I guess we have forgotten about the money the Red Cross collected for 9/11 most of witch was sent elsewhere like the Red Crescent (Muslim equivalent). Non profits (forget the non) are all a tax exempt scam except for the truly Christian (Samaritan’s Purse). Most money goes straight to the top with obscene bonuses,six digit salaries,four star living and investing. Let’s not forget the fact they are ALL high strung liberal.
I didn’t forget. After 911 money poured into the Red Cross. And then they said.....we’re not spending it all here.
To me that’s taking advantage of a bad situation. I’ll never give them a dime.
The 9/11 debacle was the end of my charitable donations to the Red Cross. I’m sure their lawyers did their due diligence to make sure they could skirt it on a technicality but in my mind it smacked of what would constitute fraud in most “for profit” businesses. Living in NJ I also know a number of people who were affected by Sandy and none of them had any offers of assistance from the RC.
Made me think quite a bit about the whole charity thing. How the business is managed, how decisions are made for specific situations and whom, at the end would wind up deciding where to apply the money.
I honestly could not come up with a way to structure an organization like this without rampant misallocations.
My solution? We have a home in NJ that is in a middle class/bordering on lower class neighborhood. With the exception of a few few extra vehicles and a vacation home in northeast PA we live modestly and stay in the area for work. There are plenty of hardworking people we have come to know over the course of time around here. On occasion when one of them needs help, it is our discernment that dictates who is the recipient.
This allows us to make adjustments as we go along. If we give someone money for a legitimate purpose but later see them spending their own recklessly, that’s it. Still our friend but no more money. We can also decide that there’s a greater good (ie. someone can’t afford heating oil and it’s 15 degrees out and they have two kids) and act accordingly.
The old saying that charity starts at home is correct. And once your home is well off it should move to your family, friends and neighbors. At the end of the day, you will probably make better decisions than any disinterested organization will.
BTW, there is only one organization I donate regularly to and it is FreeRepublic. In case anyone reading this has not heard, there’s a Freepathon going on and JimRob could use your help.
Cheers.