I read an article in the Knox News Sentinel recently about charities feeling stressed because of economic pressures. Since we started Abunga we have realized that this is the current trend, people are giving less and less. The upshot to the article is that people are donating more and more goods, and that is great but what nonprofits need, is cash. I don’t know if what we are doing will make a difference or not, but I do know that the need is there. So what is the disconnect? Do people not believe their cash makes a difference? Do they trust the nonprofits they are giving money to? What about you, do you believe that giving cash makes a difference?
What you are doing is very important to our community and world. Regarding non-profits needing cash – YES, we do. A News Sentinel article today states that there are more than 1000 non-profits in our area.
The need for help is increasing at an alarming rate. In our case, our rural patients often miss life-saving medical treatments because they lack gas money. Co-pays for the insured take place of other bills and necessities of life. The uninsured miss their mammograms knowing that even if a problem is identified, what’s the use? They can’t afford treatment.
Best wishes for a successful launch and in the months ahead. What you are doing is wonderful.
Jane,
Thanks for your comment. It’s always great to hear that what we do is needed!
Where I come from, making sure that people can afford their treatment is the business of the government. It is one of the reasons government exists at all. Even you have it in your Constitution: it begins with “We the People of the United States, in Order to [...] promote the general Welfare [...], do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Do you really want people’s lives to depend on alms?