Is Paying Tithing Equivalent to Donating to Charities?

[Bini]

Does tithing go to charities? And if so, which ones?


Hubby would like to start donating a monthly sum to a humanitarian effort. I don't have a problem with this but I've been told that some of these "charities" aren't quite as charitable as they'd lead you to believe. Maybe I've been misinformed on this as well but I've heard that only a small percent of donations actually go to the people in need and instead go to the salaries of the so-called volunteers, etc etc.


On the other hand, I recall someone telling me that they don't donate to charities because they pay tithing and part of their tithe goes towards certain charities. I imagine the Church is cautious to which humanitarian groups they get involved with and therefore have a "safe list" of charities. Is this accurate? I told hubby that if this is the case, this might be a better means of contributing to a legitimate charity. He said that if there's a way for us to know how all this works for certain, he'd be more than willing to consider paying tithe as apart of us getting active again. As of now, his only hold-up is that he believes a big chunk of tithing goes towards just building more temples and churches.. And he says he'd prefer to donate to a cause that gives the majority of his donations to those in need.


Thanks for any insight or information on this.

[pam]

From lds.org

Tithing funds are always used for the Lord's purposes—to build and maintain temples and meetinghouses, to sustain missionary work, to educate Church members, and to carry on the work of the Lord throughout the world.

Tithing does not go to charities.

[Bini]

Thanks, Pam.


Well, I guess paying tithing is out then :/ Does the LDS Church work closely with any specific humanitarian groups? I know that the Church runs groups like DI, food canning and collecting cans of food for the hungry..

[john doe]

Fast offerings DO go to provide relief to those in need. You could donate to the fast offering fund safe in the knowledge that it is indeed helping others locally and internationally who stand in need of it. I believe you can also donate directly to the Church's humanitarian funds.

[Gwen]

get a tithing slip and look closely at it (i'm sitting here looking at one)..... after name etc you see the list.... (as i understand it this is the general idea of what they are for... someone correct me if i'm mistaken)

tithing funds have been addressed

fast offering is distributed according to the bishop's discretion to those in your area that need assistance.

ward missionary is to assist with the cost of missionaries your ward may have in the field.

general missionary is to help with anyone that the church will be assisting with the cost of missions.

book of mormon covers the cost of all the books the missionaries give out, the ones mailed from ppl that call the numbers on the pass along cards etc.

humanitarian aid this one will go to the charities that the church works with or for supplies and such the church sends out. when my kids wanted to donate for the ppl of haiti i encouraged them to put money specifically here with the reassurance that if the church had enough for haiti they will save it for the next disaster and they know it will go to help those in the most need.

temple construction... the building of temples. often when an area is getting a new temple the members are encouraged to donate here to help with that temple.

perpetual education is a scholarship fund set up for ym who go on missions but do not have the financial opportunity at an education.

other (specify) is for other various things your unit may have going on. i've seen it used when the scouts or yw need funds for camp members can donate and write in "girls camp" or "scout high adventure", etc.

[Just_A_Guy]

Although, as a legal term of art, even tithing is considered a "charitable contribution" when it comes to your tax deductions.

[rameumptom]

You can donate to LDS Humanitarian efforts on the tithing slip. There is a place on it for humanitarian. Also, if you wish the donation to go specifically towards a place, Haiti or Chile, for instance, you can write that in next to the word humanitarian.

[MarginOfError]

Originally Posted by Bini

Does tithing go to charities? And if so, which ones?


Hubby would like to start donating a monthly sum to a humanitarian effort. I don't have a problem with this but I've been told that some of these "charities" aren't quite as charitable as they'd lead you to believe. Maybe I've been misinformed on this as well but I've heard that only a small percent of donations actually go to the people in need and instead go to the salaries of the so-called volunteers, etc etc.


On the other hand, I recall someone telling me that they don't donate to charities because they pay tithing and part of their tithe goes towards certain charities. I imagine the Church is cautious to which humanitarian groups they get involved with and therefore have a "safe list" of charities. Is this accurate? I told hubby that if this is the case, this might be a better means of contributing to a legitimate charity. He said that if there's a way for us to know how all this works for certain, he'd be more than willing to consider paying tithe as apart of us getting active again. As of now, his only hold-up is that he believes a big chunk of tithing goes towards just building more temples and churches.. And he says he'd prefer to donate to a cause that gives the majority of his donations to those in need.


Thanks for any insight or information on this.

You've received a pretty good run down so far. I might just add that tithing is used to support and sustain the temporal needs of the Church. Tithing money is used to pay electric and heating bills in Church-owned facilities. It pays for maintenance, books, local operating budgets, etc. The Church also operates several items available to members through the distribution center that make them more accessible to all, such as some books and temple clothing. A good deal of the money collected in wealthier nations is used to support these same temporal needs in other countries. So, in a sense, paying a full tithe will also help those in less privileged countries enjoy all the benefits of our religion.

Fast offering is the biggest humanitarian effort the Church runs. Funds are collected locally, and bishops have discretion over how to use these funds. If a bishop has more funds than he needs, the excess is first offered to other wards in the stake that have a greater need than their collections. If a stake has surplus fast offering funds, it then goes to other stakes that may not have enough to cover their needs. Eventually, excess funds are gathered and used by Church headquarters as they see fit.

The humanitarian aid category, on the other hand, is used by LDS philanthropies to operate canneries, store houses, and gather and prepare emergency supplies for when natural disasters happen. This allows the Church to respond very rapidly when disaster strikes. For instance, 3 - 4 days after the earthquake struck Haiti, while the major fundraisers were just being organized, the Church was delivering 40 tons of relief supplies.

It is my understanding that no money donated through fast offerings or humanitarian aid is used to pay for salaries, although some of it may be used to maintain warehouses. The Church relies heavily on volunteer efforts to stock, maintain, and distribute supplies as a way to cut administrative costs. The Church also maintains separate business interests, and I seem to remember being told once that the profits from those interests is used to pay the salaries of employees.

However, you must also consider that the Church does not permit you to specify how your money will be used. Giving charitable contributions to the Church means that you are willing to let the Church decide how those funds are best spent and where they are most needed. If you want to donate to a specific cause, then you should donate elsewhere.

I will note here, however, that there is wisdom in not allowing donors to specify how the funds are used. After major natural disasters, organizations like the Red Cross often collect huge sums of money for charity tagged specifically for that area. Many times, they are left with surplus funds, but because the donation was tagged, they can't use it elsewhere. It must either sit in their coffers for several years, or be put to use in the noted area doing things that may not be the best use for the money after the initial relief efforts have subsided. Just something to consider.

With regards to the Other category on your tithing slip, I would recommend you not donate money to this category unless there is a specific purpose in the ward to do so. Contributions made to the Other category are not tax deductible. The Church considers it a "pass-through" account, such as for collecting money from several families for Girls Camp and then writing one check to the stake to cover the costs.

Originally Posted by rameumptom

You can donate to LDS Humanitarian efforts on the tithing slip. There is a place on it for humanitarian. Also, if you wish the donation to go specifically towards a place, Haiti or Chile, for instance, you can write that in next to the word humanitarian.

I have yet to see any indication that the Church will set aside money to special categories based on the request written on a slip. Even when you see the links online that say "donate for this disaster," the links take you to the generic LDS Philanthropies donation page, which does not permit you to designate funds for a specific purpose. Personally, I think it's a bit misleading, but I understand why the Church does it. I think we would do well to educate members that the model of Church humanitarian aid is preparation prior to disaster, and swift response following disaster. The money needed to provide aid to today's disaster was collected months (or maybe even years) ago.

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by MarginOfError

I have yet to see any indication that the Church will set aside money to special categories based on the request written on a slip. Even when you see the links online that say "donate for this disaster," the links take you to the generic LDS Philanthropies donation page, which does not permit you to designate funds for a specific purpose. Personally, I think it's a bit misleading, but I understand why the Church does it. I think we would do well to educate members that the model of Church humanitarian aid is preparation prior to disaster, and swift response following disaster. The money needed to provide aid to today's disaster was collected months (or maybe even years) ago.

When the 2004 tsunami happened, I remember being instructed to indiciate "Tsunami" on the tithing slip if I wished to make a donation. That's the only time I can remember a specific instruction, unless it was for something like Girls' Camp, as you mentioned, going into the "Other" category.

[Blackmarch]

Originally Posted by Bini

Does tithing go to charities? And if so, which ones?


Hubby would like to start donating a monthly sum to a humanitarian effort. I don't have a problem with this but I've been told that some of these "charities" aren't quite as charitable as they'd lead you to believe. Maybe I've been misinformed on this as well but I've heard that only a small percent of donations actually go to the people in need and instead go to the salaries of the so-called volunteers, etc etc.


On the other hand, I recall someone telling me that they don't donate to charities because they pay tithing and part of their tithe goes towards certain charities. I imagine the Church is cautious to which humanitarian groups they get involved with and therefore have a "safe list" of charities. Is this accurate? I told hubby that if this is the case, this might be a better means of contributing to a legitimate charity. He said that if there's a way for us to know how all this works for certain, he'd be more than willing to consider paying tithe as apart of us getting active again. As of now, his only hold-up is that he believes a big chunk of tithing goes towards just building more temples and churches.. And he says he'd prefer to donate to a cause that gives the majority of his donations to those in need.


Thanks for any insight or information on this.

no it's not.
Tithing supports the Lord's work (which also charity is part of). Charity helps support other people (but does not support the Lord's work beyond giving to the poor).