Sweet Charity

We all know charity is not always sweet, but the lemons of charitable giving are continually changing, as are their methods. Elders are not the exclusive targets of charity scams, but are particularly vulnerable, so there is an abundance of help and information available to this group. Among others the Better Business Bureau assesses the effectiveness and transparency of non-profits. Most of us know the basics. Nevertheless we so want to help, especially in the wake of major disasters, we forget ourselves. Head first, not heart first, my friend.  I'm including some excellent links for review: http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraising/a/safegiving.htm http://www.justchange.net/world/ar

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people. W. C. Fields

In one insidious scheme, telemarketers start a neighbor-to-neighbor collection, in the name of a major player, such as the American Diabetes Association. The person on the telephone represents a prestigious institution. How could this be harmful, we wonder? And, now, for the clincher! The very polite representative does not ask for money. All he or she asks the caller is to address, stamp and mail a few innocent letters to neighbors. The letters are already printed; nothing could be easier. Neighbors contribute, assuming the bulk of their contributions will apply to research, public education, patient care and the like. 

Instead the contributions go to a company, such as InfoCision Management Corp., a huge telemarketing network. The charity, itself, may receive a small percentage of the money, none of it, or may actually pay for the collection of monies it never sees.  

Why on earth would a major charity engage in such blatantly unscrupulous methods? It is about building prominence, garnering public awareness. This perverse way of thinking leaves collateral damage out of the equation. The fact that some poor schmucks put money into a telemarketing conglomerate is acceptable in the bigger picture. Their disillusionment is incidental.

We Americans have created the perfect refuge for greed, the corporation. We've given legal protections to corporations, including non-profits, that would otherwise apply only to persons. We just don't expect non-profit corporations to exploit us. 

In a larger context we've dedicated ourselves to the win. Didn't Vince Lombardi's public persona skyrocket, when he said, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." Growing up in the late Twentieth Century, wasn't it worse to wear the loser label than any other? Winning at all costs has become the hallmark of our most revered national institutions. In the process it has assumed monstrous proportions.

It is not just the fall of one or another prominent pathological liar, with which we should concern ourselves. Ultimately it is the arrogance of the few and the gullibility of the many. Maybe what we all need, regardless of age, is the jaundiced eye of the professional skeptic, like W. C.  We will have to demand a great deal more accountability of ourselves and others.