If you were in church yesterday you will remember Terry White
beginning the conversation we have each year about stewardship, our church
and our part in its finances and its future. I
thought this was a good time of year to explore how some of the money we give
away can be used. Can our donations really make a difference in the
world? Are today's non-profits equipped to change the world?
Probably all of us
have given money to charity. In fact our Church has given money to
non-profits serving needs as diverse as homelessness, illiteracy, education and
domestic violence. How effective was our donation? How do we judge
the agencies and organizations that we give our hard earned dollars to support?
Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard
that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says,
are rewarded for how little they spend -- not for what they get done. Instead
of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities
for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big
expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let's change the way we think about changing
the world.
Questions to consider while watching:
Do you use any criteria to evaluate a
charity before you make a decision to donate?
The way we rate the effectiveness of a
charity and its finances is different than the way we would evaluate a
business. Should this be the case?
Some would say that instead of charities
changing the way they do business, individuals should change the way they
donate. People should just give more. Is this realistic?
Is it reasonable for an executive to expect
to be paid a comparable amount at a charity to what they might be paid in the
corporate world?
How should we hold charity executives
accountable?
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