By the time this article is read, this year’s Istrina fundraising campaign in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund will be done and dusted, and one can only hope that last year’s record sum will have been shattered by then.

Make no mistake: charitable donations remain necessary for many, even though most may find state social services adequate for their need. Many local organisations do invaluable work locally and abroad, as long as resources permit, and they deserve our support.

Take the MCCF’s own efforts as an example. Many cancer patients require expensive treatment not currently covered by government services or may require treatment abroad – the treatment is free, but being accompanied by one’s family certainly isn’t. The MCCF has provided financial assistance to numerous cancer patients and their loved ones over the years, helping make a difficult time a little bit easier and arguably helping in the recovery process.

The Istrina itself has been an annual post-Christmas tradition for over a decade, and while the event has remained, effectively, a day-long TV broadcast where donations are solicited, it has changed over the years.

In past years, the campaign had become akin to a day-long raffle, with a constant stream of increasingly lavish gifts being paraded to entice viewers to make their donations over the open phone lines. Inevitably, this gave the impression that people were only making donations in the hope of winning a prize, rather than for some noble purpose.

Accordingly, the decision to remove prizes was taken when George Abela became President and MCCF chairman. Thankfully, fundraising did not suffer as a result – quite the contrary, in fact – although arguably, the campaign still appeals to an instinct less noble than charity: one-upmanship.

A “competition” among Malta’s localities was held during the past two years, with an interactive map being used to highlight which towns were donating the most throughout the 12-hour campaign.

The town competition was not held this year, but the campaign continues to serve as a public relations opportunity for companies, which can use their sizeable donations to receive positive coverage. Moreover, donating less than one’s direct competitor could be a PR embarrassment; donating more a possible coup.

Perhaps the next logical step in exploiting Malta’s tendency for tribal competitiveness would be pitting Nationalists and Labourites against each other for donations, thus ensuring each side turns out in force.

But we’re digressing here; marketing tactics should not be used as an excuse to refrain from donating to charity. After all, why should charities refrain from using the same strategies utilised in the sale of goods or the promotion of ideas, as long as these bear fruit? One cannot expect L-Istrina – or any other campaign – to transform the country into a shining beacon of solidarity all by itself.

Whether we’re close to become one, or whether we simply salve our consciences by donating when prodded to do so remains to be seen. But it’s clear that room for improvement still exists.

Fundraising campaigns – televised ones at any rate – do attract significant response, but an arguably greater personal effort – donating time – remains a step too far for many. If more people devoted just a few hours every year to donating blood, the blood bank would need to issue far fewer emergency appeals than it currently does. Many NGOs would be able to stretch their limited resources a little bit further if volunteers were more plentiful.

So keep donating cash, as long as you can afford to do so. But remember: your time and skills could be a far more valuable gift.