Cheers and Jeers

There are technicalities and other issues at play here (including an ironic twist that would argue that if the Salvation Army wins its fight, it should be the Eastern rather than Western Territory that gets its share of the money). But it seems clear that Di Stefano wanted his wealth to support the work of Greenpeace and that the Salvation Army is putting greed ahead of donor intent, even as it uses donor intent as its rallying cry.

Nonprofit fundraising is an industry that must prove itself, over and over, every day — despite the good work it does. When one of the world’s largest organizations — and a Christian one, at that — presents itself as a money-grubbing, every-man-for-himself Leviathan, it does a major disservice to the sector as a whole. I hope that by the time this issue goes to press, the Salvation Army will have recognized its wrong-headedness. The best it can do now is drop the lawsuit, accept its fair share of the bequest with grace and gratitude, and join its fellow beneficiaries in honoring a generous soul by continuing the work — all of the work — that he so strongly supported.

Margaret Battistelli
Editor-in-Chief
mbattistelli@napco.com