November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

Giving When It Hurts: Rethinking charity in the midst of an economic crisis

(Page 4 of 4)

March-April 2009
by Keith Goetzman 
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Berg thinks it’s time for the public to ditch its knee-jerk preference for anything with the nonprofit label and recognize that government can, in fact, do some things better.

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The debate over the future of the nonprofit system is rooted in questions about how, and how much, to help the most unfortunate among us. How we decide to answer this dilemma will not only tell us much about ourselves but perhaps also steer the very course of our meandering nation.

Amid the bleak economic news are causes for optimism. Charitable giving has historically been somewhat recession-resistant, hovering at around 2 percent of the average disposable income for decades; we tend to reach out to help others even when we feel ourselves slipping.

Perhaps most importantly, despite all the attention paid to billionaire “megagifts,” they amount to little more than 1 percent of total giving, and far more donations come from individuals than from corporations or foundations. So the solution to our charity crisis in some sense still lies with each of us.

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  • Jean Lachowicz 2/26/2009 12:34:41 PM

    Not only is there a dangerous proliferation of non-profits these days, but I believe that nearly every non-profit is experiencing serious struggles right now.

    Articles such as this are exactly what the public needs to begin to understand the non-profit world and begin to break down the old structures that simply don't work anymore. Far too many wonderful souls are crushed by the miserable pay and stressful personnel conditions, and far too many people with immense needs are finding the services offered by nonprofits to fall short of what is actually helpful.

    The system needs to fall.

    I am Director of Together We Can Change The World Day,a position I have taken after an entire lifetime of administrative/executive service to small non-profits.

    I believe that anything we can do to cut through the chains that are holding together the non-profit structure is good and necessary. We need to think differently. It is time for a major change in the way charity is structured, and I welcome it!

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