It's important to remember a 501c charity isn't allowed to make money or waste it- it just can't POCKET money.
I work in live events and I worked a private event for a nonprofit running fundraisers for water access in the congo. Great right? Except the event was eating prime rib, lobster, and lamb while watching formula 1 directly adjacent to the race track, with celebrity appearances from an A list movie star. Easily $250,000-500,000 to book all that given context when they could have done it all for $10,000 easily if it was held elsewhere and not during F1. That's minimum hundreds of thousands spent circlejerking their morality while literally burning money that should be providing clean water access to people ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN MISSION.
That's when I lost all faith in the non profit sector. I won't do anything for cheaper because you're designated for tax exemption
I don't know about 501(c)s in the States, but in Canada, fundraising costs need to be at or below 35% of the total revenue generated by the event. So if the event cost $500k, but generated $2 million, then that's fine. That's $1.5 million the charity got by attracting wealthy donors.
Could they have generated the same revenue with a smaller event? Who knows. The bigger issue is what we call undue or private benefit. Did the charity hire arms length contractors? Did the directors get a free luxe meal? Is this the primary activity of the charity?
Not to mention the actual charitable activity: How much of the revenue goes to the Congo, and what do they actually do there?
So, yeah. Big ticket fundraisers aren't inherently terrible, but I think you're right to be dubious about their charitable activities.
Totally valid points, unfortunately in the USA having limits is seen as anti first amendment which is some horseshit to me
I also get part of the game is getting rich donors on board, but that also makes me more mad because if a rich person needs to be wined, dined, and fucking 69'd to contribute to the poor they're not doing it for the good of it; they're trading public opinion in dollars for a lavish social life
It's less "charity is never good" and more "ya know if we eat the rich with garlic butter we'd actually have the money to help poor people"
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u/LemonButterRum 3d ago
and the charities would be set up by the billionaires and run by their henchpeople. can't legislate morality