A little example of how severely the contributions for the Society are drying up (page 3)

wha happened?

Thats also a good point that the WT includes in their publications and yet they don't really apply it to themselves.

I think they have been struggling one way or another ever since they could no longer charge for their literature. In historical perspective that development might be viewed as the beginning of the long decline in Watchtower fortunes.

DesirousOfChange

The $billion$ real estate sell off will keep them in the black for many years.

DOC

DaCheech

join the club, mine the same and I contribute $0,00 for the past 7 years+

nugget

Found out from hubby that we were one of the highest contributors at the hall and we had a monthly direct debit it the society. The elders actually made it a condition of appointment that brothers set up a direct debit for monthly contributions.

The society has a lot of schemes for recovering deficits and although some congregations are not pulling their weight you probably find that he poorer ones are. The number of articles on donations etc makes a lie of their claim that they never ask for money.

truthseeker1969

I know from the 80s early ninety's i attended a small hall, about 50 pubs and they sent then 200 pounds per month and had on reserve about 12000 pounds and bought their new hall out right.

We had alot of oldies but they had pensions but the widows mite was a frequent at the end of the month and reading out of the accounts and how we should send more and it always happened. Then again they waited until bars held up the roof on the hall and we actually had linoleum so they could have just had the money since they never spent it!

flipper

DESIROUS OF CHANGE makes a very good and important point. " The $billion$ real estate sell off will keep them in the black for many years. " And therein lies the problem. True- donations may be coming in less and less - however since the big billion $$$ profit in selling off at Brooklyn and moving to upstate New York I'm sure that the WT society is intent in the future in regaining ownership of most all the Kingdom Halls like what's happening in Menlo Park near San Fransisco , California where the WT society is battling the elders for ownership and legal landholdings- even though the money came from donations and out of pockets of publishers.

Unfortunately I anticipate this kind of greedy grabbing to continue by the WT society- especially if they need a $$$$ honeypot to pay out child abuse, blood transfusion lawsuits - WT society will use anything and everything to keep their self serving interests going. The more unethical the better. They have no conscience

cedars

BOC has nailed it.

Cedars

besty

what dozy said:

Most big charities rely on their trading operations to run at a small but sustainable loss , more than making up the difference with legacies and property transactions. I knew a couple of the JW NY accountants & they were quite open that the WTBTS financing model is to keep on building Bethels , assembly halls etc at a very low cost (ie most of the labour is free & a lot of the investment is tax free) , running them for a while , then flipping them and starting the process all over again as their prime means of financing the whole organisation.

JW printing and literature distribution is a loss leader for the underlying business model. Tax free donations + legacies + free labour = property profits.

Organised religion tapping into the human need for belongingness and developing a property empire is not breaking news.

wobble

How long before the design of KH's and Assy. Halls is modified so that they are even easier to sell ?

Build and flip, make a fortune.

A little example of how severely the contributions for the Society are drying up