Categories: Potter Gold

Charitable Questions

I received a phone call a few days ago as I was getting ready…

by Andrew Potter on Friday, December 18, 2009 12:13am - 99 Comments

I received a phone call a few days ago as I was getting ready to go to work. Like a lot of calls I get this time of year, it was a woman calling from a charity. I can’t remember what it was – childhood leukemia maybe – but as she was in the midst of telling me about their poster child for this year’s campaign, I cut her off. I said look, you’re wasting your breath, I won’t be giving. “Not even a small donation?” she asked. Nope, I said, rushing to get off the phone. As I was hanging up, the cliche making me cringe even before I’d formed the sentence, I said “I have another charity I give to.”

Which is true enough. Actually I have two charities I donate to, in monthly installments charged automatically to my credit card. It isn’t a huge amount though, and I could easily afford to give more, either to the chosen two, or even to one of the charities that comes a-ringing at Christmas time.

The amount I give is, roughly, about 0.75% of my before-tax income. Which is to say, Not Much. But in many ways, I’m a typical Canadian. According to the Fraser Institute’s latest study comparing generosity in Canada and the US, 24.0 percent of Canadians give to charity each year, and we give, on aggregate, 0.73 percent of our personal income.

The figures vary considerably by province. Manitobans are the biggest givers on both scores (27.3/1.02) followed by Saskatchewan (25.7/0.86) and Ontario (25.7/0.84). Quebecers (21.9/0.33) give the least.

Like most of what it publishes, the Fraser Institute is interested here in making Canada look bad compared to the US, so what analysis there is in the study consists mainly of pointing out how poor our showing is compared to Americans. And it’s true, we are bad givers compared to Americans, though there are a lot of complications, caveats and other factors at work in making cross-border comparisons (here’s a not-bad quick pass at some of the issues.)

But back to me.

In theory, I’d like to give more to charity, and I could probably double my donation level without it making much of an impact on my finances. Heck, to pay for it all I’d have to do is stop side-swiping the wall in the parking garage twice a year. So why don’t I? Why was I in such a rush to just get this woman off the phone, as if she was just another telemarketer bugging me in the privacy of my own home?

A big part of the reason is that I’m not part of a church or similar community of giving, so there’s no external pressure. Another is that I’m not rich, so I don’t get into these virtuous cycles of one-upmanship where rich people outbid one another to see who can give the most to a hospital or opera hall.

But apart from laziness, probably the biggest reason I don’t give much is classic free riderism. I don’t really see the marginal benefit from my donations. The organizations I give to will keep doing what they do without me, and I don’t pretend that what I give helps them do what they do much better than they already do. And so I give enough to maintain a certain level of inner credibility (so I’m not ashamed) but I don’t give enough to consider myself a giving sort of guy (so I’m not proud).

Here, then, are some questions for the audience. Do you give? If so, why? Is it to a charity that is close to you in some way, or is it a more general, United Way-style of giving? Are there some forms of giving that give more immediate sense of reward or accomplishment (i.e. which are more obviously effective) and which therefore incline you to give more? Do you spread your giving out, or focus it? Do you give throughout the year, or on special occasions such as Christmas?

Tags: charity, Fraser Institute

More by Andrew Potter

Phil Wright

You're just going to have to accept the consequences of identity politics. It fragments and divides a society, making the whole idea of blind charity somewhat unpalatable and illogical. Blame the practitioners of identity politics, not me.

Additionally, we live in a welfare state, one featuring a 40% tax and spend rate (source: OECD); I already gave, big time, at the office, and for you to label an individual as heavily taxed as I am a Grinch shows a lack of gratitude that makes me even less likely to donate to charity. The government has usurped the role of charity from individuals and I wouldn't dare encroach on their jurisdiction :-)

I repeat: blind charity is illogical in a fragmented, divided society based on identity politics. See Carleton University's ShineramaGate for exhibit A; if they can refuse to fund a charity because it disproportionately benefits white males then I see no reason why I as a white male should donate to charities which benefit other demographic cohorts, cohorts that are savagely hostile to my cohort. I'll help friends and family instead.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Would you feel better if I expressed savage hostility to you, as a fellow white male?

Phil Wright

Grownups talking grownup stuff here Sean; beat it.

http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

Is that to say I can't book you for a children's party?

http://intensedebate.com/people/PolJunkie PolJunkie

Phil, it's the holiday season, dude… Try not to snarl so much.
Phil Wright

Good, so we all agree that my arguments are sound? I'm not seeing any refutation here kids, justa buncha angry shut-ins screaming insults and acting like children. Is my argument really that powerful? Hmph, I should comment here more often, looks like you could use my guidance.

Jody

No, I don't agree. Seems to me your 'arguments' are actually defensive self-justification. I actually feel sorry for you.
http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

Donate charitably or don't, buddy. I thought it was reasonable brave of you to step into a conversation where everyone was talking about what they do to help others less fortunate than themselves and say you don't.
As long as you're allowing your delusions of grandeur to let you believe that just about everyone either hates you or harbours angry feelings toward you, however, then there are some problems to be found in your initial assumptions that render your arguments unsound. Better luck next time.
Mike T.

Your claptrap is ridiculous, uninformed and more than a little racist and sexist. You're so pathetic we're chortling at your expense rather than bothering to engage you like a respectable person.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Nich Nich

It is easier to deride and demonize those who try to make the world a better place, no matter how small their effort, than to contribute to the better of the human condition.

I thank you for teaching this lesson to so many. I hope you have a happy holidays.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Ouch.
Jody

I don't notice that anyone here has called you a Grinch. Defensive much?

http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

Max is the name of the Grinch's dog. That isn't to say that he doesn't come across as defensive, and more than a little paranoid and angry (as though his heart was three sizes too small).

Jody

Well, maybe he just needed attention. So us charitable types gave him some.
http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

(as though his heart was three sizes too small)

Ah, but just wait till next Friday morning, when all the Who's down in Whoville, the tall and the small…

http://intensedebate.com/people/Stewart_Smith Stewart_Smith

Phil… Your stuff is brilliant, simply brilliant. You should be the star of a new TV show… guaranteed to be a smash hit.
http://www.TennisVagabond.com Big Dave S

I think a lot of people paralyze themselves into not giving through the rationalizations you explained in the original post. A good cure is to get involved, even one time, with an organization that does work you believe in. When you see the way people are actually helped, the "marginal benefit" rationalization slips away. You realize you can't help everybody, but even your small donation can help somebody. As long as you believe that helping an individual in certain circumstances is worthwhile, then you can forget about whether you're saving the world and know you can make a difference all the same.

Then the question is, under what circumstances do you believe people "should" be helped? Fortunately, there are organizations for every cause, so however stringent your criteria, there are opportunities to give.

Which actually brings us to the poster who claimed that conservatives shouldn't give: the arguments used there are really smoke and mirrors, far from honesty. His reasons for NOT giving are laughably far from applying to the world of charity in general; only to the posters obvious bugaboos. Obviously if he were being honest, he would say that he doesn't believe he should be responsible for helping others.

Jody

It does seem like a lot of so-called 'conservative' arguments are actually justifications for selfishness.

http://www.TennisVagabond.com Big Dave S

Please don't confuse one poster's use of this costume with a general trend. I think most conservatives would be very happy to donate more to charities of their choosing and less of the government's.

http://intensedebate.com/people/novagardener novagardener

Which ones I wonder?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Be_rad Be_rad

I'm not a conservative, but know many and would never question their community-mindedness or willingness to give or help based on their political leanings. If I could generalize at all, in my experience they tend to be very participatory and targeted in what they support. They open their wallets and their schedules.

The kind of "conservative" Phil Wright claims to be would not be recognized as such by my conservative friends.

Mickey

I give financially, but my most material donation is in the form of time and has been since I was a teenager. It makes me feel good. Really good. But, I won't waste my time. Some charities will have you do that and, having fallen victim, simply don't abide it any longer.

My donations are always to a charity that I am close to – in the sense that the cause matters to me in some way and that I can see that they do a good job (not only good work, but that they are efficient).
http://www.charityintelligence.ca Kate Bahen

Great comment – and from the other postings, you've touched a nerve. Charitable giving is very personal – we give for different reasons (moral obligation, noblese oblige, tax advantages, social profile), and we give to different causes across all sectors and around the world. I wish the Fraser Institute would also publish how Canada's giving compares internationally – we are the 3rd most generous in the world as a proportion of GDP – something we should be proud of.

I wish more Canadians felt as confident as you in saying no to giving. This is something we are not comfortable doing. For the most part we give indiscriminantly to almost anyone who asks us for money, and we definately do not ask for information.

I am fortunate – I see the analysis on over 100 charities a year and seeing the numbers, how money is spent, and what it actually achieves, I wish Canadians would start asking some tough questions before giving blindly. Canadians give $8.2 billion a year – with this level of giving, the charitable landscape has significantly changed with slick, professional fundraising machines. Check out the audited financial statements of these charities – they don't need donations, they fundraise because they can, they already have millions of dollars in cash and investment accounts.

I am also fortunate because off the beaten track Charity Intelligence has found extraordinary charities with top results. We have tracked the impact of donations to these charities and are awed by what relatively small amounts of donations can achieve. This experience has turned my giving from spray and pray, utter frustration and cynicism to seeing the great potential donations can achieve on the frontlines, tackling some of Canada's biggest problems.

One parting word – ask anyone who asks you for a donation for their audited financial statements – quid pro quo – you will be amazed at how many charities never ask you again.

Phil Wright

I feel sorry for you and your are an angry person. Just kidding, I don't really, I just wanted to see what it felt like to make a Maclean's commenter-style comment. Ew. It feels icky. I think I'll go back to making logical, soundly argued posts.

http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

The only kind of person who posts this sort of comment is the angry bearer of grudges. If your only interest here was to provide logical, soundly argued posts, it wouldn't matter to you what other people said about you or your posts.

Phil Wright

Craig, do you have any on topic commentary to add to the convo? Just kidding, of course you don't, not anything meaningful anyway, you're here to stalk and harass the smart people i.e, people who have more to add than "I donate to charity and therefore am a swell guy".

Guys like me, intelligent free thinkers, make banal boneheads like you look bad, so your obsession with me and palpable anger is understandable, I guess.

Shorter Potter Gold: "You're Angry." "No, you're angry!" Impressive, folks. Very impressive. Just kidding, it's not impressive, it shames me as a Canadian that this is fairly typical of the level of debate among adults in Canada in 2009.

http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

That's quite an imagination you've got there, guy! (ruffles Phil's hair)
Dude, give charitably or don't. Do I care what you do either way? No, I do not. Do I care how you feel about how I choose to spend my money? Also, no.
But, you argued that you don't make charitable donations because people don't like you, and you get snippy with anyone who doesn't see you for the epitome of astoundingness you claim to be. And I'M the one who's not adding to the conversation?
Phil Wright

I said that large swaths of the population are demonstrably anti-male and anti-white and, me being a white guy, I logically question why I should help people who perceive me as the enemy. That's significantly different than saying nobody likes me which is what you seem to be clinging to.

You seem obsessed with me, but we're talking about charity here, guy; for a second time, do you have an on topic take that you might share with us?

http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

"One parting word – ask anyone who asks you for a donation for their audited financial statements – quid pro quo – you will be amazed at how many charities never ask you again."

KateB

I have chosen the charities I donate to already but when I was looking around to decide who I wanted to start donating to, I was amazed at how shifty some of the orgs could be. I wanted to ensure my money would actually be going to the cause and not to salaries, huge admins or telemarketers who raise money on charity's behalf. I decided they people who were behaving like they had something to hide probably had something to hide. I was finally able to settle on charities that I thought were worthy because they kept their admin costs to a minimum.

I don't like big orgs or big government – I much prefer smaller government and to let the little platoons work their magic.
Teri

Any Canadian can see information of a registered Canadian charity via the CRA at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/dnrs/lstngs/men…

Which is great as I know from this information that Kate, you are the Managing Director for Charity Intelligence – one of the many charities that is seeking a piece of the 8.2 billion Canadian pie. While I do believe that Canadians need to be asking more questions of where their charitable dollars are going, I take offense that you would use this forum to promote your cause. I can only ask who evaluates Charity Intelligence? Does Charity Intelligence utilize an outside party that evaluates its effectiveness as a charity and provides unbiased evaluation of the methodology to evaluate other charities?

Because, otherwise, here-in lies a significant problem.

Anyone interested in checking out Charity Intelligence tax filing can do by searching on the link above. Things are never one-sided, and if all charities are to be under the microscope, then the premise can only hold true that ALL charities must be evaluated.

Craig O

Being a student, I can't afford to give much, if anything to charity. The past few years, I've bought a food basket at Christmas time for the local food bank, but that's about it.

However, charity isn't just money – I spend 6-7 hours a week volunteering with three organizations around the city (not including travel time – significant for me). It's far more rewarding than simply cutting a cheque and, for a younger adult like myself, provides some good experience and potential references. If I was getting paid for this work – even at minimum wage – it all adds up to a "donation" of about $3000 a year. Obviously, volunteering doesn't work for everyone, given time constraints and charities often need cash as much or more than they need volunteers.

The point here is that charity has many dimensions and it's important to find a way of giving that has meaning for you personally. Sometimes that's simply making a careful choice about your charity – a cause you have a real connection to, one that's not borne of simple guilt. Sometimes that's taking a few hours out of your week to get involved directly.

Allison

I think it's great that you donate your time. Sometimes that's under appreciated. Word of mouth is another invaluable charitable donation. Most people will donate time and money only if they are referred by a friend.

John D

I give and I have tried to give a lot more this year as I have a stable job and many (including many in my own family) do not. I give to the Food Bank. I am good friends with people who work there and I know that every small donation DOES help a lot. I give to a few other health and social charities as well as to some animal ones. And whenever a friend asks me to make a small donation to a charity they are supporting I do, without hesitation, because I want to support the things I care about.

That being said, I don't think I give enough. Like you said, I could double it and easily afford it. I am not one of those cynics that thinks charities all spend too much on administration, salaries, etc. I have seen the good work they do. I know people who quite literally are only alive because of charities. I am going to try and give even more.
John D

I always find it funny that people are willing to criticize others' charitable donations. If I gave $1000 to help drug addicts or kittens I would be criticized but if I spent $1000 at the casino or on accessories for my truck no one would bat an eye.
Dr Canada

"Another is that I’m not rich…"

Actually, if you have a car, food to eat and a place to live you are rich by the standards of many in this world.

Like many of the others I donate to charities. I have been blessed to have a good job, family, good health, house etc. and I feel it is my moral obligation to give to the less fortunate. My famiy sponser three children through World Vision. I donate monthly to Canada Food For the Hungry and a few other humanitarian organizations. We give away about 10% and have plenty to live on after that. Sure we could buy a new TV every month (or a new car every couple of years) with the amount that we give away but to what end? Would it make me any happier?

For Christmas each of my three children gets $100 to give to the less fortunate. Last Christmas with that money they bought part of a well, school supplies, a goat (yes it's true) and seeds. My wife and I don't give the kids anything for Christmas (they get enough from grandparents, aunts, uncles and others) and the reality is that if we did it would be just more "stuff" that would be cluttering up the house.

Phil Wright

"My famiy sponser three children through World Vision."

I've seen this happen one too many times: well meaning but soft headed Canadian sponsors a third world kid, then they get a letter from the kid saying that their dad left. Well of course; you've usurped the breadwinner, and broken up a family, nice going genius.

Imagine if some billionaire sponsored *your* kid by giving relatively lavish financial support; your wife and kid would now consider you some sorta loser and, from a cold hard Darwinian standpoint, have little use for you.

Lois

Yes. We give 10% to church and other charities. I prefer places like Hope Mission, Mustard Seed, Meals on Wheels, and organizations connected to health issues. Internationally, I only give to Samaritan's Purse, because they are working right on the ground and the money goes directly to help people. When I gave to the Red Cross for the tsunami, I discovered that not all the money collected went there, but some to their other causes. That is why I choose Samaritan's purse.
RHToronto

We give to a variety of charities (monthly credit card). I choose to give to international organizations (WWF, Oxfam, Unicef) my husband has a few local charities that he has heard of/been involved in. We generally stay donate 1% of gross income. We don't volunteer our time, this has been attempted in the past and has failed for numerous reasons. I find it admirable that some people can give 10% of their income away, but I'm not sure how they do that. I think that I would find it hard to give away 10% of my gross income when we already live below our means, watch our pennies, are diligent about paying off our mortgage and save as much as possible for retirement (no retirement plan aside from our own savings).
We never give over the phone and we never give in response to mail solicitations.
http://intensedebate.com/people/craigola craigola

In our house, we donate to several predetermined organizations.I couldn't say what percentage of household income we give; we're not rich so it's not a lot, but we donate our time as well. We can (only very) occasionally be talked into donating over the phone; kids at the door with cookies or calendars or asking for bottles stand a far better chance than someone on the telephone with a script.
http://www.goodhopetrust.blogspot.com RAOS

Yes I give – in a very focused way – to a small AIDS orphans support program in northern Tanzania which is largely funded by individuals like me. I know exactly where all the money goes and what it does A local Ottawa high school recently raised $1000 to help. When I met with some classes to thank them and tell them more about Good Hope I asked a question which some of the Good Hope kids had asked me: "Why do Canadian kids want to help us?" Their answers give me hope for the future.

Phil Wright

"Yes I give – in a very focused way – to a small AIDS orphans support program in northern Tanzania which is largely funded by individuals like me."

But that has the effect of increasing global warming. More humans=more AGW, no wiggle room there. We need far fewer humans on the planet and you're not exactly helping.

Now those kids will grow up and have children who have AIDS too, who will require even more money. I know you mean well but you're doing more harm than good.

http://www.goodhopetrust.blogspot.com RAOS

Here are some reasons the Ottawa gave:
"Because we have so much."
"Because we are kids too and we have so much more."
"Because we have parents to help us – they don't."
"Because it makes us think about how lucky we are."
"Because we in Canada have resources to spare."
"Because we feel guilty that we have so much."
"Because we are all children of God."
"Because in the globalized world we have to depend on each other."
"Because its their world too."
"Because supporting development is good for everyone."
"Because it makes us feel good."
"Because we can!"

I was pretty impressed!
jdarrellg

I give mostly through the United Way, because I know that they examine the books of their member charities and maintain some guidelines about efficient handling of donor money. Other charities that phone or mail leave me wondering "Did they not want to be so scrutinized?" I know that many charitable ventures have high overhead, and could be better managed. I am not equipped to examine and judge each one, so I am grateful that United Way does it for me.

I will not talk to the annoying professional fundraisers who call. Many of these have lured charities out of the United Way by promising to increase their funding, which indeed they may do, allowing the fundraisers to skim their portion as added overhead. Eventually these folks will give these charities a bad name.

I also contribute to some charities whose work is focused overseas. Engineers Without Borders is extremely low in overhead, and provides assistance with water, sanitation, farm management, crop marketing, and many other things in Africa and Asia. I also have confidence in the Red Cross in dealing with disaster situations around the world.

I am glad that most people in Canada are helped by my taxes, and are not dependent on charities to survive. I do not lean on false victimhood to complain about paying tax, when I know that it helps keep a safer,balanced and civil society. I would happily pay more tax to eliminate the begging that food banks need to do. I do not want to live in a nation of selfish loners.
PovRT

Kiva allows people to help others without giving money. Through kiva.org, people put up money (as little as $25) so someone, (a farmer in Kenya, a restauranteur in Brazil, or a shopkeeper in India, for example) so that entrepreneur can qualify for a small loan to improve their business. They get the loan, purchase seeds, equipment, or supplies and make their business more profitable. Within 6-9 months the loan is paid back and you get your money back. Then you can reinvest the money in another entrepreneur.

I have been doing this for years. Currently I have several hundred dollars invested in entrepreneurs all over the world. By investing $100 each holiday season and reinvesting the money each time it is paid back, over 30 years, I will help more than 5000 families around the world.

At the end of 30 years, if I stop reinvesting the money, I can withdraw the $3000 I invested.

Jody

That sounds great. I'm going to look into Kiva. Didn't know about them before. Thanks.

Jody

Also it's good to remember that callers are usually either volunteers or people who aren't paid much. So they could use a little kindness (or at the least civility) even if it's not possible to give to the charity.
BloodyCreekNews

OK, here is my 1% worth.

I volunteer with one of the 11 "larger" charities in Canada. And I suspect that I donate about 1% of my income to charitable causes. Here is what is starting to create a burr in my saddle – The time I spend volunteering amounts to about 200 – 250 hours a year – not a lot, but with travel, parking and gas, it is not insignificant. However, as a volunteer, there are more than a few "fund raising events" during the course of the year to which most volunteers attend. These events have "fees" attached to them (A Bowl-a-Thon, a cocktail reception, a pub -nite, Walk-a-Thon, etc). There is no one saying I am expected to attend, but there is an implied obligation. So, here I am donating $$ (Small amount), Time (Small amount), Ad Hoc fund raisings for "special situations" (Small amount) and now there is an expectation that I will attend functions as well for a fee. I am starting to feel somewhat annoyed/harassed, and it bothers me that I am feeling this way. I did not become involved as a volunteer so that I could donate more $$; in fact, if I am honest, I decided to volunteer INSTEAD of donating more $$. Now I am doing both/all.

I am wondering if other volunteers suffer from (or are "dealing with", since I dislike the terms "suffers from', and "confined to a wheelchair" instead of "uses a wheelchair") this kind of "burnout" (not the best word, but it is close to what I am feeling).

Comments? Observations?

http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

"I did not become involved as a volunteer so that I could donate more $$; in fact, if I am honest, I decided to volunteer INSTEAD of donating more $$. Now I am doing both/all."

Sound like a nightmare but not all orgs are like this. I volunteer with local charities and nothing like your experience has happened to me. When a charity was holding an event, volunteers and/or employees were allowed to attend for free. There were even people showing up for event who didn't know there was a fee or thought it was cheaper than it actually was and they were allowed to pay whatever the could afford.

I think many big orgs lose sight of their original mission and become something else entirely.
Craig O

I've found things to be the same as jolyon, no fees for most of my work, and minimal ones otherwise. Other than paying for my own background checks, the only fee I've had to pay was to get my photo ID for the hospital I help out at, and I recently got a Tim Horton's Gift Card for $10 from the hospital, so it all worked out to no cost to me.

It might have to do with the type of volunteer work – what I do is almost entirely working with people in a service role. I can't stand fundraising (it's not in me to ask people for money), so I never have to deal with individual events, just the regular work each week.

Maureen

I give about 2% of my income every year to 6 groups – have done so for the last 20 years. Why? Aside from feeling good about it, it is a way that I have some control over where my money goes and the results I expect. I am taxed to death for government projects (at all levels of government) that are poorly conceived, poorly run and mismanaged – with few results forthcoming.

By giving directly to groups – groups that I have researched, know the work they do and the results they get – I know that my money will be used wisely, with care and thought, and will lead to results.

Maybe not the social conscience that others have, but I work hard for my money and I have to give enough of it away through taxes.
A proud Edmontonian

Our 2-person "both-retired" household contributes more than 10% of our annual household income to charitable organizations.

Why? We must help bail the boat, even if the leak isn't under our seat. We are fortunate to have some disposable income, and we know that some folks need a "hand up – not a hand out" to attain self-sufficiency and independence.

Our giving is focussed. We do not respond to phone solicitations, and rarely to letters or door-bells. We contribute to a combination of general, health and social organizations in which we have been or are involved, and therefore, which we admire and trust. Some of our favored and regular recipients are General = Edmonton United Way, Edmonton Community Foundation, Salvation Army. Health = Alberta Cancer Foundation, Alberta Heart and Stroke, Alberta Alzheimer's, Good Samaritan. Social = women's shelters in Edmonton, Habitat for Humanity, CKUA, Edmonton Symphony.

We make memorial donations to the designated charity, and donate in honor of 50th wedding anniversaries and milestone birthdays. We ask that our birthday and holiday gifts be to charities.

One of us contributes 300 volunteer hours yearly to Habitat for Humanity, in addition to cash donations. One of us is a regular blood donor, well over 100 units. (That truly is the gift of life, and each unit can help so many people.)

We are thrilled that the "Alberta advantage" recognizes donations to Alberta-based charities at tax time.

Helping others is the rent we pay for living in such a wonderful country.
Frank

Considering that only about 2% of all donations in Canada go to environmental causes, I give most of my donations, currently about 5% of my income, to this sector. Considering that 98% of the donations go back to us, and 2% go to protect all the other millions of species on the planet, this seems a pretty lop-sided equation.
mambacmaba

I have been the CFO or treasurer of various charities over the past 20 years or so and I must admit I get a little miffed when people say that charities spend too much on administration and fund-raising. Any charitable organization registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (and therefore permitted to issues tax receipts) must demonstrate each year that it has spent 80% of its receipted gifts on its charitable programs. Failure to do so could result in loss of its charitable status. If anyone is concerned about a charity's spending patterns, they can go on to the CRA's Charities Directorate website and research it for themselves.
Mike Young

Potter's post is telling. It is the logical outworking of his ideology, being a liberal, that taking care of people is always someone else's job. It isnt andrews job, O no, its someone else's job. He has provided proof, inadvertantly, that being a leftist takes away all need for personal responsibility. Its not my job….make the government do it.