It takes a lot of guts to turn down a $100,000 donation, but that’s precisely what a Catholic charity did when billionaire Robert Kraft offered to make a hefty contribution.
The Haitian Project, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit that operates a school for impoverished children in Haiti, had been trying to secure a donation from Kraft for quite some time. However, it was only when Kraft became embroiled in a prostitution scandal that he decided to offer the charity $100,000.
“The last thing I wanted was a donation by Robert Kraft,” Patrick Moynihan, director of The Haitian Project, told the Boston Globe. “I could not be silent. I had to stand up.”
And so it was, Moynihan publicly rejected Kraft’s offer. And while it may seem like a huge sacrifice, the organization could end up gaining more than it lost.
“His rejection and indignation drew attention and great press to his school that quiet acceptance of Kraft’s donation could not,” the Nonprofit Quarterly reports. “Others may still step up and offer to fill the gap left by the rejected Kraft funds.”
In an interview with Boston sports station WEEI-FM, Moynihan said that he would have accepted the donation if Kraft had issued a sincere apology. And while Kraft has said that he’s “truly sorry,” Moynihan doesn’t buy it.
“What he apologized for was the embarrassment he caused to his family, friends, and team,” Moynihan maintained.
In the end, the charity’s decision not to accept “dirty money” was vital not just in terms of ethics, but also in maintaining the organization’s reputation. Nonprofits rely on the public’s trust. While accepting donations from unscrupulous sources may result in short-term gains, it will only jeopardize an organization’s future in the long run.
“We cannot do good by doing bad,” Moynihan argued. “The ends cannot justify the means.”