The Middle Way

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:8-11)

Recent news stories indicate that the world’s generosity toward those who have suffered from the tsunami in Southern Asia has been so great that the aid agencies are having difficulty effectively processing the funds to help those in need; however, one story from last week cited a UN aid official who criticized the United States for being “stingy” with development assistance, which in 2003 (according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) was 14% of gross national income, the lowest of the major industrialized nations. Private donations reportedly only increased that figure by 3 percentage points.

One analyst suggested that American public opinion considers foreign development assistance to be “money down a rathole.” Here in Ohio, that opinion is very widespread. One reason is that our major media have a natural tendency to report the negative; and the negative of foreign aid lies in the abuse of aid by corrupt dictators in Third World nations. Certainly, to cite one memorable example, neither we nor Iraq have recovered from Saddam Hussein’s diversion of Oil for Food money to military projects.

Several points need to be made, however:

• As Christians, we are called to go into all the world to take the Good News (Matthew 28:19), which in today’s world travels on the wings of help for impoverished nations. While our primary responsibility is to care for those in need in our own communities, we are called not to neglect the needs of people abroad. If everyone only cared for their own, how would the poorest nations get any help?
• The reporting of corruption with aid money ignores substantial contributions, both public and private, that have gone for their intended purposes. I have yet to hear of a Peace Corps volunteer stating that their project was a failure; or of church-sponsored development projects failing, except in a few instances where a revolution caused their undoing.
• Most Americans, including those who consider themselves “poor,” have no idea what it is to lack basic necessities of life - to be truly hungry or naked or without shelter. When Jesus said “the poor will always be with you,” (Matthew 26:11), he was reminding us that poverty is relative. We need to educate ourselves on what poverty really means to the rest of the world, and sensitize ourselves to their plight. The poorest Americans would be moderately wealthy in a country like Ethiopia or Haiti.
• Americans are an impulsive people. When we hear of a tragedy, we rush aid in because we feel genuine compassion. Then, when the news goes on to something else, or news of this need gets old, we forget that serious needs still exist. We need to learn persistence. Governments and private donors can show persistence by making multi-year commitments: a massive infusion to meet the immediate needs, and smaller and gradually decreasing amounts for, say, ten years, to address subsequent needs.
• Americans also tend to believe that throwing money at a problem will solve it. Our own experiences with the War on Poverty in the Sixties and Seventies and welfare reform in the mid-Nineties should teach us that this is not true. Helping the poor also requires compassionate and patient people with skills to contribute. Individual Peace Corps projects cost very little money, but give a great deal of bang for the buck, as their volunteers help build village infrastructure and educate their people. Politically, the Middle Way is to combine service with accountability. In situations where we are not responding to a disaster like the tsunami, governments can provide development assistance, but only where the projects can be audited to show that they are being used for the intended purpose, preferably as part of a larger plan to help a nation create a workable economic infrastructure. Expertise to do this is abundant, but the recipient country must be willing to consider the advice and do the planning.
• Finally, Americans tend to believe that private assistance should be sufficient. Perhaps it would be, if we all tithed to church and charity; but we do not even come close. Disasters like the tsunami require massive infusions of funds, which governments alone can supply. That said, however, we also need to remember that, in a sense, the governmental aid was extorted from us by collecting taxes. The spiritual gifts that come from giving can only come from a willing hand and a willing heart - to a non-governmental organization. Think about your own contributions, and if you need some help on where to send them, read on…
  

Need help deciding on a charity?

The Combined Charitable Campaign Manual, an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file, lists hundreds of charities by subject area, with a brief description of the activities of each, and most importantly, gives the percentage of the organization’s budget used for administrative and fundraising expenses. Designed for use by state employees in Ohio for their combined charitable campaign, it contains a great deal of extraneous matter, but I thought the descriptions and administrative percentages would provide an objective and helpful starting point.

For international aid, my (admittedly sectarian) preference is for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which spends an exceptionally low 3% of its funds for administration and fundraising, according to the source cited above. Of course, there are many other charities that are worthy of your support. (Depending on the mission of the charity, 15-25% is considered acceptable).

Copyright © 2005, Harold D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use the material in this blog provided both conditions are met: (1) Credit is given to the author, and (2) the use is not for profit.