Critical Thinking

Leading by Example

Summary:

Many successful business people believe that it is a moral obligation to donate part of their profits to charitable causes. If I gave ten percent of my after-tax salary to charity, what would be the effect?

Recommendation:

According to the Business Code of Ethics posted by the Better Business Bureau of Vancouver, "For a business to succeed, it must earn the respect and confidence of those it aspires to serve." What an incredible statement. Giving a part of our after-tax salary to local charities or other non-profit groups is a valuable way to earn respect in our local community. The business will receive tax deductions for its donations and free publicity or recognition in the community while making a difference in someone's life.

What would I have to give up, if anything, to be able to give ten percent? One night out clubbing with friends? A hair appointment? Saying no to that new pair of boots? According to the online World Factbook, there are 98,914,382 men aged between 15-64 years of age living in the United States at the start of 2005. The US Department of Commerce has listed the median income of all 15-64 year old men working full-time, year round during 2001, to be $38,275. For simplicity lets round down and make ten percent of that average income $3,800. That ten percent times the population of working men, would equal our country donating over $375 billion per year and that is just men. What if we added the female salaries? Our country has the potential to put an end to poverty world-wide.

Conclusion:

It takes all types of people to make the world go round. Prompting people to give has never been easy. My individual contribution may not seem like much, but together we can make a difference.

Resources:

Turbotax, How to document your charitable contributions. (2005). Retrieved May 24, 2005, from http://www.turbotax.com/articles/HowtoDocumentYourCharitableContributions.html

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