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:thumbup: Before reading I thought this was going to be about sticking a $20 in a vending machine so the next person that comes along doesn’t have to pay. “What does that accomplish?”
I’m glad they had a bigger imagination than I did.
:thumbup: I was thinking it would be like one of Panera’s “Community Cafes”, where folks can pay full price, or a partial price, or even get a free meal if they can’t afford it. That IS Super cool though. One thing about the Church I really appreciate, is I DO trust them (for the most part) with my charitable donations. Other organizations have too big of an overhead, with CEOs making in 7-figure salaries. With other organizations, when you “buy” specific items as a donation, it all really just goes to a huge fund the heads divvy out however they feel. Not sure if the Church is doing the same here, but I feel more confident in it actually going towards a good cause.
Quote:One thing about the Church I really appreciate, is I DO trust them (for the most part) with my charitable donations. Other organizations have too big of an overhead, with CEOs making in 7-figure salaries. With other organizations, when you “buy” specific items as a donation, it all really just goes to a huge fund the heads divvy out however they feel. Not sure if the Church is doing the same here, but I feel more confident in it actually going towards a good cause.
I think that’s a good point.
Each of the five machines is dedicated to a specific charity – one of five organizations to which the donations go. The machines are identified as being for those charities. (CARE, Water Aid, Water for People, Eyecare 4 Kids, and the Utah Food Bank) I get the sense that people give more to charity when there are prizes/souvenirs/theatrics involved. I don’t think this is a bad thing at all- so long as it isn’t commercialized (people tend to pay more for something when part of the proceeds go to charity- for example: Toms shoes are about 10x the cost they should be considering the quality, but people will pay big money to virtue signal that they’re helping poor people on the other side of the world. A lot of it is profit even after donating a pair across the world.). Helping those in need is great and I like that the church is supporting charities other than itself. One of my complaints has been that the giving in the church is so impersonal and non-transparent. In some other churches they have a giving drive to raise money to buy a church van for a specific church in Romania or South Africa. There is a feeling of being tied to those churches and the good that they do.
With the LDS church I can make a humanitarian donation on my tithing slip but it can be hard to feel connected to the final good that is being done.
I personally feel that these charity vending machines are helping individuals to feel connected to the good that is being done through the giving – and that is something to be celebrated!
Beefster wrote:
I get the sense that people give more to charity when there are prizes/souvenirs/theatrics involved. I don’t think this is a bad thing at all- so long as it isn’t commercialized
I remember getting a letter in the mail from the BYU alumni association. It was a request for donations for the association to provide scholarships. There was a letter with a picture of a young woman that had needed and received a scholarship. She talked about how she was accepted into the school but did not have the money to pay. How she did everything she could, applied for every program she could, and then left it to God. The scholarship was an answer to prayer. She regarded the money as a sacred trust, a vote of confidence in her ability but also a responsibility to not squander the gift. She went on a mission with a desire to give back, because she had been given much. She married in the temple to a wonderful young man. She graduated in a field that will allow her to continue making an important contribution and giving back to her community and the world. Now she is writing this letter to thank those that believed in her.
I usually throw these kinds of letters into the trash as junk mail but I was moved. DW and I made a donation that day. I can appreciate the benefit of prizes/souvenirs/theatrics to help the individual giver feel good about the donation and to remember that feeling.
I loved this concept. Even though I live in the Salt Lake area and could easily have gone down to Temple Square and donated something, I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t. Next year though… FOR SURE!
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