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Topic 5
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Donating part of one’s income to public causes, known as charitable giving, used to be a common practice. But, in the United States charitable giving has declined substantially in recent years, and, for several reasons, it is unlikely to increase in the future.
One reason that charitable giving has fallen is simply that there is less need for charitable giving, because the United States government now provides most of the important public services. The government assumes 承担 much of the responsibility for feeding the poor, providing health care, and taking care of the victims of natural disasters—functions that charities used to perform. These government institutions of social welfare are permanent, and so the diminished need for private charitable giving will also be permanent.
Another reason people are, and will be, giving less to charities is that in the past few years there have been highly publicized disclosures that the managers of some prominent national charities were receiving huge salaries and other benefits as large or larger than salaries of heads of major for-profit corporations. These salaries and expenses for travel, fancy offices, and advertising significantly reduce the percentage of donated money that went to charitable purposes. Naturally people have been turned off 厌烦by these excesses and inefficiencies.
Finally, beyond the shortcomings of legitimate charities, there has been an increasing number of fraudulent solicitations恳求，劝诱 by organizations or individuals who merely pose as charities. As a result, people are now becoming skeptical even about what are in fact legitimate appeals for support. So potential donors are starting to give less and give less frequently. And since the incidence of charity fraud seems to be increasing, we can expect further declines N. in charitable giving as people become more concerned that they are being taken advantage of.
Topic 5 Listening
There’s no doubt that giving to charities has declined in recent years, but there are good reasons to think it’ll soon begin to go up.
Consider, for example, the fact that the number of elderly and retired people in our society keeps growing. Right now, elderly citizens who can’t afford health care often rely on government programs to pay for it. But as the elderly population grows, government programs probably won’t be able to cover the health assistance, Americans respond to that need. And since the need will be increasing, we should expect to see charitable giving rise accordingly.
There’s another reason to be optimistic about the future of charitable giving. The disclosures of waste and bad management at major charities, and people’s anger at this waste, are producing significant reforms. Overpaid managers have been forced to resign by the bad publicity. Charities are reducing their expenses and are now subject to服从 closer public scrutiny. As a result, people are regaining confidence that the money they donate will support the causes they care about.
People’s reaction to charity fraud is also evolving正在发展. In the short run, people don’t want to donate because they’re concerned with whether charities are honest. But in the long run, such skepticism makes people careful, not stingy. For example, many people now refuse to give money when they’re asked to do so over the telephone. They insist on receiving proof and documentation before they donate. Just as people learn how to be careful consumers, most people are acquiring the skills needed to guard against charity fraud without stopping their support for worthwhile causes.