Storing names with respect
Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Probably, but it’d be damn pissed that you can’t get it’s name right
Being an Australian grown organisation, it’s unsurprising we fell into the trap of western naming conventions. Everyone has a first name and a last name, right? Everyone’s full name is just Mr/Ms First-name Last-name, right?
Just how wrong is this is assumption? Wrong. Very wrong. Very, very wrong.
As society progresses to one that is more inclusive and sensitive to all the different cultures among us, it’s surprising that first name/last name has held on as long as it has and, frankly, embarrassing for all of us in the tech industry that we still get something so essential so wrong.
At Raisely, we’re changing that from today.
How we address someone fundamentally communicates our respect for them. So mangling people’s names is a pretty bad start to their relationship with the charities we support at Raisely.
That this experience can be frustrating is an understatement. Just ask Su Yin Khoo,
or Alice Lee Xi Ying
or Mohamed Zaidi Ackbar bin Rishad Ahmed
Not only is it frustrating, but getting someone’s name wrong can be a cruel reminder of a hurt that goes right to the core of their identity, like names of transgender people, refugees or cultures and peoples that are marginalised in their country.
Starting from 25 July all campaigns on Raisely can choose to replace first name & last name with full name (This article was written by Chris Jensen) and preferred name (Hi Chris!).
This is, obviously, not a trivial change, but we think it’s the right decision for a platform for progressive non-profits.
It makes Raisely more respectful not only of people in countries all over the world, but people in our very own country who are unnecessarily reminded of how our society places their culture or identity on the margins, every time we send them an email.
