Religion & Social Services

So I forgot to post a blog about chapters 1&2.Sorry. I will recap what I thought was interesting. Non-profits make larger companies and government more responsive(p.41). If you are fallowing along in the book I will be putting page numbers next to key ideas. A good example of this is the UO foundation. 20% of Oregonians give to the university.The more support we get from donors the more state support we will obtain. When I started calling,Oregon gave the UO more money in response to amount of support we got from Oregonians. Of course this was only a piece in a very large puzzle however one piece can make a difference.

Well for chapter 3&4,lets just start out by saying that I hate religion and religious institutions. So reading about religious nonprofits was a little difficult for me to do and pretty much anything said in chapter 3 I made a negative argument against. The first thing that I found really annoying was that religious institutions don't have to file a 501(c)3. This does not seem right. They should be required to because they are just like any other nonprofit, they help people that need help! I think that this makes churches seem like they are better then any other institution. This seems to be a common theme among churches and church goers. It also seems like it could open up a door for corruption since no one holds them accountable. Ok. Enough ranting. Most religious institutions do file a 501(c)3.Our professors said about 95% do however I am still questioning this figure because of the lack of accurate information. I was so excited to finished this chapter. And when I started reading about social service nonprofits, O'Niell could have said anything and I would have agreed with him. Social Services are amazing I could not imagine a place without them. One of my favorite ones in YMCA. For one the gym in the YMCA on Patterson rocks. For two, I have very fond childhood memories about swim classes and day care.Thank you YMCA for providing cheap day care for my parents. YMCA is able to offer reduced rate day care which means it competes with privately owned and operated day care centers. The book noted that small business have often complained about this because they have an unfair advantage. I agree this can occur however childcare nonprofits provide a great alternative for parents that don't have enough money to put their child in a private daycare and insures that just because they are playing less doesn't mean that their child is going to be in danger.

One of the most unique things about Social service nonprofits is the relationship they have with the government. I applaud our government for acknowledging that nonprofits can operate more efficiently and do a better job at providing the services that people need. From here on out I will be referring to social service nonprofits as SS nonprofits for one simple reason I am tired of typing it. SS nonprofits are more connected with the community.Not all communities need the same services. SS nonprofits also have more latitude to try new things and don't have to deal with red tape.

Good news readers!! I got the intership I applied for in New York! I will be doing my research project on the nonprofit I will be working for which is.... I know you are all on the edge of your chairs The Fresh Air Fund. I will be talking about them in this blog. Interesting fact The Fresh Air Fund was started by a church parish. Maybe the Fresh Air Fund can help disolve my hate of religious institutions. Maybe