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Jun 4, 2010
CHARITIES AND COMMERCIAL ARMS
Draw a clear line
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YET another investigation of a charity set-up is on with the rounding up of several people linked to the City Harvest Church, including its founder, over alleged misuse of funds ('Police probe 17 linked to City Harvest Church'; June 1) .
The practice of charity and volunteerism means the giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.
It is time the authorities looked at putting in place more rules to clearly separate charities and religious institutions from their commercial activities.
Charity organisations and religious institutions must be required to segregate their commercial arm once it has achieved a certain level of business. Then the latter should be registered as a business entity subject to the Companies Act.
Once registered, the commercial arm could still continue to contribute to the coffers of the charity organisation it had spun off from. But I have a suggestion: the authorities should require the business arm to donate a matching percentage to a regulated common fund pool, to channel money to other needy organisations which are less commercially savvy.
When one is involved in charitable activities, it is the satisfaction gained from helping those in need that matters - not the material gains secured in the process of raising funds for them.
Also, one should not be using a religion to help raise funds that ultimately improve one's personal life materially.
Once this happens, then the true meaning of charity and volunteerism is lost.
Lim Siew Imm (Ms)
CHARITIES AND COMMERCIAL ARMS
Draw a clear line
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
YET another investigation of a charity set-up is on with the rounding up of several people linked to the City Harvest Church, including its founder, over alleged misuse of funds ('Police probe 17 linked to City Harvest Church'; June 1) .
The practice of charity and volunteerism means the giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.
It is time the authorities looked at putting in place more rules to clearly separate charities and religious institutions from their commercial activities.
Charity organisations and religious institutions must be required to segregate their commercial arm once it has achieved a certain level of business. Then the latter should be registered as a business entity subject to the Companies Act.
Once registered, the commercial arm could still continue to contribute to the coffers of the charity organisation it had spun off from. But I have a suggestion: the authorities should require the business arm to donate a matching percentage to a regulated common fund pool, to channel money to other needy organisations which are less commercially savvy.
When one is involved in charitable activities, it is the satisfaction gained from helping those in need that matters - not the material gains secured in the process of raising funds for them.
Also, one should not be using a religion to help raise funds that ultimately improve one's personal life materially.
Once this happens, then the true meaning of charity and volunteerism is lost.
Lim Siew Imm (Ms)
