Is charity giving a wise decision? We are encouraged constantly to give money for any number of causes. Most people being altruistic and kind do give money. And much of the time, the money performs used well, but not all the time. Nevertheless, giving money for the needs of others and the benefit of your fellow citizens is a wise decision. We are helping build a society. We are reasoning  in terms of our relation to each other instead of just self-interest.

There are many, many worthy causes and charites that try to help and the money given to these organizations often serves a useful purpose. But what proportion of the money given is used for that purpose? I have read of organizations that used 99% of their funding on promotion and salaries. 

Those organizations on television, that use mailings and bombard the internet have to use considerable resources to do so. Have you considered giving your charity donations to local charities? Right now, all over the country, churches are having trouble maintaining food banks. Some churches (disclosure – My father and step-mother participate in a free clinic at a Methodist Church.) have medical clinics where all the staff and the doctors work for free. Giving to these kind of organizations means that close to 100% of the money goes to the purpose of your donation, helping those in need.

We don’t have to look far for the needy right now. Unemployment is about 9% officially and closer to 16.5% in the world of reality. Give your money to develop the ties that bind. We are trying to build a better place for all human kind. Help with that struggle.  

Larry Jones took bribes and hid hard-core porn magazines at the charity, Feed The Children is alleging in a countersuit against its fired president. The charity also is accusing Jones in the civil case of other misdeeds, including misspending charity funds, pocketing travel money, keeping gifts from appearances and misusing a charity employee as a nanny. Jones, 69, denied wrongdoing.

“They fired me wrongfully,” Jones said Tuesday evening. “What they’re trying to do is build a case up against me so that will hold up. It won’t hold up … I didn’t do anything. … If I had … done anything wrong, you better believe I would have taken everything out of the office … because I knew I was probably going to be fired. “This is crazy,” he said. “I’m not saying they can’t live without me, but everywhere I go, people say, ‘Feed The Children is Larry Jones and Larry Jones is Feed The Children.’ And what they’re trying to do is bury me … with all these trumped-up charges.” He specifically said the alleged bribes were above-board payments to him and that the magazines were research for a new novel, “The Zipper Disease,” about AIDS in Africa.
I do not know the proportion of money used by Save the Children that goes toward administrative cost. I have no preference in whether you give to the organization or not.

I put this article up to show that charities are not simple organizations and can be quite controversial.

I am calling for your good judgment, not asking you to stop giving to this or any other charity.

I want you to consider giving to local churches during this cold winter with so many in need.

James Pilant