Three Cups of Tea
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580 Letters, One Check
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C.Knoell
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Sep 25, 2011 03:51PM
In the past section I read Greg Mortenson was trying to conjure up the $12,000 he needed to build the school in Korphe. He wrote 580 Letters and received only one check from all of those people. It was shocking to see how unwilling people were to help him. Many of the people who received checks may have been skeptical of the legitimacy of the situation, and others may not have had the funds to donate, but only one check from that many people. Also, the check he received was only for one hundred dollars, of course any contribution is important, but coming from Tom Brokaw it seems as though he could have given more generously. Eventually, all the money needed is raised through the help of school children, who held a penny drive, which amounted to $600, and a wealthy scientist, Jean Hoerni, who generously gave $12,000. So, in the end Motenson did get the money, but so many people are so unwilling to help out. All in all, I’m excited to see how his journey to carry out his promise proceeds.
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His organization is not a bona fide operation. Despite the largesse of his heart, he is spending way too much money on operational expenses such as first class flight tickets for him and the administrative staff. Essentially, the percentage of the donated moneys that actually goes to building schools, hiring and paying for teachers, etc. is one of the lowest of all charitable foundations. Until he gets his own house in order, people are not going to donate to his cause. It`s simple as that.Compare his 30% plus operating expenses to a more legitimate non profit such as UNICEF with its 2% overhead and you will see what I mean. I for one would not consider giving money to his organization because of his extravagant lifestyle and the reason his contributions have dwindled to almost nothing is exactly that.
See Jon Krakauer Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way. Everyone should read this before they consider giving money to Greg Mortenson.
