Some Nonprofits Finding Uncle Sam’s Rebates Quite Stimulating
When President Bush proposed sending tax rebates to millions of Americans as a way to buy himself some popularity jump-start the economy, he was hoping we’d spend the scratch on big-ticket items, the kind of stuff we forgo when times are as tough as they are now. But many people are instead using those checks for philanthropic purposes, according to a recent Associated Press story, which describes how churchgoers are redirecting the windfall to their congregations.
“It’s an unbelievable amount of cash that people of faith or people of conscience could choose to say, ‘You know, we could get along without this. We could put this money to use,’” said Ken Sehested, co-pastor at the Circle of Mercy church in Asheville, N.C.
His congregation of about 50 adults, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Alliance of Baptists, voted to give at least 10 percent of their checks to charities. He and his wife plan to give their entire $1,200 check to the church’s partner congregation in Cuba.
Perhaps you’re not keen on having your tax dollars fund charities to which your elected officials never earmarked spending. After all, the president was duly elected, at least the second time around, and, wrongheaded or not, he possesses the legitimacy to borrow from future revenue to stimulate today’s economy; but Congress never approved a line item funding the United Church of Christ and Alliance of Baptists. The thing is, donating all or part of your check to charity can serve the same purpose, according to Bryant University sociologist Sandra Enos, a specialist in nonprofits and giving, who told the AP that
donations to food pantries and other local charities can benefit the economy as much as spending on a new TV or vacation.
“Boy, if you’re feeding local people who are hungry, it’s like locally spurring the economy, so it’s a wise economic choice, it seems,” she said.
Wonder if Wall Street would agree. Then again, if publicly traded supermarket chains enjoy greater earnings, is that any worse than if home electronics manufacturers and retailers enjoy the benefits of Uncle Sam’s largess? | 501(c)
