I wrote this in response to a series of threads about benefit shows on arlingtonmusicscene.com:

I thought I'd put in my 2 cents about this because I really have some strong feelings on charitable giving and whether and why people should consider doing it. I'm not writing this to make people feel bad. I'm writing this because I believe that we have all seen all sorts of badness on the news recently as a result of this hurricane. And in response, some of us are flailing in helplessness and impotence, and deciding that we have to take some kind of knee-jerk action no matter how fruitless to make themselves feel less helpless.

Point 1: Personal Cash Donations are for people who have the means
By "means", I am talking about money. I have seen lots of comments to the effect of "I'm broke and the only thing I can give is my music". If that is the case, I think it's okay not to give of your own personal money for living. And you don't have to feel bad about not being able to give either!
The least that a human being can do is to take care of himself/herself and try to minimize burden on others. I don't think full-time musicians who are trying to make it should feel any guilt about not being able to contribute. I applaud your courage in eschewing a traditional career with insurance and a 401k and a desk and a computer. More power to you.

Point 2: Benefit shows are for artists/bands who have the means
By "means", I am talking about a large and generous following. When I see all of these annoucements for benefit shows from bands I've never heard of it really makes me wonder what exactly they think they will be able to raise for "the cause". (I know, I know, every cent counts).
A benefit show has much more impact when you've actually made it big and have a huge following. It has its greatest impact when you are turning a large series of for-profit transactions into a large series of non-profit/for-donation transactions -- for example, when the band sells lots of merchandise at sold-out arena concerts on a normal basis.
Most local artists I know have reasonably good followings and maybe they sell stickers and CDs at a show. Is that good enough? Sure - every cent counts. Is it worth it? Depends on how much you can raise. I'm just saying... if you can't raise that much money then you might as well be putting an American Flag sticker on your car in response to hurricane Katrina (because somehow that's helping someone).
Bottom line: We all can't be Dave Matthews Band but we don't have to be. If you can help, then help. Otherwise, bands/artists shouldn't feel a need to flail in guilt and helplessness and argue about benefit shows, and bringing their motives into question. Being a musician is hard enough without that.

Point 3: Is money the only way?
Largely, discussion of benefit concerts and charitable giving seem to have an inane focus on donating money to charities and what motives are acceptable.
What about donating time? Volunteering? For those who don't have the income to donate cash, maybe you can donate some time to an aid group by doing something as simple as sitting at a phone and taking donations for them on their hotline. What about donating time/money to people who need help ALL OF THE TIME rather than victims of the most recent flood/tsunami/hurricane?
Piper Cunningham just sent out a message about donating blood to the Red Cross. He has a point - it costs nothing. Much love to Piper for bringing this up.
A very important thing: Don't flaunt it. Whatever you do, any action you take to indicate that you have done your part will be taken as ostentatiousness and opportunism. There are aspects of charitable giving that I think should be public to raise awareness and spread the word. But when it comes to the question of who gave and how much did they give: shut your mouth, because you will only end up making yourself look bad no matter how you try to spin it.

In closing:
We all have ideas of what we are capable of sacrificing. If you can't afford to give, then don't worry and don't feel guilty about it. But think creatively, it's not just about money.
If you're a local band with a small following, do a benefit show if you must but pay attention to the humility with which you conduct this. Any whiff of opportunism or knee-jerk-bandwagonism will be questioned. (essentially, think carefully on whether the benefits outweigh the costs)

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