AVOIDING IMPOSTERS

Our hearts ache each time a news report exposes yet another fraudulent “charity” posing as a benefactor of recent hurricane victims.

“Opportunistic philanthropy” has been with us for a long, long time, but it strikes us with particular repugnance during times of real need. Little wonder that the chairman of the Federal Emergency and Relief Agency (FEMA) was forced to resign, when it became clear that he, in effect, had been fiddling around while New Orleans churned.

To paraphrase Paul in Romans 5:20, “Where money abounds, fraud and graft abound even more.” And though Americans have traditionally congratulated themselves as more accountable in business and charity matters than their counterparts in the Third World, those of us who have lived and worked in both worlds realize that the problem of graft is universal. The only differences are that graft tends to be pettier and more openly solicited in the Third World; better concealed and more massive in magnitude in affluent cultures.

How, then, to avoid being taken in by opportunistic “doers of good”? The following five rules have helped me identify (and avoid) them. First, how does the organization respond when asked to produce documentation about its use of funds? An honest, efficient organization on the rise will generally supply the information without qualm or quibble and sometimes offer to supply additional verification. Beware of those who dodge and wheedle.

Second, is the organization ostentatious, rhetorical, self-congratulating, and demonizing of others in its statements and advertising? Does it tend to elevate itself as righteous and its critics as demonic? With graft generally come arrogance and self-exaltation.

Third, is the organization open about the compensation and benefits (direct and indirect) it pays its leadership? High compensation packages (especially partially hidden aspects) can belie an organization’s do-gooding claims.

Fourth, does the organization show preference to family members and relatives in its hiring? When grandpa is the founder, son is the president, and the grandkids are doing the grunt work (perhaps for higher than prevailing wages,) red flags should, and must rise.

And finally, who sits on the board? By and large, the most effective nonprofits have boards consisting of independently minded individuals who are not receiving any direct benefits (money, exposure for their self-interested viewpoints, contacts beneficial to their business pursuits, etc.). The worst and least healthy boards are those who allow themselves to be seduced (in effect, bought out by charm, flattery, and other amenities) to the point of becoming rubber-stamp enablers.

Adventist Today Foundation is dedicated, through this magazine and other outreaches, to protect and preserve the “best” in Adventist culture. I invite you to include Adventist Today Foundation in your charitable giving plan this year. As most magazines of this kind, our subscription income covers only about half of our real expenses—despite a tremendous amount of volunteer assistance (thank you from our heart!).

Adventism needs an independent press to serve “without fear or favor.” This is Adventist Today’s goal—to help educate the Adventist culture in its ability to distinguish between the real and the fake, the scam and the genuine article—theologically, culturally, and, yes, financially.

p.19  adventist today | vol. 14 issue 1