The Onion doesn’t have the cultural cachet it once had, but it can still get stuff right. This recent post “Nonprofit No Longer Recalls Who They Were Originally Planning to Help.” The intro goes:
“Noting that they definitely had some sort of mission statement when they started in 2015, leaders of a local nonprofit told reporters Tuesday that they no longer recall who they were originally planning to help.”
It’s a great reminder that even under the best of intentions, charitable organizations can go off the rails over time. Sometimes they even end up engaging in behavior that contradicts the donor’s original intentions.
In contrast, Mackenzie Scott is working hard to give away the majority of her fortune during her lifetime. While her no-strings attached approach to philanthropy has ruffled some feathers among traditionalists it has garnered a lot of attention for its immediate impact. Scott is now looking to fund another 250, unrestricted $1 million grants. Scott is seeing her money put to work and so should you. I wrote a while back:
If you have the means to donate to charity, why wouldn’t you do it while you were still alive? You have the benefit of seeing your hard-earned capital put to use. And you avoid the risk of weird stuff happening with your money after you pass.
Life is messy enough while you are alive.* Why should you expect anything different after you have passed?
*Also make sure you are donating money in the most tax-efficient manner.
