I see most fund raisers as immoral.
First, most fund raising is associated with a ‘non profit’ organization - the IRS lets you decrease the tax you owe because you donate to charity. That means that not only is Congress wasting your tax money, but the money available (tax revenue) is also wasted by your neighbor who writes a check to the Mormons to get rid of the kids on their bicycles. Or the “Sheriffs Association’ scam that call from Florida, gets your money, and sends 8-10% to some peace officer. I won’t suggest anything about kickbacks or brothers-in-law. Many churches are considered tax dodges, too, because many participate in helping the needy, or at least those in their congregation that need assistance. And besides, the US Government decided that diverting your tax dollars to *spread Christianity* and other faiths is a Very Good Way to spend your Social Security and Tax dollars.
If the churchs’ mission were so patently important to their congregation, why do they need tax avoidance support for the US Government?
Second, fund raising sends a horrible message. Some person or group sets up to do some good deed. Great. Kiwanis, Salvation Army, Lions, they do very good work. Many other service organizations do as well.
When someone wants money so they can do something - that sounds like extortion or blackmail. What is the difference between a goon with a gun to your wife’s head, “Give me your wallet or else!”, and “Your donation helps so many in your community!” The notion that good will follow what you do, and evil if you don’t, is not new. But a *person* or *organization* that makes such a claim or statement - that is intimidating.
Do you like a political candidate? Great! Go listen to them speak. Talk you your friends and neighbors, write letters. Write an article for your local paper, or take out an ad. Send the candidate money? Please don’t. Ask others to donate to your party or cause? Please, please, don’t.
Hate abortion? Haul yourself to your nearest family planning clinic. You know, the place that helps families keep all their children fed. And commit to adopting the child of the next woman walking in, and paying for her medical care through delivery. Or please, keep your anger to yourself. And please, please, don’t ask me to donate anything.
I mentioned the Salvation Army above. I like the way they operate. The Salvation Army is a Christian church. And their dedication and reputation of service is fundamental to today’s society. A friend caught in a Flood in Tennessee some years ago related an experience. Lynn told me, “The Red Cross truck pulled up and started selling coffee and donuts. The Salvation Army came in and started handing out blankets.” That image has stayed with me. And the Salvation Army doesn’t do that much fund raising. Except the Christmas bell ringers, and participating in United Way. Grrr. But the Salvation Army is almost as well known for their second-hand stores and accepting donations of used clothing and furniture as for helping those in need. The donations of used stuff helps reduce the volume of discards in land fills and city lots, and helps people by making useful items available at low cost - a very ‘green’ and humanitarian enterprise.
Which brings me to Davezilla this morning. Davezilla.com (Clean humor, filthy comments) spotlights an amusing photo or image or random thoughts. And a dedicated, regular group of visitors interprets the image, or the ‘link of the day’, or the ‘video of the day’. A crude crowd.
Today Dave was interrupted in his ritual Starbucks moment by a 2nd grade fundraiser. The encounter turned ugly, the girl became belligerent about selling her $3 candy bars. Which is kind of my point about fund raising.
See, we tell kids, “Take this $0.50 candy, sell it to family and strangers for $1 or $3 or whichever. They are really donating money for our school, and being good citizens. You are helping the people that buy the candy because that way they give a wonderful gift.”
The kids know, at some level, that their school is paid for by taxes. There are too many self-labeled federal programs for any 1st grader to be unaware, from ‘federal free lunch’ to ‘low income breakfast’ to .. well, next time your 3rd grader tells you you are destroying the earth because you throw away a 2 liter plastic bottle, or your 2nd grader tells you you are murdering yourself or your family by smoking - you have been targeted by a Federal ‘education’ program.
The kids also know they are cheating someone. They know that the candy isn’t worth what they sell it for. They also know they may or may not ever see what the money is used for - it will be spent by someone else, for whatever they decide to use it for. Not that different from a street-side mugging, less the visible hand gun or knife. Usually.
My school did fundraising. We sold candy for the band. The FFA sold grapefruit, and sold candy and soft drinks at basketball and football games. For about street price. That worked well enough, no one got hurt, and they provided an actual service. And they didn’t knock door-to-door. The fruit was iffy - they sent flyers home from school with who to call if you wanted some.
So a kid that approaches someone and gets huffy? Why in the world would we be surprised when the kids learn what we teach? We tell them to go pull money from people that weren’t interested in buying, for things that schools or someone wants to do that, if it were worth doing, would be done by concerned people (out of their own resources) or by government.
So the kid acts like a thug. We train them that way.