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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday Ashland High School again earns national honors Preschool's future not yet secure Police Reports Ticket Availability Education Ashland High School again earns national honors Preschool's future not yet secure Ashland Middle School student spearheads Nepal relief effort Southern Oregon University's week-long Arts & Research showcase offers a potpourri of academics Ashland Middle School students put their Spanish-speaking skills to the test Environment Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Some trails, roads remain closed due to controlled burn Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Business Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday Cars We Remember: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery 'Fill'er up' will mean with beer, not gas Ride & Drive: 2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe Ashland Safeway closes Thursday, to reopen as Haggen on Sunday Politics and elections City of Ashland to consider making recorder position appointive, not elective Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved State News Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Death Notices Ronald Mitchell Betts Dickie Miles Hayes Death Notices Ines Tracey Thompson Compton Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories Cascade Conference Track & Field Championship Stormy weather for footgolf kick-off day Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet Chris Singleton: No need for a rematch Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP High school Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet Ashland boys sweep doubles, beat GP Living on the edge SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Southern Oregon University Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Same old Raiders Ashland softball team rolls past Springfield Voices Latest Stories (No heading) Kent Bush: Moral and ethical standards need to be higher Letters to the editor: Tuesday, May 12 Granlund cartoon: Grad party Dianne Williamson: Enough of ‘Say it isn’t so’ Editorial Our View: Forest work is a bargain Our View: What price history? 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Mangino: Aging prisoners: An American crisis Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Movie listings: May 8-14 Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' 5 picks for live entertainment Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Theater Ticket Availability OSF to commission three new 'American Revolutions' plays Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Tom Hardy adapts to life as Mad Max Movie listings: May 8-14 Prepare for lots of dialogue in 'Clouds of Sils Maria' Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Preschool's future not yet secure Tammy Kelly: Add springtime crunch with cucumbers Options abound for gardens in shady spots Tricks and tips to enlarge your small bath Dr. Elaine Heffner: Mothers-in-law Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday ... Ashland High School again earns national honors ... Preschool's future not yet secure ... Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday ... Ashland High School again earns national honors ... Preschool's future not yet secure ... RELOCATIONS Herb Rothschild: Donating with care Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 12:25 AM Posted Mar. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 12:25 AM » Social News Deborah and I still receive expensively-produced appeals from the Wounded Warrior Project. It calls to mind a subject that interests me: the roles and effectiveness of philanthropy. I’ve long been involved in private giving, both as a donor and a fundraiser. I have no hesitation about being solicited or soliciting. It mystifies me that people who are bombarded with advertisements for material goods object to being offered opportunities to support public-spirited causes. Regarding philanthropy, the simplest question to ask of a charity is how much of its income goes to its programs. The percentage varies widely. Some charities are scams, with most of the money devoted to raising more money and paying staff. But the percentage for above-board organizations ranges higher than many may feel comfortable with. In FY 2012, the Wounded Warrior Project spent 36 percent on fundraising and 6 percent on administration. Its CEO was paid $311,538 (the head of the Veterans Affairs Department gets about $200,000). In FY 2014, Peace House spent 30 percent on administration and  less than 3 percent on fundraising; staff got $15 per hour. Both organizations fall within a reasonable range, although the Wounded Warrior Project presses the upper limit. So if charities perform functions that might be performed by public agencies, most charities are comparatively inefficient in generating funds. Tax collection costs something, but nothing like a third of the total budget. While we feel better about making charitable donations than about paying taxes, a lot more of our tax dollars get put to use. What use, of course, raises a different question. I have far more control over the uses to which my philanthropic dollars are put than my taxes. I resent the very high percentage of the income tax that goes to war and preparation for war. Others may be OK with war spending but wish their taxes weren’t spent on programs I may like. So be it. When we’re all in it together, we don’t get to call the shots by ourselves. I suspect, though, that we unanimously believe we all are obligated to care for our veterans wounded in mind and body. We do that together through the VA. It was our government that sent them to fight in places like Vietnam and Iraq. And while many of us vigorously resisted those morally unconscionable and useless wars into which lying politicians took us, we are all responsible for the damage they did to our service members. So it is outrageous that governmental failures require these misled but patriotic citizens to depend on charity for their care. There are roles for private philanthropy in our society, but this is not one of them. In my opinion, here are the most important roles for private philanthropy: 1. Addressing needs that, for whatever reason, the public sector has neglected. 2. Trying new approaches to problems that the public sector is reluctant to adopt. In both these cases, the goal is to get the public sector to take responsibility once the pioneering work has been done. 3. Advocacy for a change in public policies. Obviously, this third function must be done outside the public sector, because the public sector is the problem. Most of my philanthropic dollars go to social change, not to social service, organizations. And the social change organizations I support the most are those that work to prevent war so that there will be no more “wounded warriors” to put back together. Herb Rothschild Jr. is chairman of the board of Peace House.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Mar 21, 2015 at 12:25 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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