Over the past two decades, the number of charity organizations has increased rapidly especially charities focused on offering aid to needy people in poor countries. This trend has raised many issues because not all charities are honest and transparent regarding their operations (Drucker 54). Some of them conduct many activities that have hidden political, economic, and personal interests.
The situation has become worse because governments are not showing interest in vetting these charities. Many people use charities to get rich or avoid paying taxes by pretending that the money is for relief purposes in developing countries (Drucker 54). In developed countries, people give millions of dollars in donations. However, it is unclear where that money goes because poverty, ignorance, and diseases are still issues that are affecting the lives of people in developing countries.
Analysis
Charity is a trillion-dollar industry that benefits form people’s willingness to help the disadvantaged especially in poor countries (Drucker 54). Even in harsh financial times, people still give their money away to charitable causes. Charity is a noble idea that is responsible for improving the lives of many people in developing countries by eradicating diseases, supporting infrastructure, promoting agriculture, fighting poverty, and lowering levels of ignorance. However, certain realities about charities discourage people from offering their help to needy countries. In that regard, it is important for people to scrutinize charities before giving their donations.
Examples of charities that have used their non-profit status to get tax breaks and enrich their executives and board members include American Association of State Troopers, Cancer Fund of America, Children’s Wish Foundation International, Breast Cancer Relief Foundation, Firefighter’s Charitable Foundation, and Children’s Cancer Fund of America (Hundley and Taggart par. 5).
Others include Project Cure in Brandenton, Florida, Woman to Woman Breast Cancer Foundation, National Veterans Service Fund, and Kid’s Wish Network. Some of these organizations have embezzled millions of dollars that were meant to be used for financial aid. For example, The American Association of State Troopers has been fined five times and embezzled more than $41 million that they collected between 2004 and 2011 (Theodoros par.7).
Many charity organizations have adopted cancer awareness as their area of focus. However, some have used it as an avenue to create wealth for individuals (McWhirter par. 1). For example, the Cancer Fund of America collects millions of dollars to fight against cancer. However, it does not use the money to fund cancer research or pay for the treatment of cancer victims. One of the most corrupt charities is Kids Wish Network. It raises a lot of money every year to help needy children but only a small percentage of that money is spent toward that end. The largest portion is used to enrich the organization’s operators and certain companies that take part in their donation drives. For example, more than $110 million in donations has been embezzled through payments to companies affiliated with the charity.
Operators of these charity organizations use dubious means to get financial support from donors. For example, they lie about how they spend their money by manipulating their financial statements to reflect their claims (Drucker 64). Others take multiple salaries, pay themselves and their friends for consulting services, and channeled money back to their accounts by arranging fund-raising contracts with companies they are affiliated with. These charities are good at hiding the fact that only a little amount of donated money reaches the poor.
They collude with auditors and accountants to inflate the costs of products given to needy people. Many charities will continue to use their organizations for other purposes other than offering aid to the needy because people do not conduct investigations to determine whether their charities are trustworthy (Caldwell par. 5). Many Americans donate money because they are compassionate, kind, and generous. However, their compassion a generosity are tainted by charities that use the money to pursue selfish interests that do not involve helping needy people in developing countries.
Payment of taxes is mandatory in all countries because governments need money to improve the lives of its citizens by funding medical, educational, and environmental conservation programs. However, certain rich people avoid paying taxes by giving lots of money to charities in the form of donations. Instead of giving huge amounts of money to governments, they donate it to charities because they know they will get it back. Their donations are not acts of charity but mean to evade paying taxes. Charities are also used by many people and organizations for political gains.
The main reason why some people donate to charities is so that they can win the love and affection of certain communities. For example, alcohol firms have been accused of funding charities so that they can gain influence inside the government to push their agenda (Campbell par. 2). These firms usually fund charities that work with people addicted to alcohol. Several charities have taken money from drinks companies to fund their activities. Charities take the money even though their main objective is to address the problem of alcohol abuse and addiction (Campbell par. 2). Politicians have also been accused of donating money to charities so that they can gain the support of communities that they help. In such cases, donations are not for humanitarian aid but for personal gain. Charities take these donations unmindful of the real intentions of donors.
The numerous cases of embezzlement and corruption associated with charities have created a culture of distrust that stops many people from giving their donations. The majority of people who operate charities are not to be trusted because several studies have shown that they use their organizations to enrich themselves and their friends. This distrust in charities has affected many needy people in developing countries because they do not get adequate financial aid to improve the quality of their lives.
Conclusion
The use of charities for political, economic, and social issues is a common phenomenon in many countries. Countries and individuals are use charities to evade paying taxes and enrich themselves and their friends. For example, many American charities have been flagged for engaging in corrupt activities. In developing countries, people are suffering because the money donated to help them fight diseases, ignorance, and poverty is used by the proprietors of charities to enrich themselves.
The government should be responsible for all institutions and charities by ensuring that they engage in legal and ethical activities. In addition, the government should fine punish charities that embezzle money donated to help the needy. That way, all the money donated by good wishers will be used to offer financial aid to needy people in Africa, Asia, and other areas of the world where diseases, poverty, and ignorance are prevalent.
Charity is one of the phenomena that distinguish the modern world from the world of the ancient times. Trying to help people in need, human beings demonstrate their being humane and understanding of the problems of others. However, there are people ready to take advantage of such a philanthropic activity as help to others, or charity. Numerous schemes and other illegal activities are created in order to get someone’s money and use them for private purposes instead of helping the suffering people. To avoid such situations, every person deciding to donate a certain sum of money to a certain organization should monitor the market in order to find out whether this organization is clear and legal in its essence, and whether the money this person will donate will be actually used for help to those who need it. Therefore, this report is the advice to Martina Lopez in her search for a reliable organization to donate ₤5 million to.
To begin with, it is necessary to state that charitable organizations, or charities, are subject to public scrutiny nowadays. The example of the Crescent Relief, whose activities were investigated by The British Charity Commission as for its alleged relation to the organization of airline crashes and blows, is rather important (Timmons, 2006). To avoid donating money to the organization having the reputation of the kind, it is necessary to take a brief look at such charities as British Diabetic Association and British Institute of Learning Disabilities, as they both deal with the vital social issues of today under the control of the UK Government.
The former organization is busy helping people suffering from diabetes. This disease is a burning issue of today as far as over 2% of the current population of the United Kingdom are affected by it. The illness is all about the digesting processes in the human organism, which are carried out through the production of insulin hormone:
People who don’t have diabetes produce insulin naturally to maintain constant blood glucose levels – neither too high or too low. Diabetes is the result of impaired pancreatic function where production of insulin is either limited or ceases altogether (British Diabetic Association, 2009).
Moreover, diabetes can result in a number of accompanying diseases including blindness, dysfunction of kidneys, etc. Therefore, understanding the seriousness of the issue, British Diabetic Association fights with it as hard as it can. Thus, the strong points of the organization include first of all the fact that it sponsors research in diabetes treatment. Secondly, it funds the development of clinics for people suffering of the disease. Thirdly, it attracts public attention to the issue and welcomes charitable donations to develop its help. Nevertheless, the weak points are also present in British Diabetic Association’s work, including the lack of publicity and the narrow scope of its activity which is limited by governmental programs (British Diabetic Association, 2009).
As for the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, it is a non-profit organization dealing with the problems that people with either mental or physical disabilities face in their study, career development, personal and social lives: “The British Institute of Learning Disabilities is working to improve the lives of people in the UK with a learning disability” (BILD, 2009). The major advances of this organization in the scope of the whole country include the work on the public introduction of the problem of people with learning disabilities, training of people without disabilities in respect of their actions and behaviors concerning the ones with disabilities, etc. One of the major aims of the Institute nowadays is the research on how people with disabilities can be included in the vital processes like decision making, planning, etc. The strong points of this charity include its work on focusing public attention on the learning disabilities issues, training of families and staff using the inclusion of people with learning disabilities in this training. The British Institute of Learning Disabilities also funds the publishing of the results of its work and reports the public on the major achievements of its and on the future goals (BILD, 2009).
Thus, the organization’s work is transparent and government-controlled. However, the weak points of its work include the little time of its development and lack of outside funding. In more detail, the Institute has been founded in the middle of the 20th century and is funded mainly by the Government. Accordingly, the donation Martina Lopez plans to make will be of great use for the charity’s development and will be used as intended.
Nevertheless, there are social issues that demand more governmental and public attention but lack both nowadays. It goes without saying that the issues of educational opportunities for people from poor families are considered at the highest levels of the legislative and executive power. Nevertheless, the current situation when the majority of poor students have to study where they can afford to but not where they choose to is problematic. For the purpose of fighting this issue, the charitable organization Easy Learn has been created in the United Kingdom. The main sphere of activity of this non-profit non-governmental organization is to help the poor students whose educational levels and intellectual capabilities exceed the average ones but they cannot afford paying for the study in the best colleges and universities of the country.
The major strong points of the work of this organization include its transparency and publicity, cooperation with the number of educational establishments around the country and abroad, and presenting the students from families with any income level or wellbeing rate with the opportunities to study in the colleges and universities in which their knowledge allows them. The weaknesses of this organization include its little promotion due to the short term of its mere existence and the possible lack of public knowledge and trust in Easy Learn.
Nevertheless, it can be strongly recommended to Martina Lopez to donate her money to one of the three organizations mentioned. The first two charities are government controlled and socially-oriented in their attempts to solve human issues, while the third one, Easy Learn, deals with the problem of poverty and education, which lack governmental and public attention today. Providing poor people with opportunities to study and develop their talents could facilitate the solving of the two issues with which British Institute of Learning Disabilities and British Diabetic Association. Donating money to each of the organizations is sure to be an effective and socially useful step by Martina Lopez, and her choice must be based on the issues that she considers to be more important for the humanity at this very moment.
Works Cited
BILD. “Introduction.” British Institute of Learning Disabilities. 2009. BILD. Web.
British Diabetic Association. “What’s It All About?” 2009. British Diabetic Association. Web.
Timmons, Heather. “British Study Charitable Organization for Links to Plot.” New York Times. 2006: A3.
Many people across the globe make charitable contributions. For instance, in 2000, nearly 90 percent of the Americans contributed to charitable organizations. In 2009, nearly $330 was donated to charitable organizations by individuals in the United States of America (U.S.A).
This constitutes 75 percent of the total donations made to charitable organizations in the US. Also, the amount makes up to 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and is the main source of revenue for charitable organizations (Vesterlund, 2006, p. 1).
The biggest question that lingers in the mind of many researchers is the reason why millions of individuals are simply giving away their hard-earned cash. What inspires them to act in such selfless or selfless manner? Vestlund tried to answer these questions from an economic point of view. Nonetheless, these questions are yet to be comprehensively answered (Steinberg, 1998, p. 1187; Vesterlund, 2006, p. 1).
The essay will explore the impact of social factors, particularly personal values on individual contributions to charitable organizations. The essay will also provide insight into the forms of interventions that are likely to be adopted by charitable organizations to attract new donors, as well as increasing the contributions of the existing donors.
Last but not least, a case study analysis of a charitable organization will be conducted. The case study will explore the techniques used to attract and increase donations from individuals. The essay will also look at how successful the techniques are.
Impact of personal values on charitable donations
Many studies have been carried out to establish factors that influence individual contribution to charitable organizations. These studies have significantly contributed to an empirical model of donor perceptions and their impact on contributions (Steinberg, 1998; Andreoni, 1989; Sergeant, Ford & West). According to Bekkers and Wiepking (2006, p. 534), there are six factors that influence charitable donations by individuals.
These factors include awareness of the need to contribute, solicitation, selflessness, cost of the benefit, status in the society, and personal values. These factors suggest specific measures that can be taken by charitable organizations to enhance individual donations and increase revenue. Nonetheless, the essay will mainly focus on personal values.
Strong personal and ethical values have, for a long time been linked to the distribution, size, and frequency of charitable donations. However, individual and ethical values have been specifically complex to study empirically since they are intrinsically not capable of being controlled. As a result, studies on personal values have been limited to donations among groups with different values (Kvaran, 2012, p. 21).
Bekkers and Wiepking (2006) produced significant research in this particular factor. They showed that people who are selfless or supported social values and those who support ethical values frequently give to charitable organizations.
Besides the above values being linked to altruism, values linked to the particular cause are prognostic of altruistic behavior to specific contributions. Kvaran (2012, p. 21) stress that personal value is the principal motivator of charitable contribution among the general public.
According to Kvaran (2012, p. 22), pro-social values have a positive correlation with altruistic contributions. Several sociology and philanthropic studies have shown that individuals with altruistic values, pro-social values, who are generally less materialistic and have moral principles, are more likely to give a huge amount of donations because they are inspired to make the world a better place.
The studies also show that people, who are concerned about the social order, harmony, social justice, social responsibility for a particular organization and the society at large, are likely to give frequent donations (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 25).
The social, psychological and philanthropic studies not only link general personal values to the distribution and size of charitable donations but also specific values that are intrinsic (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2006, p. 538). Benevolence is a means of attaining the desired conditions that are close to an individual’s perspective of a better world. He adds that the model world depends on an individual’s value system.
Through charitable donations, donors may wish to donate regularly to minimize or get rid of the inequalities within the society (Kvaran, 2012, p. 5).
Bekkers and Wiepking (2006, p. 542) emphasize that donors values or objectives that may drive some individuals to contribute to particular organizations may be ill-informed, partisan or dangerous, for instance, religious values that have led to the radicalization of the youths and the spread of global terrorism. Nonetheless, most individual donors are always inspired by causes that are aimed at making the world a better place.
Kvaran (2012, p. 28) states that individual values are normally influenced by expressive social norms. The expressive norms are subjective views of characteristic behavior within specific conditions, that is, an individual’s belief about other people or phenomena.
Though habitually ill-informed, expressive norms have been continually identified to be significant predictors of a wide range of individual decisions. Several empirical studies have provided undeniable evidence that expressive norms have a substantial impact on the size and frequency of individual contributions to charitable organizations (Kvaran, 2012, p. 29).
Methods used to attract and enhance individual donor contributions
Charitable organizations use different methods to attract and enhance individual donor contributions. However, all the techniques used are mainly based on the perceptual mechanisms that influence charitable donations.
These mechanisms include awareness of the need to contribute, solicitation, cost and benefit, selflessness, reputation, and individual values. The impact of personal values on charitable donations has already been discussed. The essay will only focus on the most noteworthy mechanisms.
Awareness of the need to contribute to charitable organizations is the precondition for charity. Before an organization starts appealing to the general public to contribute, it has to make people aware of the need to contribute. This can be achieved through a vigorous campaign and advertising.
Philanthropists have classified these needs into material needs, social needs, and psychological needs. The material needs include basic needs like food, shelter, clothing, education, and medical care. On the other hand, social needs include the need for a social company. Lastly, psychological needs include the need for counseling and consolation, among others (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 9).
Some organizations have taken their campaigns a notch higher by arranging for the donors to meet the needy victims. Studies have shown that when a donor meets one victim or two, he/she will be willing to give to other victims to whom he /she haven’t met individually. Therefore, the propensity to contribute can be enhanced when donors know the probable beneficiaries of a particular organization.
In most case, awareness of the needs is facilitated through social media and mass media. The two media channels are commonly used because they can reach the largest proportion of the targeted audience (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 9).
Solicitation is another common method used to attract individual contributions. Solicitation precedes thoughtful consideration of all kinds of cost and benefits of charitable contributions. Solicitation means asking people to donate. The various methods of solicitation are covered under different mechanisms.
They include: issuing fundraising letters, sending direct or electronic mails, personal requests, advertising through the media, and interacting with the potential donors. Most charitable donations occur due to the solicitation. Studies have shown that active solicitation increases the size and frequency of an individual contributing to a given cause (Kvaran, 2012, p. 19; Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 12).
Cost and benefits approach is also used by several organizations to enhance the distribution and frequency of donations from the general public. Cost and benefits approach is associated with material costs and gains accrued from charitable donations. It is obvious that material donations cost money. Several organizations have lowered their cost of donations to attract a new bracket of donors to increase revenue.
This simply means lowering the amount requested and the associated cost. Many organizations have effectively achieved this by borrowing several marketing principles. The amount these organizations request depends on several characteristics, for instance, individual income, neighborhood and size of the organization, among others (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 12).
In some occasions, contributions to charitable organizations come with certain incentives or benefits. For example, certain donations can earn an individual a holiday trip, exclusive dinners, or meetings with celebrities or prominent persons in society.
Such contributions may be portrayed as an exchange, especially when they are based on spending motive. The benefit mechanism has been extensively explored by marketing and economic researchers. Providing access to exceptional services or benefits increases an individual’s chance to contribute (Kvaran, 2012, p. 20).
Individual status is another significant aspect that affects the distribution and size of charitable donations. Philanthropists define reputation as a social consequence of contributing to charitable organizations. The consequences occur between an individual and the rest of the society, that is, the society can reward an individual for contribution or punish him/her for not contributing.
The impact of reputation on charitable contributions has been widely explored by psychological and economic studies (Bekkers & Wiepking, 2007, p. 12). Most charitable organizations normally target prominent members of society, large organizations, and institutions.
Prominent personalities, for instance, politicians always make contributions to enhance their chances of re-election. On the other hand, organizations normally consider such activities as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Case study Analysis: Care International
Overview of the Organization
Care International is a global humanitarian agency established in 1945. Care is one of the leading charitable organizations in the world, focusing on poor people in the society. The organization operates in over 87 countries across the globe, supporting nearly 1000 humanitarian and poverty alleviation projects.
The organization has helped over 100 million needy individuals since its inception. The organization is mainly concerned with material and social needs, for instance, food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, women and youth empowerment and infrastructure development among others (Care International, 2014).
Care International’s Donor Attraction Strategies
Being an international aid and humanitarian organization, the organization applies almost all the available strategies. The most common strategies used by the organization include solicitation, awareness of the need to contribute, cost mechanisms, and reputation. Care International has used every means to make the global audience aware of the need to support the poor in society.
They have achieved this through vigorous campaigns and advertising through the mass media and the internet. At the moment, an individual can get a first-hand glimpse of the projects being undertaken by the organization in different parts of the world through its website.
Also, the organization has used various platforms to enable donors to meet the victims. These platforms incorporate online channels, newsletters, documentaries, and many more (Care International, 2014).
Care international also solicit funds from individuals, organizations, and governments. The organization normally solicits funds from other organizations, for example, the United Nations and the European Union through project proposals. This also applies to various countries across the globe.
Individuals can contribute through the online account available in the organization’s website, as well as through mobile applications. The company has also raised funds through fundraising and community mobilization campaigns. Also, the organization has lowered the cost of donations to attract a new bracket of donors. Nowadays, donations are made free of charge without attracting additional costs.
Last but not least, the organizations also targets prominent/wealthy individuals and large multinational corporations for major projects. The well-known personalities not only contribute to the organization but also help the organization to solicit more funds. The companies are targeted as part of their corporate social responsibility. In most cases, the companies targeted are those within the locality (Care International, 2014).
Corporate social responsibility is defined as the regular commitment by corporations to act morally and take part in economic development, whereas enhancing the quality of life of the employees and the surrounding community.
CSR occurs when businesses engage in operations that seem to present a societal agenda beyond the prevailing statutory requirements. In the earlier days, CSR was viewed as a corporate charity until the early 90s. Since then, companies are now seeing CSR as a strategy for surviving the current turbulent environment. In other words, businesses have now realized that CSR can be used to gain a competitive advantage within an industry (Baron, 2001, p. 7).
A survey conducted by the organizations has shown that its vigorous campaign to create awareness of the need to contribute has led to an increase in the rate and frequency of contribution among the donors. Particularly, this is true among the asylum seekers in the U.S and other European countries. Some of these people have experienced the same ordeal and therefore are very willing to join hands in fighting poverty.
Similarly, a survey conducted by the company shows that nearly 80 percent of the donations are attributed to the solicitation. The high number of solicitations has increased the distribution and size of donations within the organization.
Also, the lowering of the cost of donation has enhanced the frequency of donation, especially among lower income earners. Lastly, the adoption of a reputation mechanism has greatly enhanced the volume of donations. In a nutshell, the organization has benefited considerably from the above methods. For these reasons, the adopted techniques have fairly achieved their objectives. Therefore, the techniques have been relatively successful.
Conclusion
Many people have been wondering why millions of individuals are simply giving away their hard-earned cash for charity. Bekkers and Wiepking (2006, p. 534) attribute it to six factors. These factors include awareness of the need to contribute, solicitation, selflessness, cost of the benefit, status in the society, and personal values.
Numerous methods that have been used by donor organizations to attract and enhance individual donor contributions have been based on the above factors. The most common strategies used by Care International include solicitation, awareness of the need to contribute, cost mechanisms, and reputation. The use of these mechanisms has proven to be relatively successful.
References
Andreoni, J 1989, ‘Giving with Impure Altruism: Applications to Charity and Ricardian Equivalence’, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 97, no.6, pp. 447-58.
Baron, D 2001, ‘Private politics, corporate social responsibility and integrated strategy’, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, vol.10, pp.7-45.
Bekkers, R & Wiepking, P 2006, ‘To Give or not to Give, that’s the Question. How Methodology is Destiny in Dutch Data’, Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol.35, pp.533-40.
Bekkers, R & Wiepking, P 2007, A literature review of empirical studies of philanthropy: Eight mechanisms that drive charitable giving, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Care International 2014, What We Do. Web.
Kvaran, T 2012, The Influence of Social Norms and Personal Values on Charitable Giving Behaviour, University of Arizona, Arizona.
Sergeant, A, Ford, J & West, D 2005, ‘Perpetual determinants of non-profit giving behaviour’, Journal of Business academic research, vol. 2, pp. 3-11.
Steinberg, R 1998, ‘Towards a theory of charitable fundraising’, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 106, pp. 1186-1213.
In our day to day lives, people are very busy in their careers or jobs and they tend to concentrate too much on them and a bit of personal lives. This is usually at the expense of giving back to the society through various means that are aimed at making the lives of the less fortunate in the society better.
Corporate social responsibility is a very critical aspect that should be emphasized among individuals, groups and organizations so that the lives of the less privileged or those suffering from a particular problem in our communities could be uplifted.
There are various reasons why people should volunteer or donate their energy, time, money and other resources to charities, non-profitable organizations and other causes. This piece of work looks into these reasons with much emphasis being given to why people should invest their energy and resources on Alzheimer’s Association.
Reasons why people should donate time, money and energy to Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s Association is a cause whose main aim is to eradicate Alzheimer disease through combined efforts that aim at providing effective care and support to all those suffering from the disease as well as reducing the risk of dementia by enhancing brain health.
This is achieved through advanced research. Its vision is to have a world that is free from Alzheimer’s disease. “The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading, global voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care and support, and the largest private, nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s research” (Anonymous Para 2).
Like any other charitable non-profit making organization, Alzheimer’s Association is a cause that really needs support from well wishers to keep it going, in its efforts to help individuals who suffer from Alzheimer disease. Disease is a problem that affects everyone in the society and people should therefore take part in helping out those suffering from Alzheimer disease as a way of appreciating the gift of good health.
There are various reasons why people should contribute effortlessly towards the achievement of Alzheimer’s Association’s goals and mission some of them being for individual satisfaction, the victims’ well being while others are for the good of the society at large. One reason is the fact that there is power in giving.
Giving is usually associated with the rich and wealthy but that should not be the case since it is an act that comes from the heart and not the pockets, without any expectations of getting something in return. Time alone is enough for instance sharing with and encouraging the patients suffering from Alzheimer disease and people should therefore donate towards Alzheimer’s Association.
This helps people to enjoy the process of helping as they see their efforts making positive impacts like bringing happiness to a person who is hopeless due to some problems for instance pain and suffering like in the case of Alzheimer illness. Donating to a cause helps build purpose in life and also improves ones sense of well-being through allowing for inner satisfaction. It also strengthens a person’s spiritual life and offer contentment and inner peace.
This is achieved through knowing that one sacrificed something no matter how little, to help people in need (LaMeaux par 4). People would be motivated to donate towards Alzheimer’s Association due to the fact that it carries out very essential activities aimed at helping the sick and in taking part in its activities through donation, people will have the inner satisfaction brought about by seeing positive change/impact they make on less fortunate individuals.
Donating to various causes also help an individual to be well versed with what happens around people who are less fortunate especially on matters of social injustice. This is so because as people think of engaging in charitable work, they tend to gather more information about the particular group for instance through research.
The will for instance know all aspects that surround Alzheimer’s Association more especially the patients. “This keep people informed of the social injustice acts carried out upon people and hence be in a better position to make positive moves by effectively challenging those responsible to take positive changes to situations in an effort to save lives and make life worth living for the affected” (LaMeaux Para 5).
Another good reason why people should support Alzheimer’s Association is because the act of volunteering is linked with various physical as well as social benefits. After people engage in charitable activities, they tend to have the urge to be more involved including devoting most of their time and skills, for instance in helping the people affected by the Alzheimer disease. This is deemed to help in enhancing ones social networks while at the same time gaining social, physical as well as spiritual benefits.
Tax benefit is another reason as to why people should donate to charities and non-profit making organizations such as Alzheimer’s Association. Although this should not be the driving force towards ones decision to donate, it is encouraging. This aspect of tax eviction allow people to pay less for all the monetary and non-monetary contributions and hence they end up providing more and hence helping those involved in a great manner unlike when tax could be imposed (GAO 4).
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is evident that it is worth donating ones time, money or even energy to a given cause for instance the Alzheimer’s association. People should take part in what is going on around them and support as much as they can. This is because these causes, organizations and charities have got positive moves and they aim at uplifting people’s lives in one way or the other, an effort that would not be possible without them.
There are also many benefits that are associated with volunteering and donations as stated above and people should therefore participate fully. Saving lives or even making lives of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease worth living is a good act that should be encouraged among all individuals in the society to help eliminate the ordeal.
Works Cited
Anonymous. “The Alzheimer’s Association”. Web.
GAO. Vehicle Donations Benefits To Charities And Donors, But Limited Program Oversight. New York; DIANE Publishing, 2003. Print.
LaMeaux E.C. “5 Reasons to Donate to Charity”. GAIAMlife Web.
Charity is a universal, and one of the major attributes of a civil society. Charity allows the society to serve its interests directly, without a state intermediary. To a certain extent charity provides redistribution of incomes from most propertied to the least propertied citizens in shortest ways and in the shortest terms. Charity can become the tool by the means of which the society satisfies the main social and universal requirements more and more.
The research interest to understanding the motives of charities is shown by many humanities, and each field has its own variant of the answer. For example, philosophers and historians believe, that incentive motives of charity can be mercy, altruism, compassion, sacrifice and religiosity. Sociologists as dominating motives outline the aspiration to social recognition and the improvement image self-estimations. In social psychology the altruistic motivation of philanthropists, and also the interpretation of charitable interpersonal interaction as a special humanitarian transaction are marked. Some psychologists consider charity as a display of spontaneous and emotionally painted impulse and a help by the call of heart and soul. The latest world tendencies in the sphere of corporate social responsibility considerably transform the classical understanding of charity. The world business community has already come to understanding that charity means not merely giving money on a constant or short-term basis, but a competently built charitable policy which functions, justifying the made investments. This paper analyzes the concept of effective charity and benevolence programs in terms of how business attempts to optimize its charitable activities.
As far as the volumes of financing charitable noncommercial organizations increases, donors often ask questions of the efficiency expenditures and cost management. First of all, this question concerns the concept of efficiency with reference to social projects. The problem can be caused by the nature of the activity of the charitable organizations, where years and original techniques are necessary to estimate the effect of their activity, as the social effect of many charitable projects can be shown in decades after the start of the project. That is why researchers are compelled to rely on the palliative methods which are focused more on the measurement of the process, rather than on final results. If taken as efficiency estimation the classical indicators of profit, this will automatically lead to that the noncommercial organizations will ignore the task of receiving profit – its occurrence will almost automatically mean the termination of financing from donors. As a result, as shown in researches, effective social projects are seldom reproduced, whereas less effective can proceed for years.
Effective charities are impossible without effective partnership of donors with public organizations, mass-media, the state, volunteers and other social subjects. In the USA 75% of the charitable budget are donations from private individuals. (Hernández-Murillo and Roisman) Not all donors are major businessmen. Simply the charity became for a long time a part of life. Making the charity effective is not always connected with giving money. Those who have no possibility to participate with money, can participate in charitable projects with own work, and talent. Charity becomes a part of life of the majority of citizens, instead of being a responsibility of large companies or wealthy people. If each person considered charity as a sincere requirement, and if charity turned into a mass phenomenon in which most of the society participate, charity will have powerful resources. Charity can become effective only when it is a display of a civil stand which is not limited to voting on elections and the payment of taxes. Giving money is the easiest part. It is more difficult to transform them into effective social mechanisms. After all, the purpose of the charity is to give people the possibility to solve rather important problems for them which owing to various reasons the state cannot solve them all.
Another approach to make the charity programs more effective is made by charity organizations. This approach implies providing all the necessary tools that make the charity process manageable and transparent. For example, Philanthropy International states that “Today there are more than 1.4 million charities in the United States yet less than 2% have a formal planned giving program or a dedicated planned giving officer. Few are equipped to handle the more complicated gifts often discussed in planned giving.” Their approach to effective charity consists of their Partner Program that “will create a business model for delivery of planned giving services, and a workable strategy reflecting the charity’s needs and mission.” (“Partner Charity Program”)
The MFD charity program “Help” which provides medical services to the people in need, where “on regular basis, MFD carries out various discount campaigns, in the course of which prices on popular but expensive medical services are being reduced up to 50%, thereby these medical services become much more available to the needy people” (“MFD Charity Program “Help”).
Additionally, there are non-profit organizations which are not directly responsible for charity programs but put their goals as “to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to charity by providing donors with information they need to make more informed giving decisions.” (“Inspiration, Self-Help Info, Support Group Listings and Plenty More”) An example of such organization is “Heart and Mind” which dedicated an informational web resource that has many links to start donating in categorized fields either by donating financially or volunteering.
Another similar projects in terms of providing information, is “Charity Commission” which set guidelines and standards for effective donations. These guidelines could be summarized as:
Clear about its purposes and direction
A strong board
Fit for purpose
Learning and improving
Financially sound and prudent
Accountable and transparent (“The Hallmarks of an Effective Charity”)
In regards of financing the guidelines state that in order for the charity to demonstrate the ability to have financial and other resources needed to deliver its purposes, the charity “integrates financial planning with wider organizational planning and management, ensuring that funds are available when the charity needs them and are used in the most effective way to the benefit of the charity”.
Today many companies claim the rank of socially-responsible business, however while, in most cases, representatives of business are neither the authors nor the initiators of social projects, but at best merely investors or simply philanthropists. To make the charitable program of company really effective and raise it to qualitatively new level, it is important to begin with understanding, that corporate charity is a whole system demanding accurate and consecutive actions and decisions.
Today a reasonable help to the charitable organizations from business structures is necessary. The interaction between charity organizations and donors should establish at the level of partner relations. Helping could be possible not only with money, but also with human resources. Public organizations often do not have competent, good financiers. For known reasons they are working in banks and other financial structures. Shortage of competent financial management negatively affects the work of charitable and public organizations. Therefore help with personnel can appear more usefully, more effectively for the addressee, than a certain sum of money. Such variant of charity is not yet developed, though is very reasonable.
One of the worthwhile activities in which we as human beings can engage in is the protection of our environment, our dignity and our future. To take up this noble cause for our survival’s sake, many individual activists and organizations have engaged themselves in various activities all aimed at the protection of our livelihood.
The Catholic Church in particular boasts of a significant number of activists. Some of these activists are motivated by the peculiar dangers that face the world as a result of disease infestation, poverty, illiteracy, moral decadence and the dangers that can occur due to the prevalence of these factors.
Introduction
History has it that in most of the successful ancient civilizations, economic inequality was commonplace between the ruling class and the ruled. This status quo mostly resulted in anger and resentment between the two groups due to the great economic divide. These historical realities are still very much alive today in our present day society where income inequality is rampant.
Traverso (2003) asserts that the difference between the rich and the poor in terms of economy has continued to expand over the last years with the rift between the middle and rich stretching even further. These facts reinforce the supposition that income inequality is at its all time highest level in the world.
Social and economic trends such as change in family structures, increasing numbers of immigrants from poorer nations and globalization have led to rich and middle-income countries experiencing rising economic and social inequality. Ironically, all this is against a backdrop of great economic growth and prosperity that has been experienced by most of the countries in the world.
Mapes (2004) suggests that such inequalities are positively related to social vices such as homicide, substance abuse and racism which inevitably foster social instability.
With these daunting realities in mind, it makes sense to explore the most prevalent types of inequalities as well as the efforts that some organizations have put to come up with solutions and measures that can be used to reduce their effects on a global perspective.
Purpose and thesis statement
Catholic charities have been a beckon of hope and providence to many people suffering from various inequities around the world. Their contribution to the promotion of world peace, unity and equality cannot go unnoticed in many global situations (Kerby, 2009).
This paper shall set out to explore whether Catholic charities have been helpful in diminishing social, economical and political hurdles in the world. This shall be accomplished through an extensive and articulate study of what catholic charities entail and the various factors that have contributed to their success.
Their various measures employed to curb various issues shall also be highlighted and their respective effectiveness showcased. This shall be in a bid to provide a better appreciation of the charities thereby leading to an enhanced understanding of what they are, how they affect different societies and consequently, how they can be helped in their fight against these issues.
Brief overview of catholic charities
Catholic charities are nonprofit organizations located in almost all parts of the world. As the name suggests, they are church owned charitable organizations prominent in championing various relief efforts especially in developing countries around the world. They use their acquired resources in the provision of food, shelter, clothing, education and health aid to the less fortunate across the globe (Friedman & McGarvie, 2003).
History of catholic charities and their evolution
According to Hehir (2010), catholic charities have been in existence for more than a century. It is believed that the catholic charities network was founded in 1910.
During that time, they could only provide human relief to people from all religious denominations within a few countries. Later on in 1923, it was acknowledged as being among the best provider of these services to a more diverse population as it covered more countries. By 1950, they had expanded their services to accommodate community and health services.
Today, according to the organization’s official website, www.catholiccharitiesusa.org, the main purpose of the organization is fighting poverty, providing assistance to families and empowering the masses towards the realization of successful and moral living through the preservation of human well-being (Friedman & McGarvie, 2003).
Management of catholic charities
According to Maurutto (2003), management entails the effective and efficient utilization of resources that are available to an organization with an aim of achieving organizational goals and objectives. The author reiterates that it involves planning, organizing, leading and controlling of the organizations activities and resources.
Despite popular belief, the catholic charities network is run by professional specializing in various fields of study. Like any other business, these charities also face the various challenges present in the economy. Therefore, they require an effective and efficient organizational structure if they are to remain relevant in today’s dynamic business environment.
Leadership
Leadership most often refers to a process through which one person uses the help and support of others towards achieving a particular goal or task (Palmer & Randall, 2003).
Considering the current state of affairs in the world, the leaders of these charities are always under so much pressure to deliver. As such, their leader have to be knowledgeable professional in the field of expertise, having a proven track record of achieving set goals and objectives and the ability to motivate and delegate effectively.
Leaders also ought to be able to cultivate and identify talent and exhibit sound judgment even under pressure (Brody, 2005). In addition, owing to the diversity of the services offered by these charities, the leaders often apply both the transitional and situational leadership styles so that they can effectively cope with the ever changing situations
Financial management
As mentioned earlier in this paper, catholic charities are nonprofit organizations. Therefore, they depend on well wishers, their church, donations and grants as some of their financial sources (Belcher & Deforge, 2008).
With such sources, the need for accountability is always so high. As such, the charities have a team of highly qualified and dedicated team which is tasked with the duties of distributing, following up, and accounting for, all funds allocated to the charities.
This has been deemed as a daunting task since the number of people in need is often more than the funds available (McKinney, 2004). Therefore, the decision making process in such cases is always tricky and seldom appreciated by many.
Human resource management
The network has employed a large and diverse workforce mainly due to its expansive (global) nature. Man’s desire for knowledge and success has over the years expanded beyond the restrictions of localities and regional boundaries (Burlingame, 2004). As such, business mergers and other agreements have been made between countries in search of a larger market base, resources and human capital.
The occurrences of such interactions have over the years brought the human race closer to each other than ever before despite their varied differences in cultures, goals and objectives (Denhardt et al, 2008). Consequently, the advantages realized from globalization in terms of social and economic wellness have been great to say the least.
Since the charities operate in different locations all over the world, they have employed competent people from these locations to oversee the on going projects with minimal complications (language barriers, geographic know-how and cultural barriers). Having such a diverse workforce has significantly contributed to the success of these charities (Denhardt et al, 2008).
Services provided by catholic charities
The main aims of these charities gear towards the preservation of human well-being (Dionne & Chen, 2001). As such, there are many issues that have been addressed by the charities in a bid to fulfill these objectives. They include, but are not limited to:
Health services
Good health is by far the most important aspect to the human race. Without it, there could be no development or growth in the world. That is why most governments have made it their priority to offer reasonable health services to the citizenry (Foster, 2010). However, most countries lack adequate resources to provide these services.
Better health care can in most cases only be achieved by means of reforms. Denhardt et al (2008) describe reforms as meaning positive change. In the developing countries, this would imply coming up with sustainable and efficient systems.
In a developing nation’s perspective, the reforms cannot take place without involving external donors since most of these nations are plagued by poor, inefficient and corrupt governments. While it can be irrefutably stated that donors are under no legal obligation to aid poorer countries improve their health sectors, they do feel morally obliged to lend a helping hand.
The aid that donors extend has resulted in the accomplishment of significant results e.g. the eradication of small pox through large scale vaccination and the lowering of infant mortality (Foster, 2010). Without the assistance of these donors health in the poor nations would not be appealing. It is for this reason that catholic charities provide aid to the developing nations.
The aid offered is not only limited to material help but also comes in the form of technical aid since most poor nations lack the expertise to set up complex healthcare systems and keep them running.
Without technical assistance, all the monetary and material aid offered would be misappropriated hence setting back any reform efforts. McMillan (2010) articulates that provision of aid would be inconsequential if no expertise accompanied it.
Catholic charities have stepped in to assist the government and other medical organizations in the provision of health services. They have been instrumental in building hospitals, health facilities, recreational and counseling centers in different locations where they are needed (Mapes, 2004).
In addition, they have managed to provide these services at a considerably low cost. This has been very useful to many people especially those with low financial capabilities who account to a large percentage of the total global population. The input of these charities in the health sector has enabled many people who would have otherwise despaired get through difficult situations in their day-to-day endeavors.
Financial services
The campaigns spearheaded by the catholic charities point out to the notion that their projects will lead to creation of more jobs for the local populace. The leaders assert that the creation of social and health amenities opens up employment opportunities (Palmer & Randall, 2002). As such, the charities often extend financial services to local churches so that they can avail such amenities.
In addition, they offer loans to aspiring entrepreneurs with the hopes that they will in turn create more employment opportunities. Also, they offer financial aid to people who have been struck by various disasters around the world. This is done to help the victims have a fresh start with minimum constraints.
Spiritual services
At the present, most economies in the world are working towards recovering from the credit crunch that hit almost all countries in the world. It is a reasonable assumption that most organizations were forced to make changes that included cutting on costs or laying off employees so as to remain profitable.
In such times, there is need for a flame of optimism to be fanned in the organization (Mapes, 2004). At the heart of the efforts of catholic charities are the campaigns to empower the masses through spiritual interventions. One of the philosophies behind actions by the charities is that with God’s guidance, everything is possible. As such, they endeavor to ensure that Godliness comes above all other things.
They have therefore built churches in various locations to ensure that people in different predicaments find solace in the house of God. To support this notion, Basil & Herr (2003), assert that many people suffering from various ailments have been documented as having found peace and comfort in God where everything else had failed.
Burlingame (2004) state that an optimistic nature is one of the defining behaviors associated with a transformational leader. A person who can enthusiastically talk about the needs of the people and draw a compelling image of the bright future that all in a given setting can look forward to is capable of making a difference in the world.
In regard to this, the catholic charities and churches have over the years provided the people with leaders of such stature. The priests and counselors have been known to be good listeners and preachers of hope.
In addition, all organizations and communities often experience contentious issues which elicit different reactions at some point in time. How these issues are resolved, may spell out the difference between success and failure in these settings. Therefore, the presence of a person who can manage such crises in a diplomatic fashion may be crucial to the success of the organization.
Diplomacy entails the using of power and authority carefully so as to achieve positive outcomes by being unanimous or arriving at a consensus. Arguably, this cannot be achieved without spiritual and moral interventions which are core principles in catholic charities (Belcher & Deforge, 2008).
Literature review
Many scholars and critics have documented different views as regarding the existence of these charities. The proponents argue that they have provided viable ways to cope for many while the “nay-Sayers” argue that they foster some ill sentiments among the masses.
Arguments for catholic charities
Burlingame (2004) argues that catholic charities have been instrumental in the promotion of moral ethics, human rights and unity around the world. He cites the protest against abortion as one of the charities significant successes in the recent past. The charities argued that this practice is unfair to the unborn children since they too have a right to live.
This campaign has to a significant extent been a success for the charities as many countries are yet to legalize abortion. In addition, the author claims that these charities have helped communities that have been abandoned, mistreated and neglected by their governments cope with their sad situations.
One of the latest campaigns by catholic charities is to educate the masses about the effects of the war in Iraq and most parts of the Middle East.
By financing major campaigns and promotions, the charities have managed to provide people with valuable information about the war all the while promoting peace, unity and diplomacy as means to end this costly affair. Dionne & Chen (2001) claim that war and political instability are among the core factors hindering globalization.
As such, the author supports these charities and their recommendations claiming that the full benefits of globalization can only be realized if the human race sets aside their differences and work together towards a common goal.
Arguments against catholic charities
Of particular concern is the speculation that religious organizations have been funding and inciting terrorism across the globe.
According to Flanigan (2006), most terrorists attribute their actions to their religious beliefs as regarding to what is moral or immoral.
That means that their acts of terrorism are directly related to their beliefs. In relation to catholic charities, they have been blamed for interfering in international affairs which in some cases have led to the death of innocent civilians who are viewed as sympathizers.
In addition, McMillan (2010) argues that like any other business, all charities should be taxed accordingly in a bid to ensure fair competition within a market setting. This he attributes to the fact that charities also work according to the forces of demand and supply, they buy raw materials and use similar modes of production as other companies.
Impacts and contribution of catholic charities to the world
Despite the various arguments that have been raised as regarding to the presence of catholic charities, they have evidently been more useful to the people than they often get credit for.
Impacts on globalization
Due to rapid industrialization and development, many a firms have in the past decades sought ways and channels through which they can further tap the market and scarce resources to satisfy their monetary and developmental needs. As a result, they are always looking for new markets and sources of such resources. This has consequently led to investments and establishment of new branches in other countries and regions all over the world.
As such, the best way to ensure that an organization remains relevant in today’s global society is by ensuring that it has a diverse workforce which can blend in with new markets and provide valuable leverage as well as competitive advantage against the rivals. The catholic charities have effectively mastered this result and in the process, these charities have created numerous job opportunities for many people across the globe.
This has in turn reduced, even if it is by a small margin, the rate of unemployment around the world, which also affects the rate of poverty and finally, the rate of crime in different areas.
In addition, their fight against such social vices as substance abuse, abortion, corruption and war have been instrumental in unifying many countries across the globe.
These being common problems among many countries, the countries have come together in conjunction with the charities to fight against these life threatening affairs. In so doing, they have been able to set aside their differences and work together as a unit.
Finally, they have been credited for leading by example, through their various initiatives, governments and other organizations have been forced to act ethically in all their dealings (Green & Webb, 2008). In addition, the charities have been a source of inspiration to many individuals (philanthropists) who would like to make a difference in the world.
As such, it can be arguably noted that these charities have impacted the way human beings view each other and at the same time, they have influenced our personal perspective to poverty, diseases, illiteracy etc. through the provision of schooling facilities in different parts of the world, these charities have bridged the communication gap by ensuring that more people understand and speak plausible English.
This will in turn facilitate the interaction between different people from different social and ethnic backgrounds to come together and merge in the interest of global development.
Impacts and contributions on politics
The goodness of an organization can be inferred by the manner in which it treats the people who work for it as well as those around it (Smith, Bucklin, & Associates, 2000).
The relationship that a company enjoys with its employees and targeted audience can be gauged by looking at the rate of employee turnover. Benefits that individuals accrue from the existence of a given organization therefore lead to increased loyalty (Sargeant & Woodliffe, 2007).
The catholic charities have been very instrumental in advocating for change in many countries. They have in some instances fought against political injustices and decisions that could have detrimental effects on many lives. In addition, they have also offered great advice on national matters in the interest of protecting the masses against bad governance.
Impacts on poverty and related vices
The efforts of these charities towards eradication of diseases and providing education have yielded great fruits. This is because these initiatives have enabled many people have the ability to work hard (due to good health) and acquire valuable skills (education) that enable them to look for work.
In addition, through their campaigns and civil education, many people have been able to learn about the effects of drugs and consequently get help when necessary. This has in turn contributed to the reduction of violence, theft and discrimination across the globe.
Recommendations
Arguably, the work that these charities do is very important to the less fortunate people in various localities. As such, governments should ensure that they provide ample assistance to these charities in terms of security and acknowledgement to ensure that they offer their services with ease.
In addition, people all over the world should know that the eradication of these inequalities can only be effective if they become partners in the fight. If each individual contributes in addressing these issues, they will have played a pivotal role in the preservation of life, promotion of peace and unity and ultimately in ensuring that the whole world lives in harmony.
Conclusion
Catholic charities are necessary in today’s environment. Their contribution towards the preservation of life cannot go unnoticed. From this paper, the various aspects surrounding these charities have been explored.
The impacts of the same in different sectors have also been discussed. As such, it is important that we as a human race learn from these charities and work hard to ensure that the generations to come have a safe and morally upright future.
References
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Belcher, J.R., & Deforge, B.R. (2008). Faith-Based Social Services: The Challenges of Providing Assistance. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 26(4), 1 – 19.
Brody, R. (2005). Effectively managing human service organizations. LA: SAGE.
Burlingame, D. (2004). Philanthropy in America: a comprehensive historical encyclopedia. NY: ABC-CLIO.
Denhardt, R.B., & Denhardt, J.V. (2008). Public Administration: An Action Orientation. NY: Cengage Learning.
Dionne, E.J., & Chen, M.H. (2001). Sacred places, civic purposes: should government help faith-based charity? USA: Brookings Institution Press.
Flanigan, S.T. (2006). Charity as Resistance: Connections between Charity, Contentious Politics, and Terror. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 29(7), 641 – 655.
Foster, G. (2010). Getting in line: Coordinating responses for children affected by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies: An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Research, Policy and Care, 5(2), 92 – 100.
Friedman, L.J., & McGarvie, M.D. (2003). Charity, philanthropy, and civility in American history. USA: Cambridge University Press.
Green, C.L., & Webb, D.J. (2008). Factors Influencing Monetary Donations to Charitable Organizations. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 5(3), 19 – 40.
Hehir, J.B. (2010). Catholic Charities USA: 100 Years at the Intersection of Charity and Justice. CA: Liturgical Press.
Kerby, W.J. (2009). The Social Mission of Charity; A Study of Points of View in Catholic Charities. USA: General Books LLC.
Mapes, M.L. (2004). A public charity: religion and social welfare in Indianapolis, 1929-2002. USA: Indiana University Press.
Maurutto, P. (2003). Governing charities: church and state in Toronto’s Catholic archdiocese 1850-1950. NY: McGill-Queen’s Press – MQUP.
McKinney, J.B. (2004). Effective financial management in public and nonprofit agencies. NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.
McMillan, E.J. (2010). Not-for-Profit Budgeting and Financial Management. NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Palmer, P., & Randall, A. (2002). Financial management in the voluntary sector: new challenges. CA: Routledge.
Sargeant, A., & Woodliffe, L. (2007). Building Donor Loyalty: The Antecedents and Role of Commitment in the Context of Charity Giving. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 18(2), 47 – 68.
Smith, Bucklin, & Associates. (2000). The complete guide to nonprofit management. (2nd Ed.). NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Traverso, S. (2003). Welfare politics in Boston, 1910-1940. USA: Univ of Massachusetts Press.
Catholic Charities of Arkansas is one of those organizations which offer the desperate a glimmer of hope. Helping those in need and giving money to the poor, this organization is known as the temple of ruth and kindness.
Like any other Christian organization attempting to help the people within its reach, Catholic Charities of Arkansas has its own mission and a proud history.
To start with, the organization’s mission is “ rooted in the challenge of the Gospel: to serve with dignity and respect persons who are poor or marginalized; to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable; and to actively promote charity, justice and the sanctity of life in the Church and in the community” ( Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010).
As for the organization history, it is worth mentioning that the Arkansas organization has been out there for quite a long time – it has been 168 years since the first pauper knocked on the door of Catholic Charities of Arkansas.
As the organization itself claims, “For 168 years, faithful Catholics, priests, religious, deacons, and many co-workers have extended the mission of the Church across our state” (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010).
However, these are not only the issues of poverty that the organization deals with. Along with helping the people in need, Catholic Charities of Arkansas has been enlightening people about the key concepts of the Catholic faith and the Catholic vision of the Christian religion.
Quite obviously, this relatively small organization is a private one. However, it still manages to hold up among the rest of the Christian organizations of even greater scale.
Catholic Charities of Arkansas is an informal organization that exists within the realm of the Catholic Charities structure. However, despite being one of the many, Catholic Charities of Arkansas still handles the organizational issues completely on its own.
Despite the fact that the organization is a truly friendly place, it does not disclose its policy towards different ethnicities and cultures, as well as numerous controversial issues.
Therefore, it is rather complicated to find out whether Catholic Charities of Arkansas willingly accepts such things as, say, gay marriage, or whether they have a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. As for the money issues, one must admit that the organization offers sufficient help:
CCHD makes a limited number of small grants to provide financial assistance to organizations whose efforts are aimed at serving the needs of low-income people. […] Applications are accepted regardless of religious denomination. Grants between $200 and $2000 are awarded. (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010)
It is also quite obvious that the given organization does take part in lobbying activities. Offering a lot of ideas on how to improve the common good and suggesting their ways to fix the existing problems, the organization has proven that its lobbying group is extremely efficient:
Therefore, the Diocese of Little Rock Advocacy Team lobbies for the Church’s teachings on the following issues during Arkansas’ general assemblies: health care, education, immigration, domestic violence, guns, abortion, adoption, prisons and other social, economic and life-related issues. (Catholic Charities of Arkansas, 2010)
It seems that the key strength of the company is its certainty in doing the right thing. In addition, Catholic Charities of Arkansas seems to be updated on the most recent events in Arkansas social life, which makes their help even more efficient.
Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia (CCEV) is a non-profit organization, providing its clients with a broad range of services. It offers sympathetic support to those in need, regardless of racial, ethnic, and religious characteristics. The array of services includes mental health counseling, financial and housing counseling, health and community counseling, as well as older adult services.
Agency’s Management Practices
The organization of the working process is based on the standard schedule of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. However, the management acknowledges a frequently occurring need for devising a personalized, flexible schedule. The type of work schedule depends on the professional area of a particular employee. The possibility of arranging a personalized schedule is discussed by the Chief Executive Officer, the Supervisor, and the particular employee. The employees working from home on a daily basis should communicate consistently with their immediate Supervisor during the working hours.
In the case of force majeure events, such as extreme weather conditions, the CEO can declare a liberal leave policy, which implies that an employee may take a personal day without prior approval. Such circumstances might also require the closing of certain facilities of the organization. The decision of closing may be made by the CEO in the case of extreme weather conditions, which may endanger the employees. If the closing is eventually authorized, the CEO decides upon the paid time off for the employees. The cases of extreme conditions demand further instructions on the matter of organization of the working day. The following alterations may be introduced: closings, delayed openings, and early closings.
The company’s Administrative Policy Procedures Manual stipulates that all employees should ensure that no conflict of interest arises. Every year, employees sign a form, specifying the absence of conflicts of interest of any kind. Outside employment is also regulated and must be approved by the CEO, and include signing a necessary form. Private practice, which can have an adverse effect on the activities of the Catholic Charity of Eastern Virginia, must not be undertaken by any employee. Should the CEO decide that a particular employee’s performance is affected by their outside employment, or that a conflict of interest may arise, the employee may be forced to terminate their outside activities.
Employees are encouraged to suggest certain policy improvements through written statements addressed to the management. In order to implement the suggested changes in policy and procedures, the CEO’s approval must be obtained. The information about the implemented modifications is provided to each employee. The operational procedures of the Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia are board approved administrative policies. Procedures are executed without the involvement of the government body (the Board of Directors).
Different Areas of Administration
Employer-employee relations are an important area of administration at the CCTV. Both the employer and employee voluntarily enter into these relations and can terminate the employment with or without giving any specific reason for termination, as long as no federal or state law is violated. CCTV management policies do not constitute a contractual agreement.
The Finance Committee of the General Board holds yearly meetings in order to review the financial situation of the organization, as well as to evaluate the potential financial risks. The record retention system serves as a basis for the regulation of accountability and fiscal matters. Maintaining the efficiency of the record system helps the CCEV to ensure proper compliance with the tax regulations, as well as to be prepared for federal audits or other examinations.
The majority of accounting documents are retained on a permanent basis, such as audit reports, checks, fixed assets, financial statements, and insurance records, reports, and claims. Legal and tax-related correspondence, retirement plan records, and Agency Corporate Documents are retained on a permanent basis as well, while other files are retained for two to seven years, depending on the type of a particular document.
Support services of the CCEV include assistive technology provided to those with disabilities, including certain types of devices, modifications, or accommodations necessary for the disabled to improve their functioning capacity. With the exception of legal reasons, all clients are granted access to their case records, which they can amend if the need arises. The client rights brochure is distributed to all clients in order to enhance their knowledge of their cases.
Establishing job positions and descriptions in the CCEV is considered a major commitment of the organization. The job descriptions are tailored to the current needs of the community. According to the official position of the organization, all job positions must have proper descriptions, which are reviewed and updated on an annual basis should the need arise.
Current employees can also apply for a new position in the organization. The manager of the position specifies the resume requirements of the screening process conducted by the Human Resources Department. The candidates’ references and credentials are verified. The CEO approves the selected candidate, which leads to a verbal offer of employment.
Whatever the reason for the termination of employment, the employee files remain in possession of the organization. Former employees cannot contact their clients without written consent given by the CCTV. In the case of a staff reduction, severance pay can be provided.
Performance evaluation is an important aspect of company policy. Annual, special, and corrective performance appraisals are conducted on a regular basis. Annual performance appraisals are employed to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the performance in order to improve working efficiency. Special performance appraisals are conducted if an employee’s work is of excellent quality and deserves additional recognition and reward. Corrective performance appraisals are employed when an employee’s performance is insufficient, unsatisfactory, or raising concerns.
Administrative Governance
The Board of Directors constitutes the governing body of the CCTV. The sole member of the corporation is the Bishop of Diocese of Richmond. As indicated in Table 1, the Chief Executive Officer oversees the principal departments of the organization: Finance, Grants/ODM/PQI, Programs, HR/IT/Training, Board Development, Development/Marketing, and Public Relations department.
The funding for the CCEV’s activities comes from grants and state waivers. The organization’s gift acceptance policy also stipulates the possibility of accepting donations in various forms. Donation may be transferred as cash, publicly traded securities, real estate, life insurance policies, bequests, gift annuities, and charitable remainder trust (Create a Legacy, n.d., para. 1). As it is a non-profit organization, the local, state, and federal laws constitute its enabling legislation.
Client Population
The majority of clients of the CCEV are under-provided people over 18 years old. The clients served are of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. The services most often provided are Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, or financial support.
Agency Philosophy, Mission, and Goals
All employees of the CCEV are to adhere to the ethical guidelines and professional standards specified by the organization, as well as work by its mission and contribute to the common goals. The mission of the CCEV consists in being guided by God’s love for all people to provide comprehensive, compassionate support, work with local communities and help those in need to improve their life quality (Mission & Vision, n.d., para. 1).
The principal values of the organization include dignity and sanctity of life, service, compassion, empowerment, and stewardship. The basic goals include serving others compassionately and selflessly, recognizing the clients’ needs throughout all periods of their life, and providing services while abiding by the moral, ethical, and honest principles of the CCTV.
The Code of ethics that all employees must comply with includes several guidelines. Employees must not allow for discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, handicap, sexual preference, or political affiliation. The Catholic Charities USA Code of Ethics must also be strictly followed. All employees must respect the informed consent and provide the possibility of the clients’ participation when making critical decisions regarding their cases.
Employees must also respect the rule of privacy and confidentiality of their clients. The decisions regarding the clients’ case must be founded on the diagnostic and treatment needs of a particular client, as well as on the Code of Ethics. Clients must be provided with services characterized by integrity in decision-making and by the freedom of choice. All employees must make decisions based on professional responsibilities rather than personal preferences. The services and the corresponding financial arrangements are monitored on a regular basis. All clients have the possibility to file a grievance according to the procedures, as well as refuse participation in clinical studies or other types of research.
The Catholic Charities USA Code of Ethics provides fundamental guidelines for all employees to follow. The Code encompasses several core principles of Catholic Social teaching. These principles include human dignity (each person has inherent dignity that must be respected), the existence of common good (everyone has the right to access it to improve their life quality), the principle of subsidiary (empowering those in need, encouraging them to take control of their life), and solidarity with the poor (the underprovided have a special claim to the services and programs of the CCEV).
Role of Preceptor
The Director of Guardianship is the assigned preceptor. She is responsible for the clients, which are in need of guardianship and conservators. The Guardianship Director services include the power of attorney services for clients over 18, who have been adjudicated as unable to care for themselves by a Circuit Court judge and have no family members who are either willing or capable of serving in such capacity.
Conclusion
The Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia is a non-profit organization. Its clients are provided with comprehensive, compassionate services. The majority of clients are poverty-stricken adults over 18. The Guardianship and Related Services program offers guardianship, conservatory, and power of attorney services to underprovided clients of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. The CCEV is guided by the Code of Ethics, as well as by the general philosophy and ethical principles of the organization.
The article of Evolution of Charitable Self-Guidelines in Europe demonstrates that there was widespread emergence of long conventional and developing charitable sectors and their regulations. The article is mostly directed to policy makers, society and the government to inform them on rising dominance of self-regulations of the private sectors due to weakness of the civic rules.
The main idea of the article is that the self-regulations by the nonprofit able organization were easily adopted in Europe than public rules. In the article, the author routinely emphasizes that these self-regulations were emergent and rose quickly overwhelming the compliance of the existing public rules. The whole article stipulates about nonprofit self-regulation, responsibility, agency, recourse reliance and institutional concept against public regulations.
The article’s author, Bies assumes that these self-guidelines were adopted by all private sectors neglecting the existing public rules. He exhausts fully how the self-guidelines came to overwhelm the public rules as they were easily complied to and accepted.
It is clear that from the article one can learn that, in Europe, private organizations are leading and have a greater public influence than public regulations. On factors to consider on the kind of business to start in Europe, I would prefer to comply with private regulations rather than public regulations since they are principal guidelines in the society.
The private sectors have come up with their own rules, which are trained, on diverse market, political, and social backgrounds since they are easily obeyed, accepted and are certified models compared to the public regulations. The author uses that fact to justify that the public rules were weak than the private regulations.
The article reveals that there are three major categories of self-regulation; compliance, adaptive and trained representations through application of resource reliance, organization, and institutional concepts to sort of people, therefore, fact the author used to prove the weakness of the prevailing public rules.. The fact that compliance system was dominant in the Western European cases where charitable sector is extensively established exposes that, civic rules of the sector were weak.
The author would have stipulated techniques that the government would have employed to ensure that the existing regulations were not overtaken by the upcoming self-regulations by the private sector. The author of the article clearly exposed how the long established and upcoming private sectors and their regulations overwhelmed the existing public rules using facts. The author did an excellent work as the article made its readers realize the evolution of the nonprofit self-regulation in Europe.
Bies A, L. article was an important for European government and its society as it revealed the weakness of the public regulations compared to the nonprofit self-regulations. The proofs that the author used to demonstrate the superiority of the self- regulation to civic rules would be of importance in assisting the government to reform their prevailing rules. These reforms would have made the governments rules become more powerful and dominant than the self- regulations. The author of this article clearly illustrated his main idea by emphasizing the main ideas by use of facts.
Consolidating peace and stability are the fundamental principles of Qatar’s foreign policy. Since the beginning of his rule in 1995, Sheikh Hamad’s policy focused on conflict resolution of the district, thus bringing international recognition and credibility to Qatar. Starting 2010 revolutions began in the countries of the Arabian world bringing down dictatorships. Qatar supported this movement for freedom, gaining the international credit of trust and shifting its role from a mediator to supportive activist. Two points determining Qatari foreign policy are a support the right of peoples to self-determination and a vacuum in regional powers as other Arabic countries were having serious internal struggles.
The overthrew of the first elected president of Egypt, Morsi, forced Sheikh Tamim, Hamad’s son, to make his own clear position in 2014. Sheikh Tamim, following the policy his father conducted, kept to the policy of supporting Morsi’s government. This position significantly differs from the policy of other countries of the region. The countries that confront the Muslim Brotherhood. The strain between the Arabic countries and Qatar led to withdrawing of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates embassies from Doha. Despite that fact, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have a consoled policy on Syria. But it seems to last as long as Iran is not be considered as the biggest threat to Saudi Arabia. Doha’s policy in the region will have a diplomatic nature using a blend of polarization and power to achieve goals stated.
The two possible scenarios for Qatar in the nearest future are: if the labor law that abolishes kafala system will be reconsidered as well as other reforms will take place, Qatar will strengthen its position in the world’s policy, if not – it will stay only a regional player not recognized by the West.
Qatar Charity in Niger
Biopolitics of an international Islamic NGO
The study is dedicated to the aspects of the activity of Qatar Charity NGO in Western Africa region (Niger). It includes the analysis of driving forces of expressions of Islamic solidarity (ighatha – humanitarian relief and da’wa – the call to Islam). The study is divided into seven chapters, each (except Chapter One being Introduction) representing certain aspect: methodology, theoretical framework, studies on Niger, the description and outcome of Qatar Charity activity in Niger and conclusions on research questions.
The study analyses the application of the results of the work of two authors – Amartrya Sen and Mark Duffield – dedicated to the reasons and the ways of solving of the humanitarian catastrophes in Niger’s Dosso region, as well as to the local activity of mainstream NGO’s. The study also aims to search the activity and input of an international Islamic NGO, Qatar Charity, in the improvement of life of Niger’s Dosso region; and to evaluate and make certain notes on Duffield’s concept of biopolitics of international development. The critique of development, based on the analysis of mainstream organizations is applied to the actions of non-mainstream (Islamic) NGO. The major questions studied are the ratio of Qatar Charity contributions in the context of Duffield’s arguments for a biopolitics of international development; and the refinements of Duffield’s analysis for a biopolitics of international development that can be made based on the conclusions of Qatar Charity activity.
The standards of living in Niger are extremely low that sometimes leads to the local humanitarian catastrophes in rural regions (crisis, lack of food). This situation occurs due to the unproductive internal policy as well as to the acts of foreign players. The NGOs functioning in Niger aim their actions to providing sustainability in the region that may result in the development of self-reliance of the community. Despite not being mainstream NGO, Qatar Charity’s activities aim the same goals. The result of mainstream sponsored organization and Qatar Charity cooperation was that the private, not the state structures as previously, took the responsibility for the provision of veterinary services. The second field of Qatar Charity activity was dealing with women unions who represent one of the most vulnerable and insecure groups in the country lacking agency and political voice as a demonstration of the tension between “global governance and the governed”.
Limitations of the study: interactions with governmental structures are underdeveloped; the study is dedicated to a very specific phenomenon – the activity of Qatar Charity only during 2008 and 2009. The results cannot be globally considered as representative.
The study emphasizes that there might be misunderstandings in current ideas and understanding on the development issues. The reason is starting the conversation between “Anglophone critiques of international development and humanitarianism” and “Francophone analyses of development interventions in Niger” together with “Francophone West Africa”. The present study also highlights three factors that facilitate the influence of the sustainable development as self-reliance and internal logics of contingent sovereignty. They are “INGO formations of legitimizing partnerships”, “local communities’ strategic approaches to INGO” projects, and “INGO engagements with local corruption complexes”.
Certain local approaches to the NGO policy were revealed during the Qatar Charity functioning in Niger. They are applying the NGO facilities for the own needs of locals, the specific local norms of behavior were taking into the account during the operation, that resulted in specific micro-policy measures taken by Qatar Charity. The rate and the character of non-mainstream development are hard to determine due to the research because the lack of the case studies and the materials. The activity of Qatar Charity, in general, corresponded to the activity of mainstream NGOs.