Case for charity

Rob Reardon says that if the name fits…

I‘ve always been intrigued by the various uses of the word “charity.” In many parts of the world, The Salvation Army is known best as a charitable organization. This raises the ire of some among us as there is more to The Salvation Army than our charity work (I include myself in this group). Yet, organizationally we continue to exploit this perception of our identity and reap the benefits of public opinion based on our “charitable” status.

In recent years, various publications and writers in the U.S. have called us different things based on this perception:

• Reader’s Digest: “The most admired and most successful charity in the land.”
• Forbes Magazine: “If achieving its goal at a low cost is a measure of an organization’s effectiveness, the Army stands high.”
• Chronicles of Philanthropy: “America’s Favorite Charity.”
• Peter Drucker: “By far the most effective organization in the U.S.”
• Booz Allen Hamilton (global consulting firm): “One of the ten most enduring institutions of the last century.”

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Tags: charity