Six million of tithing money handed over to an internatioNl organization with massive internal issues.

"During a meeting at the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City with incoming @RedCross CEO Cliff Holtz on Thursday, March 21, 2024, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented the organization with a US$7.35 million donation.

"The American Red Cross and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also signed a new memorandum of understanding. This memorandum — the fifth since their initial agreement in 2005 — streamlines disaster response efforts by reducing service redundancies, designates Church buildings as potential shelters and enhances coordinated disaster planning through joint training and drills.

"“This is a very, very generous gift. I’m incredibly pleased and touched,” said Holtz, who replaces current CEO Gail McGovern on July 1, 2024. “The reason our [collaboration] has staying power is because we share so many common values — humanitarian spirit, a call to serve, building trust. This is special in so many ways — and it’s not just because of a check. It’s because of the volunteer work that you do.”

"The donation will help purchase blood equipment and biomedical emergency vehicles and will assist with blood donor engagement initiatives and support for patients with sickle cell disease.

"Visit Newsroom for more information."

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-jesus-christ-american-red-cross-2024-donation

https://x.com/ch_jesuschrist/status/1771272291906961888?s=61&t=81qFwzOwY49zYTpZF5N52A

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THE REALITY

Should you think the Red Criss is not all that bad, these headlines might change your mind:

Red Cross apologise for losing $5m of Ebola funds to fraud
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41861552

India investigating corruption allegations against Red Cross branches - govt
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-investigating-corruption-allegations-against-red-cross-branches-govt-2023-03-13/

American Red Cross exposed as massive, incompetent fraud: built just six homes after collecting half a billion dollars in Haiti earthquake donations
https://naturalnews.com/054476_American_Red_Cross_Haiti_earthquake_donations_fraud.html

Red Cross Packets Show Migrants Where To Cross The US Border
https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/politics/red-cross-packets-show-migrants-where-to-cross-the-us-border/107255542/

Their new leader fits right in!
Red Cross taps new chief who quit UNRWA amid ethics, abuse & corruption scandal
https://unwatch.org/red-cross-taps-new-chief-who-quit-unrwa-amid-ethics-abuse-corruption-scandal/

A truly charitable religion would not publicly announce their generosity. Something about some guy named Jesus.

Doing it and announcing it is better than not doing it at all.

I'm curious. What charities do you like?

And the rant (I'm impressed they actually use the word in their URL) about the Red Cross showing migrants where to cross the border is a steaming pile of misdirecting BS. The implication is that they are showing the migrants how to cross illegally.

In reality it is advice on how to travel safely, where clinics are, where the ports of entry are, what documentation they need, what they should bring with them (contraceptives are on that list).

Most immigrants enter the US through regular ports of entry, and are allowed to stay pending an asylum hearing. The Red Cross gives them information on how to do that. BTW, someone awaiting an asylum hearing is not "an illegal". The fact that the wait time is now years is not their fault, though it is an incentive to show up since it will be years before their claim may be rejected.

I wonder what Tocqueville has to say about the Red Cross. . .

Let's say that the church earns 5% yearly on the $100 billion trust fund. If my math is correct, that comes out to more than $13 million dollars *every day.* So the church gave roughly half a day's earnings (if that) to the Red Cross.

How did ghawd settle on that figure?

I think this is a good thing for the church to do. I think they are finally catching on that they do not have a reputation for charity and that the public's view of them is not stellar.

I also think it is occurring to them that they can't just keep building empty unwanted temples everywhere. I'm guessing their stock portfolio has provided a windfall just this year alone. Like summer said, this is really not much for them. It's like me putting some bills in the Salvation Army bucket.

I will try to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they are giving for all the right reasons to help the problems of the world.

My cynical side sees it as a public way to let the members and public know they are not just greedy and unconcerned with anything but their own perpetuation.

If I were a member, I would feel uncomfortable giving money to the church for yet another temple or whatever, while seeing on the news some of the horror that would have my own priority.

Why does the church want everyone to know about it unless it is a PR facelift?

I do wish charities didn't end up including corruption (both secular and religious charities) but Red Cross at least does some things right.

Just know that the likelihood of the donation being the result of direction from ghawd is extremely unlikely.

Yes, they do a number of things right. About a year ago, a vehicle drove into my building, severing electric and gas lines. We were all thrown out into the cold late at night without access to our cars (the starting of which may have ignited the gas.) The Red Cross was onsite and available to help anyone who was displaced. They also help displaced residents after house fires -- I've read numerous reports about that. They do a lot of good. But it sounds like they need to get some internal management issues under control.

There's probably some social engineering General Rules that could be applied to show where helping others turns into helping yourself...

The general public gets to see the people who showed up for Summer's party but they don't get to see the people higher up the chain who are in it make a big score.

Not least of their issues to me is the high salaries they pay their top people. More than $400,000 in 2022 for their top person.

$400K would be a low to middling salary for the president of the big state schools in the Great Plains, and big schools in the Plains are 15K to 20K students.

Google tells me the Red Cross has 35,000 employees. $400K seems like a rather modest salary for an organization that big. Yeah, I think executive salaries are absurd too.

What the $400K salary tells me is that they don't need my money.