Very few people deny that helping other people is a good thing. After all, if someone can use their hard-earned cash to better the lives of an individual or group of people, why shouldn’t they? Everyone seems to win.
Still, there are significant questions posed about the method and motivation behind various charity endeavors that cause people to reconsider whether it’s a completely altruistic act 100% of the time.
- How Do You Choose Where to Give?
There are thousands of different charities for people to choose, from disease prevention to poverty alleviation, so how does someone know which one to pick? Is it ethical to fund cancer research that could take decades to solve, for instance, instead of helping to make Sudanese orphans lives better now? The fact that people can choose what to do with their money is great, but if nobody picks the ones that are most necessary, how selfless are we really being?
- Should Charity Be Taxed?
Supposedly, charity endeavors are tax-free in order to encourage people to give more, but should that really be the case? With the median income for executives at large non-profits set to approach the half-million mark soon, many would-be donors are arguing that any money given to charities should be taxed as well. Allowing people to donate money without taxation may help people, but it also shuffles money away from improving the infrastructure and government programs which help everyone.
- Is Asking For Money Ethical?
Ask any marketing personnel at a non-profit sector and they’ll tell you how vital fundraising efforts are. Without it, very few would be able to survive, simply because most people wouldn’t be aware of the need in the first place. But is asking for money right, considering most fundraising efforts aim to make an emotional appeal to get donors to commit? Opponents claim that money given through such means are not always truly voluntary, thus nullifying the sincerity.
- Do People Emphasize Charities Nearby?
If given the choice, nearly everyone would sacrifice a part of their personal belongings in order to save the life of a child in need, but how does that sacrificial attitude change when the need isn’t directly in front of someone? Out of sight, out of mind, right? In this case, the causes that people donate towards are the ones that they can see and hear directly, meaning distance can numb individuals to needs that are otherwise vital.