1) Reading an article, “Social Charity: A new virtue for moral theology”, from the May 2008 issue of the magazine Homiletic and Pastoral Review—available by subscription from Ignatius Press—I came across this regarding solidarity, a foundational concept within the nonprofit sector and Catholic social teaching:
“..solidarity also represents a moral relationship between man and his fellow man…Even if the downfall of one’s fellow man were to one’s advantage, one is not permitted to wish for this [if one accepts the principle of solidarity] let alone help bring it about.”
“The essence of an awareness of this interdependence throughout society, up to and including the international level, constitutes solidarity as explained by Pope John Paul II in Part V of Sollicitudo Rei Socialis [On Social Concern] “When interdependence becomes recognized in this way, the correlative response as a moral and social attitude, as a "virtue," is solidarity.” (# 38)
2) The corresponding concept in the field of public administration is equity, and it is one of the administrative tools that Grover Starling (2005) notes asks the following questions in terms of the distribution of public resources:
“Are benefits distributed equitably with respect to region, income, sex, ethnicity, age, and so forth? To what degree do those using the service pay directly for its benefits?” (Managing the Public Sector, 7th Edition. p. 256)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Alexis De Tocqueville
One of the most enduring and excellent resources about the nonprofit sector in America and the aspects of the American character which underlie it, is the wonderful book by Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, (2000) as translated by H. C. Mansfield and D. Winthrop.
Count Alexis De Tocqueville—a devout Catholic—came to America in the early 1800’s, met with many of the founders and wrote one of the most perceptive books ever written about America. Here is but a small part of what he said about voluntary associations—nonprofits.
“Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds constantly unite. Not only do they have commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but they also have a thousand other kinds: religious, moral, grave, futile, very general and very particular, immense and very small; Americans use associations to give fetes, to found seminaries, to build inns, to raise churches, to distribute books, to send missionaries to the antipodes; in this manner they create hospitals, prisons, schools. Finally, if it is a question of bringing to light a truth or developing a sentiment with the support of a great example, they associate. Everywhere that, at the head of a new undertaking, you see the government in France and a great lord in England, count on it that you will perceive an association in the United States.
“I have since traveled through England, from which the Americans took some of their laws and many of their usages, and it appeared to me that there they were very far from making as constant and as skilled a use of association.
“It often happens that the English execute very great things in isolation, whereas there is scarcely an undertaking so small that Americans do not unite for it. It is evident that the former consider association as a powerful means of action; but the latter seem to see in it the sole means they have of acting.
“Thus the most democratic country on earth is found to be, above all, the one where men in our day have most perfected the art of pursuing the object of their common desires in common and have applied this new science to the most objects. Does this result from an accident or could it be that there in fact exists a necessary relation between associations and equality?” (pp. 489-490)
Count Alexis De Tocqueville—a devout Catholic—came to America in the early 1800’s, met with many of the founders and wrote one of the most perceptive books ever written about America. Here is but a small part of what he said about voluntary associations—nonprofits.
“Americans of all ages, all conditions, all minds constantly unite. Not only do they have commercial and industrial associations in which all take part, but they also have a thousand other kinds: religious, moral, grave, futile, very general and very particular, immense and very small; Americans use associations to give fetes, to found seminaries, to build inns, to raise churches, to distribute books, to send missionaries to the antipodes; in this manner they create hospitals, prisons, schools. Finally, if it is a question of bringing to light a truth or developing a sentiment with the support of a great example, they associate. Everywhere that, at the head of a new undertaking, you see the government in France and a great lord in England, count on it that you will perceive an association in the United States.
“I have since traveled through England, from which the Americans took some of their laws and many of their usages, and it appeared to me that there they were very far from making as constant and as skilled a use of association.
“It often happens that the English execute very great things in isolation, whereas there is scarcely an undertaking so small that Americans do not unite for it. It is evident that the former consider association as a powerful means of action; but the latter seem to see in it the sole means they have of acting.
“Thus the most democratic country on earth is found to be, above all, the one where men in our day have most perfected the art of pursuing the object of their common desires in common and have applied this new science to the most objects. Does this result from an accident or could it be that there in fact exists a necessary relation between associations and equality?” (pp. 489-490)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Nonprofits and Government
In this article from the Union Leader, the role of nonprofits and their impact on the size of government is commented on.
The principle of subsidiarity, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which informs my thinking about this subject, states:
“Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co- ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good." (#1883)
An excerpt from the Union Leader article.
“Lew Feldstein, the liberal head of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, doesn't get up in the morning to enable the conservative movement, but limited government depends on a thriving nonprofit sector and Feldstein's NHCF cultivates just that.
“New Hampshire nonprofits are proliferating. The state's 7,317 registered nonprofits make New Hampshire a national leader in nonprofits per capita. Another 700 registered this year. They range from schools with large endowments, such as Dartmouth College and St. Paul's School, to hospitals with thousands of employees to local youth soccer leagues. They also include United Ways, humane societies, visiting nurses, food banks and hospices that provide needed services through private means instead of bigger government.
“New Hampshire gets by with a relatively small state government, Feldstein posits, because of its strong nonprofit sector. He cautions, "It's a mistake to assume that one substitutes for the other one for one." He describes the foundation's $25 million in grants as a "rounding error" compared to the state budget.
“The foundation is a clearinghouse, an amalgamator and matchmaker that pairs givers with organizations. NHCF manages some $410 million in assets, receives an average of $25 million to $30 million in gifts each year and gives away a similar amount to hundreds of donor-advised grantees while managing more than 1,000 educational scholarships. Donors pay a 1 percent fee on assets in return for professional investment management and grant-making administrative support.”
The principle of subsidiarity, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which informs my thinking about this subject, states:
“Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co- ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good." (#1883)
An excerpt from the Union Leader article.
“Lew Feldstein, the liberal head of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, doesn't get up in the morning to enable the conservative movement, but limited government depends on a thriving nonprofit sector and Feldstein's NHCF cultivates just that.
“New Hampshire nonprofits are proliferating. The state's 7,317 registered nonprofits make New Hampshire a national leader in nonprofits per capita. Another 700 registered this year. They range from schools with large endowments, such as Dartmouth College and St. Paul's School, to hospitals with thousands of employees to local youth soccer leagues. They also include United Ways, humane societies, visiting nurses, food banks and hospices that provide needed services through private means instead of bigger government.
“New Hampshire gets by with a relatively small state government, Feldstein posits, because of its strong nonprofit sector. He cautions, "It's a mistake to assume that one substitutes for the other one for one." He describes the foundation's $25 million in grants as a "rounding error" compared to the state budget.
“The foundation is a clearinghouse, an amalgamator and matchmaker that pairs givers with organizations. NHCF manages some $410 million in assets, receives an average of $25 million to $30 million in gifts each year and gives away a similar amount to hundreds of donor-advised grantees while managing more than 1,000 educational scholarships. Donors pay a 1 percent fee on assets in return for professional investment management and grant-making administrative support.”
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