Emerald Repatriation Society: Funding (pt2)
01 Jul 2023Vasil Vasilescu
(<--Part 1)Octavia wasted no time raising funds for the ERS and did so with a level of dedication that surprised me. I should have expected it, though. The more money the charity raised, the less of her own she would have to spend.
An ad campaign targeting Cemiess and the surrounding systems harvested credits from ordinary citizens. Donations generated by the ads flowed into the organization on a fairly steady basis with people making one-time gifts or pledging certain amounts per month. However, the bulk of the funding came from the wealthy elite of Emerald, often during opulent fundraisers or private parties.
The celebrity fundraisers help keep the charity in the public eye by catering to the public’s appetite for watching the rich and famous be exactly that--rich and famous. I never attend these events. I have no appetite for galas and after parties, or any other spectacle for the sake of public personalities feeding their egos.
Octavia gathered in the real money during private parties at the family villas. Attended by people whose names the public do not know, but whose power and influence shapes their daily lives, these events were as much for Octavia’s political maneuvering as they were for funding the ERS. Elena, Stefan, and I attended these parties as both a show of family solidarity and as representatives of the Emerald Repatriation Society. It was at these events I came to realize how much I had underestimated my sister.
While large donations to charities are just one way the wealthy compete with each other for status and the accolades of their peers, Octavia took that a step further. She offered one-year honorary positions on the charity’s Board of Directors to those who made, in her words, a modest donation of two-hundred million credits or more. Being on the board of an organization bringing displaced citizens to Emerald offered the chance for members to be recognized for their charitable work. With Emerald being the home of Princess Aisling, the unspoken hope was to be recognized by Her Imperial Highness. I never expected there to be more than a few honorary members, but Octavia eventually capped the board at ten; a shrewd move that will likely lead to bidding wars for seats as they become available in a year.
What struck me most, though, were Octavia’s closing words at the first private event, and how they were crafted so they appealed to the guests’ Imperial pride while also highlighting her own dedication to the Empire.
“How can we, as privileged recipients of Imperial fortune, ignore the plight of fellow citizens? Can we live with the shame of leaving them to languish, often in Alliance and Federation space where they are treated as refugees and outcasts? Service to our fellow citizens is service to the Empire and brings with it honor. To me, there is no greater honor than this.”
She delivered it with such compassion that I almost believed her only motive was to help people. She’s more of a politician than I thought.
(Part 3 -->)