gives me motivation to continue to live the life I have.”
“You might be in great distresses right now, but there is always somebody looking after you, trying to give you a hand. Don’t give up. I am with you, too.”

Use your birthday to connect with others

I heard a neat “Birthday Donation” story from a person from London. This person is a volunteer from a Soup Kitchen located in London. One day, the chef of the kitchen mentioned that the chicken for the stew was donated by someone who had their birthday on that day. Our dream is to here such heart-warming stories from all over our nation. That is why we will continue to share these neat stories and bring in more people to join the “Birthday Donation.”

Think about life and think of others… and share such feeling in the form of donation…
Thanks Birthday ! & Happy Donation !

Birthday Donation Website