Can you consider a donation to be charitable if the person/institution donating is heavily advertising it?

Question

For example...Bono...sure, he gives a lot...but can it be considered true charity if he is getting something out of it? If he's shouting out to the world "Hey I'm doing good things"...isn't that just an act of vanity instead of charity? I am not trying to lead the question to get a certain response...I pose this as a philosophical question and am curious to know your thoughts...

Answer 1

Yes.  The charities need Bono more than he needs them.

Even if his motives are not entirely pure, the end result is the same.

Answer 2

From a purely financial standpoint (as the administrator of a small nonprofit organization), any donation is a good thing, regardless of whether or not the person is doing it out of a sense of true philanthropy.  

Additionally, technically speaking, as long as the place the money is going has a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation from the IRS, any donation is charitable.

Answer 3

Your question is ironic because most Bono-haters (and I realize you're not necessarily one of them) criticize him for NOT giving his own money to help causes, but rather for asking everyone else to give their money.

Bono (and all of U2) have said on many occasions that they will not talk about their own giving publicly because of exactly what you said -- when you announce your own generosity, it's not charity, it becomes advertising. Bono also quotes the Bible, saying when it comes to charity, "the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing."

There was one occasion a year or two ago when a certain organization made it known that U2 had contributed $5 million (I think - might've been $2 million) to them, but the general press didn't pick up on it. I'd assume U2 was happy about that.

In the end, it's quite easy for a wealthy person to write a big check and be done with it. Bono has given almost 10 years of his life to his issues, and whether or not we agree with his position, that commitment of time and energy should be respected.

My 2 cents. :-)

Answer 4

Yes, I agree that if you are going to canonize yourself for sainthood because you give to a charity, then it no longer is a charitable act, but yet an act of vanity.  I also believe that charity and giving to charities is up to the person giving to decide what is the proper amount.  Charities should not send out forms with specific amounts listed.  To me, that does not become a charitable donation anymore, but rather, an obligation set forth by another person.

Answer 5

Not if it's pure self promotion. Using celebrity to draw attention to a worthy cause is another matter. I'm not bombarded by the numbers on his actual gifts to charity, I'm inclined to see it as using celebrity more responsibly than some do. It's not like he needs to promote himself as a philanthropist for fame.