Chapter 2 - Faith-Based Philanthropy
Religious charities organized based on faith, and cater towards members of the community who follow, or are comfortable, with that faith. Each religion has an associated culture that is unique. Faith-based charities are important because they understand this culture and can target specific needs of the community with specific needs. Certain people may also feel more comfortable seeking help from organizations that are affiliated with their culture or beliefs in some way. For example, a young man whose brother had been killed in New Jersey needed a shirt and tie to wear to the funeral. Even though he wasn’t religious, he’d grown up in a catholic household. As a result, the young man went to a catholic charity, and was given a brand new pair of clothes, and was treated with “dignity and respect.” In addition, holocaust survivors in nursing homes may fear taking showers, because of the link to the holocaust, and a Jewish nursing home would be best suited to care for such patients. This sense of bonding and kinship is what makes faith-based charities so effective.
The following pages cover and analyze what qualities make different religious charities effective, and what qualifies them to be “all stars.” These qualities are namely money raised, and effectiveness in helping their particular sector of the community.
