Our CO from the platform, many times, strongly hinted that "everyone was signing their insurance checks over to the Society" and that "he didn't know ANYONE that DIDN'T donate their insurance checks to the Society."
Grief - I've never heard of such a thing. How is it that I was dense enough that this sort of manipulation didn't make it though to my brain and show itself for what it was?
I was always frustrated when there was a disaster and we never heard anything about the WTS' relief efforts and how those outside the affected areas could help. I can see why they'd organize on a local level, but there are so many friends who aren't in the local area who want to help - or, at least want to know what is being done for their brothers at the time of the disaster. I can imagine that some outside of the locality might travel into the damaged area to help because they're getting no details on what's going on and what's being done - so they act out of ignorance thinking this is the best way to help.
Too, I wonder if the Org doesn't attempt more extensive relief efforts because they'd have to set up ways to manage the extra supplies and money. They would have to devote time to something other than printing and placing publications because they'd need a real, live, organized relief entity to manage resources and monitor the more "mundane" needs of the friends and supply help on a regular basis. JWs might actually start expecting help whenever a disaster occurred once such an entity existed and they could no longer pat themselves on the back as if they've done something extra-ordinary. Since the Org is so insistent that nothing distract them from the preaching and disciple-making work, they probably look down on creating a devoted, well-known, self-sufficient disaster relief entity.