Charitable Compensation
From Zanecorpwiki
This needs refining.
The average compensation for the top executives of the charities I support is over $200,000 per year. I kinda wish I knew more about what they did with their money. My own (joint) revenue will probably top $200K in 2010, but my (joint) adjusted gross income will be under $60K because I re-invest everything above that, and have made a personal commitment, which I am working to make binding, to limiting myself to $150K annual personal income.[notes 1] I believe anything much above that is gauche at best, and obscene at worst.
I don't expect, but I would certainly like for the leaders of these organizations which I freely support to share the same views. I feel a little consternation that part of my money is going to fund what I feel to be extravagant lifestyles. The fact that many people make and spend a lot more is immaterial, because I'm basing my views on a theory of absolute wealth which asks, what is their to buy? What is the limits of human capacity to enjoy? It's not about the money, it's about the waste.
Arguments about other executives making more are therefore immaterial, because all that says to me is that other people waste more and a worse sin does not justify a lesser sin. Still, my angst is actually quite slight. It used to bother me a lot, but realistically, it's just not a big deal. The ACLU is headquartered in NY, and it does legitimately cost more to live their and I can believe that the foundation benefits from that location. I'm sure they all give a bit to charity. The worst offender among my own charities is probably the head of Heifer who gets $250K/year, has some efficiency problems in his charity--which call into question the quality that I'm paying for--and who lives in Little Rock Arkansas where cost of living is dirt cheap. Even there, though, I would say that the level of waste I infer is--and I can't help but think of all the starving people in the world when I say this--merely gauche rather than obscene.
Notes
- ↑ With allowances for extraordinary circumstances such as unforeseeable medical events.
