Giving: a gift. “Please take this dollar. Have a nice day.” Mercy: a gift to someone of lower social class. “Please take this dollar. But don’t buy beer with it.” Charity: a gift to someone of similar social class. “Here is 50 dollars for your cause. Have you tried the shrimp?” Donation: an exchange with the expectation [...]
Annie Lynsen of Smallact on the “Apple hates (nonprofit) innovation” kerfuffle: This past week, it was revealed that Apple would no longer allow charities to take donations through iPhone apps. Their rationale is that they can’t verify the donations are actually going to the charity they claim to be going to, and while that seems logical [...]
From Marianne M. Jennings’ The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse: How to Spot Moral Meltdowns in Companies… Before It’s Too Late: Sign #7: Goodness in some areas atones for evil in others …Beware the socially responsible company. Watch out for the big donors. There is a certain con component in the Yeehaw Culture. The con [...]
Gift Hub (Blogging Philanthropy from A Dumpster) is a favorite blog of mine. On “Foundation Trustees as Stewards of the Public Interest” I left this comment: Personally, I’d like to see society make a point of separating out Charity (giving to those of equal social standing) and Mercy (giving to those of lesser standing). Imagine [...]
From the introduction to “Poverty and Charity in Past Times” by Mark Cohen (Journal of Interdisciplinary History 35.3, 2005, p. 354)”, an analysis of Catholic confraternities in the 16th century : Traditionally, Catholic poor relief was shaped by the overlapping but distinct concepts of “charity” and “mercy.” “Charity” could exist between equals (neighbors, friends, and [...]
