Is giving to charity a con?

Question

Now before anyone goes mad just listen.............

My friend recently got a job working for a charity, she bascially stands in the street and gets people to sign up to a direct debit for a set monthy payment.

For this she get a wage + commission. She also has a supervisor and then there's an area manger ( who by the way has a very nice company car all paid for her) and i'm sure the list goes on and on.

Now in my opinion any donations should be given 100% to the charity not paying people's wages, or has it come to it that no one will do anything these days without getting something in return? I understand that sending food, clothes, doctors, builders ect to these countries costs money and we the donators pay for this as well, but i'm sorry i will refuse to give money to charity when it seem all the money goes into paying for wages, commission, cars, advertising ( cause you always see the ads on the telly)

Answer 1

i will answer this by first saying that we live in a mass-societal world(of course,we always have and hopefully we always will).

But in this modern world,there are whole people-societies heavily reliant on fossil fuels;And those who are not-generally the poor-are not so much in need of charity-from their comparatively rich cousins-but are in need of food,clean water and other basic necessities.

Its right and correct that we should all- individually and collectively-question how to help this situation,a part of which is questioning whether a modern charity can usefully spend their incoming funds;bulky foods need fuel and transportation,and all this needs administrative organization too.

That there are people who do this full-time,well,this seems to be now common and likely necessary.But....with any money paid into any charity,must go a an assumption that THIS gives the giver a modicum of criticism;And this criticism in its turn must be a measured one,measured not-so-much on the quantity given,but by the alternative(s).

Alternatives such as,for example,does the charity "pay" their people too much? Do they completey rebuff any suggeation that they could "rotate" the jobs that their charity workers do,possibly with new employees?

And such questions are comparative,for they bring-up the notion and complexity that goes with such relatedness as,what is a fair wage? And,are other countries average wage,fair,or if not,CAN that average wage be increased(so a large section dony starve).......these are importat questions,for,like the quetion about whethr-or-not a charity is really charitable,this question could well now depend such things as lack-of-jobs and overpopulation;even a lack of government/Order,or a completely corrupt government in place(and No one doing anything about that).

And before anyone accuses me of favoring the work of charities(or "charities"),then let me say that i counter with his;It has been nationally reported that ,presently,americans are "selling their possessions" because of the latest hike in gasoline price.Even if true,we can and should say,"what are possesions anyway,compared to the millions whose vital and immediate'possessions'such food and water,are lacking(whilst we here have such an abundance.of such)?

Unless we give,are worth is not at all great;but we should keep a close scrutiny on our givings(like our criticism),for they may not be enough;And they may not be the right/correct thing to do by itself-criticism,even just by writing and publishing,of a method or even of an end-failure(giving funds with no visible/tangable

result)could well be necessary to start the change from a bad method to one that does some good(and i am well aware that this could lead to apathy-a bad symptom that we must combat constantly).

Answer 2

If even one dollar goes to the charitable cause, that's one more dollar than they had yesterday, so in that regard, it's a good thing. However, in the US there are reporting requirements, and laws about charitable boards of directors earning "fair" wages, or "reasonable reimbursements" whatever that means.

Investigate charities before you donate. Find local charities that do actual good in the community (ask your city hall or church office for referrals). If you donate time instead of money, they can't misuse that, because you are still in control.

Answer 3

It's sad, but that does happen. I wouldn't stop giving, but definitely research the charity before giving to them. There are ways to check things out to make sure the money is getting where it's needed. Or better yet, donate your time so your favorite charity can cut back on wages.

Answer 4

It's not quite so black and white. Check into the background of ANY worthy charity and you will find expenses of all kinds. Take the American Red Cross. They pay their CEO $500,000 annually. The organizations expenses in 2006 were $5,480,992,916. That being said, The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 126 years. Last year, victims of 72,003 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 750 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost four million people give blood - the gift of life - through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the U.S. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people

None of the big chariities give 100%. They all have expenses to pay to function. It's not always a great set up but they still help people by the thousands.