Red Cross furor for priority plan

The Red Cross Society branch in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, confirmed to the Global Times Monday that a draft regulation giving donors priority in receiving emergency aid is still being considered even after netizens lambasted the idea as "trading money for life."

Previous media reports said the draft stipulates that people who donate 100 yuan ($16) annually to the organization can apply to become members and in return receive priority to some forms of aid.

The reports did not specify under what circumstances the priority applies.

The draft also states that those who have donated accumulatively 1,000 yuan can apply for a cash aid of no less than their total donation should their immediate family members become victims of natural disasters or severe diseases in the city.

The draft has been met with a mixed reaction. Proponents said such an incentive scheme helps recognize donors' rights, while opponents say it violates the principle of giving aid to the most needy.

Deng Guosheng, director of the Center for Innovation and Social Responsibility at Tsinghua University, said giving aid to donors should be limited to certain conditions.

"In the face of natural disasters for example, the Red Cross should provide aid to disaster-plagued people whether they are donors or not," Deng told the Global Times, adding that when donors suffer critical illness they deserve priority treatment if they need it.

The practice should be transparent and fall under public supervision, said Deng.

Wang Zhenyao, dean of the China Philanthropy Research Institute under Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times that the scheme is understandable as a separate charity project involving certain members, which would divide the organization's social service functions.

"It is generally adopted by some foreign charity organizations with their members being treated with different rights," Wang said, adding that everyone participating in the charity needs to be encouraged.

Deng said the organization's low credibility also makes the regulation a target of public anger.

A report released by the China Charity and Donation Information Center gave the Red Cross Society a score of 35.1 points in terms of transparency in 2012, nearly 10 points below the average of 500 charity organizations nationwide.

To improve its credibility, the draft also said donors who become members should be able to track the use of their donation online.

Wang agreed with the idea, saying it is not necessary for charity organizations to make public their donation information. "It is a mature practice that the information is only available to donors."