Non-profits provide an economic, rather than a human incentive to support justice. The huge tax incentives that accompany non-profit status highly encourage and facilitate the solicitation of donations. These donations are given for any combination of four main reasons: substantial tax breaks, to look good in the public eye/assuage guilty consciences, genuine care and support.
When an individual/corporation donates x amount of money to a non-profit, they end up paying significantly less than what they actually donate because of the accompanying generous tax deductions. These tax incentives encourage individuals and corporations to donate money and property to organization that they may not support if the tax incentives were absent.
Not only are donations financially beneficial to the donor, they also have the added benefit of providing them with free positive publicity and easing their guilty conscience. This publicity is manifest in numerous forms like naming buildings after donors, putting donors’ names on plaques, sings, in speeches, newsletters etc. Donating for selfish, self-aggrandizing reasons is disingenuous at best. Using the environment, the poor, or any other cause or group for one’s own personal image is not only exploitative but it perpetuates the relationships that necessitate such donations in the first place. If I throw money at misery in order to assuage my conscience or to better my image, I then have a vested interest in that misery and need it to continue in order to serve my purpose.
Another big reason many people donate to certain non-profits is because they genuinely care about and support the issue/s an organization is addressing. We will further discuss how this can be problematic in point 3.
BLESS
LUKE 12:48
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