How charity loses face
Posted by Steve Lettau
on Dec 06, 2012
In April, a report on CBS’ 60 Minutes created anxiety in the charitable giving community. Mountain climber and best-selling author Greg Mortenson, who had founded a hugely successful and popular charity focused on building schools for girls in Afghanistan, was accused of misappropriating funds and fabricating the events that formed the center of his compelling and inspirational narrative.
Mortenson’s chief accuser was fellow climber and author of Into Thin Air , Jon Krakauer, who felt so betrayed by his one-time friend that he penned a journalistic exposé entitled Three Cups of Deceit, openly mocking Mortenson’s first bestseller, Three Cups of Tea . Krakauer said that he had been suckered out of $75,000 in donations to the Central Asia Institute. The charitable organization, which Mortenson cofounded in Montana, USA, says it has built or significantly supported more than 170 schools in Afghanistan. Other notable contributors included U.S. President Barack Obama, who donated $100,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize award to the institute.
Longtime supporters have vigorously defended Mortenson, who has become the subject of a class-action lawsuit and an inquiry by the Montana attorney general. Regardless of the outcome of the legal wrangling, the controversy presents a tough question: How can you be sure that your charitable contributions are going to worthy causes?
Many philanthropists say that it’s more difficult to give money away intelligently than it is to earn it. Nonetheless, people expect that when they donate, their contributions will be put to good use. More...
Mortenson’s chief accuser was fellow climber and author of Into Thin Air , Jon Krakauer, who felt so betrayed by his one-time friend that he penned a journalistic exposé entitled Three Cups of Deceit, openly mocking Mortenson’s first bestseller, Three Cups of Tea . Krakauer said that he had been suckered out of $75,000 in donations to the Central Asia Institute. The charitable organization, which Mortenson cofounded in Montana, USA, says it has built or significantly supported more than 170 schools in Afghanistan. Other notable contributors included U.S. President Barack Obama, who donated $100,000 of his Nobel Peace Prize award to the institute.
Longtime supporters have vigorously defended Mortenson, who has become the subject of a class-action lawsuit and an inquiry by the Montana attorney general. Regardless of the outcome of the legal wrangling, the controversy presents a tough question: How can you be sure that your charitable contributions are going to worthy causes?
Many philanthropists say that it’s more difficult to give money away intelligently than it is to earn it. Nonetheless, people expect that when they donate, their contributions will be put to good use. More...