Theosophy News Worldwide 2nd Quarter 2020

In the middle of April I received an e-mail, more precisely an appeal for donations from the TS (Adyar North-)America. This is nothing unusual especially for the so called TSA, also on the website the call for donations is in the center of attention for a long time.

The manner was a bit inappropriate from my point of view and I personally consider it as a kind of begging. Here some quotes from this mail:

We ask that you please donate all that you can today. Can you offer $150? $500? $1,000 or more? [...] Please give the most generous donation you can today. (Source)

$ 1.000 during a global economic and social crisis, and wait, if you "furloughed two thirds of [our] dedicated, hard-working staff" (as also announced in the same newsletter) you save a lot of money, don't you?

Anyway, one more questionable turn of Adyar and so far nothing really bad I thought, however, but then, additional information reached me via the Theos-Talk Newslist (see below), that puts all this in a different light.

With $17million in the Theosophical Investment Trust (the money is under the control of American Section and can be used for any purpose) there was no justification to put employees on furlough. Furloughing the poor employee is easy. (Source)

Now that PPP money of estimated $325k has been received and most of it would be treated as a grant with no tax, it is but fair that Wheaton notify all those to whom earlier donation email was sent. (Source)

Years ago, when American Section was in a critical financial condition, Herbert Kern stepped in to help. He wanted financial help to work like a catalyst. But, due to the investments in Kern Trust grew, more and more money was flowing to American Section. The legal setup of the Trust required most of its income to distributed annually. If not, it has to pay income tax. Ultimately Trust ended up earning $1+ Million annually which was distributed mostly to American Section. (Source)

In addition to money in the bank, it is not hurting for income. Annually gets $1million+ from Kern and $50,000 from Cleveland lodge. (Source)

If this is true, surely, there is no shame in having 17 million in the bank, a security, why not. Then to get 1 million a year is a great fortune, and additional 50,000 a year from Clevland, that's what I call a good basis.

But why then such a call for donations up to $1,000 and more, with the tone of a command from an apparently dying society, because of the Covid19-Pandemic?

Would Blavatsky have come up with the idea of paying herself a six-figure salary from the TS fund? It would certainly be interesting to find out exactly what the actual output for the promotion of Theosophy is, what is done with all the money?

My boss also furloughed us partial and I wrote to him, that's unfair that the smaller people have to bear the losses and that if he had paid these losses, that wouldn't have made him much poorer, but the single mothers etc. etc. that didn't have it easy even before the crisis, should pay now with very much less money?

There was no answer. But I know it, that's capitalism, the survival and right of the stronger, the system we live in, for sure...... but would that be theosophical? That may not be his claim, but what about the THEOSOPHICAL Society (Adyar in North-)America?

What do you think?