Who sacrifices more when they give to a Charity?

1. 85

   Don Bobbittposted 11 years ago

   Who sacrifices more when they give to a Charity?
   
   If a Middle-Class person gputs $5 into a Salvation Army Bucket, and a Millionaire outs $20 into the same bucket, which one made the larger sacrifice for the charity?
   
   

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2. 60

   J Michael McGuireposted 11 years ago

   What an awesome restatement of a question from Scripture. Mark 12:24 or Luke 21 we can read of a poor widow placing two coins in the treasury even as the rich of that time make a big show of placing large amounts of surplus income into the collection. Jesus is struck and very moved by the widow who put all that they could, in making a sacrifice and having great faith in her God.
   
   So your question could be a math question where we find ratios 5 to 70,000 as opposed to 20 to 1,000,000 or something like that and the ration for the middle class would be higher. Or you can look at it spiritually and get pretty much the same result.

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      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great responses from both of you, from a religious and humanity perspective. 
      I would like to make one other important but less palatible point and that is the ongoing arguement over taxing the rich and the poor using the same tax calculations

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   ZIa Ahmed khanposted 11 years ago

   I would like to narrate one of the interesting story from the time of Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him, when he ask for charity, Umar Bin Khattab (the second Khalifa of Islam )donated half of his belonging , Abu Bakr gave all of his belonging in the way of Allah, one of the believer came, he is handicapped, he is poor. He worked whole night irrigating farm land, he got some dates in wages. This was all he has. When Prophet saw him, the poor handicapped man was hesitant, he saw the charity others have given. Prophet peace be upon him called took the dates spread it on all the collected materials and goods and said the Lord  ( Allah ) accepted all the charity because of this dates.
   Intentions and clean heart are counted for reward from the Lord and not the quantity of the charity. It is may very small still worthy of best of all. This is because of purity of heart.

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4. 60

   swordsbaneposted 11 years ago

   Not enough information, but as far as a millionaire is concerned, $20 is less like $5 for the middle class.  It's not just about money.
   
   Is the millionaire one who got his money from inheritance and probably isn't going to get any more?  A million $$ doesn't go as far as you'd think.  Is the middle class person someone who regularly hands out $5 to the Salvation Army or does he normally give more to other charities?  Does he normally give nothing and just picked up some overtime at work and is feeling generous?
   
   See my point?  Money is a pretty lousy "score-keeper" for anything.  While income and taxes scale, the cost of living doesn't.  It costs the same for a poor man to live in a single bedroom as it does someone who makes ten million a year.  A millionaire who lives in a mansion with a wife and three kids makes the choice to live there.  He's not forced to buy it.  The man who lives in a one bedroom apartment with a wife and three kids probably didn't choose it.
   
   Generally speaking, if I simply have to use money as a judge for who's more charitable, I'd have to go with whoever uses the greater percentage of his income for charity on a regular basis, and by income I mean every revenue stream they have available.  Some rich people don't look like they make that much on paper, which is why many get away with a lower tax rate than they are supposed to have.
   
   Also, many people of all incomes give only enough to charity to get the tax break.  In my opinion, charity given for a purpose other than helping people isn't charity.  It's a business deal.  I don't discourage that kind of behavior.  Help is help, no matter where it comes from, but I wouldn't call $5 given this way of the same moral value as $5 given because one sincerely wants to help.  Unfortunately, there is no way for an outsider to judge that.  There's no way to do anything but give educated guesses on people's motivations.

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5. 77

   flacoinohioposted 11 years ago

   I would say that the middle class would be spending more depending on their financial situation and their spending habits. They are also less likely to claim their donation as a deduction on their tax return.  In regards to the unfair taxing, donations are a voluntary tax, much like playing the lottery.  In both cases when someone makes a donation or makes a lottery purchase they know that the money is going to be used in whole or in part to fund a program that improves the lives of others which makes them feel good.  The only difference being that the lottery creates false hopes of striking it rich.

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      swordsbaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Except a rich person can afford to max out the charity tax break better than a middle class person and if he's doing it to help people he won't care about the tax deduction, so why do so many rich people donate right up to the limit and nothing over?

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   2. 85

      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      A well grounded perspective flacoinohio.

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6. 61

   Civil War Bobposted 11 years ago

   From monetary percentages, the Middle Class guy.
   From cheapskate, Midas, Ebenezer Scrooge point of view, the Millionaire...it hurts him hundreds of times more to part with the $20!!

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      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Cool perspective Civil War Bob. You made me laugh, after reading some of the other super-serious comments.
      Thanks for the Smile and taking the  time to read and answer my question.

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7. 61

   Pamlia Wallposted 11 years ago

   As long as they both put the money in out of love for others and a genuine urge to help others both donations are just as important and just as worthy.

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      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well Said, Pamlia.
      Have agreat day.

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8. 59

   PAPA-BEARposted 11 years ago

   It is the Widows Mite situation, who gives the most is not really the trumpet blowers for tax reasons, but the 'everyday joe's' who have been there, done it and give almost their all.

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      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      PAPA-BEAR-Good to hear from you.
      And, Yes, it is all about "real people" helping "real people" isn't it?

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9. 65

   Tusitala Tomposted 11 years ago

   I think you already know the answer to that one.   If you limit it to who is making the greater sacrifice you put a limit to the next question: which has the greater value as far as the money being put to use.   Obviously $20 has four times the value as $5, and therefore - in theory at least - should go four times further in alleviating the people's woes that the Salvoes are looking after.
   
   Let's put it another way.   If a man earning $50,000 a year gives away 10% of his income to charity, he helps with $5,000.   But a rich man whose annual income is $500,000 who gives away 10% of his income gives $50,000.    So let us not discourage people from becoming rich in the first place by berating them for only putting in a $20 bill....

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   1. 85

      Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry, Tom,You missed the point of my question.  The rich man giving the same percentage as the poor man is not nearly as impressive because he gave up so much less that would affect his own lifestyle.
      That was my point.

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10. 59

    Keith Sutherland1posted 11 years ago

    Is this millionaire someone who has a net worth of over a million dollars or is it someone who just makes a million dollars a year? A person who makes over a million a year but is maxed out in credit ( this is common) could possibly be hurt by the 20 bucks. I'm just a poor ole hammer swinger and could hand out the 5 bucks but, I have worked for many millionaires. (this of course is a matter of perspective). I know of one that went bankrupt after his business went down the tubes. While trying to keep it afloat and his employees working, he mortgaged his house and everything else he had. In my own opinion, a million dollars isn't really a lot of money. It's far more than I have but in the real scheme of things, and depending on where you live, it really isn't a lot.

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    1. 85

       Don Bobbittposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Good Point, Keith Sutherland1. I never meant to imply that a person who is designated as a millionaire is necessarily a bad one. I only used their assumed wealth as a perspective for my question.

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