Middle Of The Road Communities

[truthfinder]

That's so interesting to me, Lilllabettt - especially if it's, as it sounds, in the laws around non-profits and not canon law? There was an issue at my former community with the faithful donating money, obviously intending to support the sisterhood, and it being donated on to the various 'causes' that the leadership was interested in, including at least one political campaign. Meanwhile there were endless stalled projects and things breaking down all over the monastery that didn't get dealt with because we were too poor.

 

I don't know that there's anything I could, should, or even want to do about it at this stage, but I'm 'glad' to have it clarified legally...  :hmmm:

I don't know how charity laws work in the States, but in Canada if a community is registered charity, they have to report things like this.  They record all the money that came in, their assets, how much is in savings, and what they spent on administration, office supplies etc.  Supporting political campaigns is definitely something that must be recorded.  All these files are online and searchable.

[Egeria]

That's so interesting to me, Lilllabettt - especially if it's, as it sounds, in the laws around non-profits and not canon law? There was an issue at my former community with the faithful donating money, obviously intending to support the sisterhood, and it being donated on to the various 'causes' that the leadership was interested in, including at least one political campaign. Meanwhile there were endless stalled projects and things breaking down all over the monastery that didn't get dealt with because we were too poor.

 

 

I appreciate the concern, but there is also another aspect to this. I know that some communities make a point of giving a portion of their income away, sometimes ten percent according to the biblical tithe. There can be a problem with this if one doesn't trust the abbess' judgement (or that of whoever is responsible for deciding these things), but I think that the principle is a sound one.

 

It can also be a real problem when people want to donate, but insist that money is spent on particular things, especially when this is at odds with a community's priorities. While it can be nice to have an excuse for a treat, this can also be overdone. 

[Lilllabettt]

That's so interesting to me, Lilllabettt - especially if it's, as it sounds, in the laws around non-profits and not canon law? There was an issue at my former community with the faithful donating money, obviously intending to support the sisterhood, and it being donated on to the various 'causes' that the leadership was interested in, including at least one political campaign. Meanwhile there were endless stalled projects and things breaking down all over the monastery that didn't get dealt with because we were too poor.

 

I don't know that there's anything I could, should, or even want to do about it at this stage, but I'm 'glad' to have it clarified legally...  :hmmm:

 

 

 

The legal obligation in America comes in when an organization like a religious institute files for 501c3 status as a tax-exempt non-profit.  In order to keep 501c3 status and all the benefits that come with that status these organizations have to follow certain rules. Non-profits do not have owners to whom profits accrue; the "owners" are the public in whose interest they operate and the donors who contribute. 

 

Not all 501c3s are absolutely required (like religious orders, for example) to file Form 990, which is a publicly available document that explains stuff like which programs they spent money on, how much staff gets paid, what the net assets were, if they spent more than they took in etc. in any one year's accounting cycle.  But they can still get in big trouble if they are not being good stewards of donor's money.

 

So many of those who don't have to do Form 990 run audits and produce publicly available financial statements anyway. Why? You have a wealthy person coming in looking to make a large donation, the first thing they will want to see is last year's financial statements. They want to see if anyone has been embezzling. They want to see if their donation will be used for a mission or to service an unmanageable debt to equity ratio (cue flushing sound.)  Audited financial statements are also an important cover-your-bottom measure. Nobody wants to see Mother Superior do prison time, especially if she's innocent. 

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

I appreciate the concern, but there is also another aspect to this. I know that some communities make a point of giving a portion of their income away, sometimes ten percent according to the biblical tithe. There can be a problem with this if one doesn't trust the abbess' judgement (or that of whoever is responsible for deciding these things), but I think that the principle is a sound one.

 

It can also be a real problem when people want to donate, but insist that money is spent on particular things, especially when this is at odds with a community's priorities. While it can be nice to have an excuse for a treat, this can also be overdone. 

 

I think most communities will just tell the person that they can't accept the gift under the conditions the person wants to give it and often will suggest something else instead. Donations for "treats" aren't that common (at least not in my experience) and with a community usually the donations need to be saved up to have enough for the entire community for a special feast day.  If the conditions are "broad" as they often are, the community has quite a bit of latitude like my example of fresh veggies during the winter.
 

[Benedictus]

The Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity - http://www.fmverbumdei.com/familia/ I met some great sisters of this fraternity. It is made up of sisters, priests and married couples.