2.5.1.3 Religious Institutions Many religious institutions are known for the donations they make to their local communities. Whether it is with a food bank, clothing drive, or toys for tots, all forms of religion have been known to make some kind of contribution for the betterment of society. Specifically, the Jewish Federations of North America developed a website that allows for their members to see all possible means of donating and lists their charitable affiliations (The Jewish Foundations, 2012). For example, their list is broken down into specific categories of donations like endowments, National Women’s philanthropy, or overseas supplemental giving. All of these have links that would lead a possible donor to where they can contribute. A different example comes from the philanthropic trends of Muslim-American mosques throughout North America. Results of a 2001 survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations showed that 84% of mosques made cash donations to families or individuals, 55% ran a food pantry or collection of food for the poor, 53% had clothing drives, and 16% ran daycare or preschool programs (Philanthropy, 2011). The second pillar of Islam is the practice of zakat, or the purification of ones soul through charitable actions towards those who are less fortunate. Every Muslim is obligated to give 2.5% of their annual income to the poor. Because of this, mosques are likely to make cash donations to charitable organizations (Zakat). The Christian religion also takes philanthropy very seriously. In many cases, Christian churches also have donations dedicated to food and clothing, but more importantly, they focus on the care of orphaned children. Throughout the history of Christianity, orphans have been seen as victims, and cared for in any way they could. Figures such as St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) focused all of their charitable efforts on the care and upbringing of these children (McKenna, 1911). Today, the efforts continue, and churches aid in the adoption of orphaned children as well as make donations to orphanages in any way possible. There are numerous organizations developed solely for the care of orphaned children all over the world. Some examples of organizations are Hope for the Suffering, International DOVE Association Inc., World Missionary Evangelism, Inc., and many more. These organizations rely on funding from many different partnerships, private donors, and volunteers (Working, 2012). In many cases, churches will partner with one specific organization and ask for support of parishioners to make annual donations to the organization (WME, 2012). Religious groups highly impact philanthropy around the world. Although the groups themselves are financially independent non-profit organizations, they provide a place for people to come together and contribute globally to charitable organizations.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:05:20 +0000
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