After getting some comments/questions about our last post, I wanted to clarify a few things, and also bring light to some questions that I am seeking relating to these issues.
It isn't my intent to attack religions here. I simply want donors to all charitable causes to be able to know where their money is going, and how it is being used within the community. The way I understand it based on the research I've done is that religious groups, like other non-profits, are granted tax exempt status because they are raising funds for the specific purpose of doing good within the community.
With that overriding concept in mind, it seems to follow that the members of the community should be able to know where the money is going and how it is being used for the purposes of the organization. Again, this is true of both religious and non-religious not-for-profit groups.
A great website to use is Charity Navigator, where you can look up a nonprofit and get some important information, including an indication of the efficiency of the organization. I think all of this information should be made available to the public for all nonprofit organizations. But, my research indicates that churches are not required to provide the same reporting as other groups.
That is the main thrust of my last post. All organizations with nonprofit status should be held to the same reporting standards. When you consider the fact that churches are not, along with the fact that such a large percentage of charitable giving here in the US goes to congregations, anybody can see the potential for abuse.
And, while the potential for abuse also exists in other organizations, the less reporting and accountability we require, the more we're holding the door open for these abuses.
I'm doing more research on this, so I can better understand the differences. I'm not sure why other groups are held to higher standards than a church would be, but when I am able to provide more information on the specifics, I'll surely post it here.
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