Charity Santa - Partner Spotlight Interview
- April Dykes
- 6月30日
- 読了時間: 5分
Charity Santa is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2008 with the motto "You too can be someone's Santa Claus." Since 2008, Charity Santa has made it its mission to bring joy to children around the holiday season with the hope of creating a treasured memory.
Take a look at the partnership interview between the Charity Santa team and our Global Community Team Assistant, April, below!
Learn more about them in Japanese here: https://www.charity-santa.com/
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April: Hello, Katsuno-san. Could you please briefly introduce yourself? Where are you from? What kind of work do you do? Please tell us about the background of your and your family's charitable activities, how you contribute to society, why you contribute to society, and how you would like to encourage others to contribute to society.
Katsuno: I'm from Gunma Prefecture. I originally worked for a private company, but the birth of my first child, who is now in the third grade of elementary school, was a major turning point.
The birth of my child strengthened my desire to leave behind a society where my child can truly feel happy when they grow up, and I became interested in social issues. While volunteering and working part-time for NPOs and social ventures, I fully immersed myself.
I believe that a society where children can smile is a society that is easy to live in for adults and for people of all circumstances. Based on this belief, I have now chosen to work in a field that contributes to society.
April: What is Charity Santa? When and by whom was it founded?
Katsuno: Charity Santa was founded in 2008 by its representative, Natsuki Kiyosuke. It operates under the slogan "You too can be someone's Santa Claus." It continues its activities nationwide to deliver the memory of being loved to children.
April: What are the mission and goals of Charity Santa?
Katsuno: Mission and Vision: We aim to "deliver memories of being loved to children" through "a society where adults work together."
April: What kind of activities does Charity Santa do? What services does Charity Santa offer? What services do you plan to add in the future? In which areas are your services available? Are you planning to expand your business?
Katsuno: Activities: We primarily provide "memory support" by delivering new books and birthday cakes to children from economically disadvantaged families, single-parent families, and other circumstances where celebrating special occasions is difficult.
Future prospects: Currently, our support focuses on Christmas, birthdays, and long holidays, but in the future, we hope to expand our network of support to add color to important life events such as school entrance ceremonies and Shichi-Go-San (a traditional Japanese rite of passage for children).
April: What motivated you to participate in Charity Santa? How long have you been a part of the team? What is your role in Charity Santa?
Katsuno: I previously worked for an "intermediate support organization" that assisted NPOs. While I saw many wonderful organizations, I also felt frustrated by the difficulty of expanding the circle of support.
Amidst all of this, I was impressed by Charity Santa's "system that allows people to participate in support while having fun" and "how they involve volunteers."
I joined this team three years ago because I was convinced that the organization's growth would positively impact the entire NPO sector. Currently, I am in charge of public relations and fundraising, working to communicate the significance of our activities to the world.
April: What do you find most rewarding about this job?
Katsuno: I believe our relationships with companies and supporters go beyond the typical stakeholder framework.
The ability to discuss and share in the joy of "how we can work together to make society better" and " how we can bring joy to children and everyone involved" is something that is difficult to experience in sales activities at a typical company. This is the unique appeal of this job, and I feel immense gratitude and a great sense of fulfillment.
April: What is one of the most difficult aspects of the Charity Santa activities?
Katsuno: Our activity, "Memory Support," is often perceived as having less "urgency" than providing food or housing.
I believe that memories are a great source of strength for children as they navigate their future, but they tend to be given lower priority than other forms of support.
That's precisely why we want to focus our efforts on this. We constantly face challenges in creating effective communication methods and systems to properly convey "why we should focus on this support now" and "why it's worth investing the funds," and to gain others' empathy.
April: When I hear the name Charity Santa, I think of Christmas. Does Charity Santa work all year round?
Katsuno: Although it's called "Charity Santa," its activities aren't limited to Christmas. We're developing various new projects to add color to milestones in children's growth .
Santa's Visit: On Christmas Eve night, volunteers dressed as Santa Claus will deliver Christmas presents and create special memories.
Book Santa: We deliver new books to children in difficult circumstances, such as those facing financial hardship, for Christmas or their birthdays.
Share Cake: We deliver whole birthday cakes to families who would otherwise have to give up celebrating due to financial reasons .
Share Cinema: As a way to create memories during long holidays, we are giving away digital tickets that allow you to watch your favorite movie at your favorite movie theater .
In addition, we are expanding our activities to support important milestones in a child's life, such as entering school, advancing to higher education, and Shichi-Go-San (a traditional Japanese rite of passage for children).
April: Is there anything you'd like people to know about Charity Santa ?
Katsuno: We value not only the children we support, but also the "donation experience" of those who donate. Rather than simply asking for support, we want to deliver an experience where you can be the star, where your involvement brings you joy and happiness, and enriches your life. First and foremost, we want you to know how many children are smiling because of your support. We carefully report on this joy on our website, social media, and in our monthly donor newsletter.
April: How can I participate in Charity Santa?
Katsuno: Please join our activities in a style that suits you.
Book Santa (September-December): This initiative allows you to purchase books from partner bookstores or online and donate them directly.
Volunteer (December 24th): You will actually become Santa Claus and deliver presents to children. (Prior training will be provided.)
Ongoing donations: Even if physical participation is difficult, you can still create lasting memories for many children through your donations .
Please see our website for details.
April: Were you familiar with Giving Tuesday before we contacted you, or had you participated in any of their activities? Is there anything you would like to do in cooperation with Giving Tuesday in the future? How can we (Giving Tuesday Japan) support Charity Santa?
Katsuno: I learned about Giving Tuesday through this opportunity.
We hope that this collaboration will help more people learn about our activities and create a powerful movement to improve society.
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Please check out Charity Santa online and on social media!
Website: https://www.charity-santa.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charity.santa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charity__santa/
Want to share your story? www.givingtuesday.jp/contacten
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