Today I want to share a topic from a slightly different field than taxes, law and asset management.
Two years ago in the autumn I was sitting at the opening concert of the Dvořák Prague festival. It is perhaps not essential, but the performance was by the Italian Filarmonica della Scala and the concert was wonderful. Reflecting on the fact that the tickets were not exactly the cheapest, it suddenly dawned on me that there were most definitely people who would genuinely appreciate a musical experience like that yet for financial reasons would find it unattainable. And as I had been freshly briefed by the excellent book Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley, I decided not to let the idea just fade away as it had arrived, and right the next day contacted the festival organisers with a proposal for a mini project that I called Charity Ticket. I wrote to them that I would be happy to financially support the project but that I did not know how to go about finding suitable recipients. I received a message back the very next day saying that, after the end of the current season, the festival organisers would be happy to meet me and that we could try to implement the project together. This is actually what happened, and the Tickets That Help had their own premiere at Dvořák Prague 2022.
Mrs Mona Janovská and Mr Jan Simon deserve our admiration and thanks for at least three reasons. Firstly, because with only a small number of collaborators they hold Dvořák Prague every year with a fantastic programme and excellent performers. Secondly, in spite of the resulting workload from organising such a magnificent event, they still found the desire, energy, time and space to help me put my idea into practice or, perhaps more accurately, they took it over and implemented it themselves. And thirdly, for how they approached the distribution of the tickets, joining forces with the Jan Deyl Conservatory and Secondary School for visually impaired youth and the ‘Asistence’ organisation that helps wheelchair users. These two organisations used their expert knowledge to select specific recipients, arranging their transport and everything else related to the attendance of the clients at the concerts. I think that the method chosen for getting the tickets to where they were intended, where they would make someone happy and be of benefit, was both creative and simple. The tickets were distributed by people who work on a day-to-day basis with the disadvantaged people who were the target of our idea.
Back to why I am writing all this: definitely not just to brag. If it were up to me, I would rather stick to the Gospel’s “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…“ (Matthew 6:3). Nor is it about marketing. The services I provide cannot easily be sold through advertising – it is more about building up a name over the long term and through recommendations.
The reason why I am voluntarily adding to my workload by writing this post is the hope that somebody might want to join me or might copy the idea and use it for their own favourite culture/sports/whatever event. Or that you might think up a different project that could help somebody. Your reward would be an amazing feeling, joy and, in addition… Generosity and kindness are ultimately the only true criteria of success.
