The following document briefly overviews different types of Funds Bahá’à individuals and institutions can contribute to in the United Kingdom.
FAQs-Different Funds
Should individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies contribute to all the Funds?
Yes. Both Assemblies and individuals have a responsibility to contribute. As noted above, there are four levels: local, national, continental and international. Individuals can contribute to all four whilst Local Assemblies should contribute to the three levels. Individuals should be made aware that they have an obligation to contribute directly to these Funds, over and above that part of their contribution to the Local Fund:
“We therefore appeal to the friends everywhere to exercise the utmost economy in the use of the funds and to make those sacrifices in their personal lives which will enable them to contribute their share, according to their means, to the local, national, continental and international funds of the Faith.“
-Letter from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’Ãs of the World, , Naw-Rúz 1979
Assemblies must likewise ensure that contributions given to them for forwarding to other Funds are not counted as part of the Assembly’s own budgeted allocation to that Fund:
“In your letter of September 28, 1953, you mentioned the sum of … as being included in the amount allocated from your Assembly’s Budget to the World Centre. The principle involved is as follows: The Guardian feels that your Assembly when allocating its annual budget, and having stipulated what sum is for the purposes of the International Centre of the Faith, should immediately pigeon-hole that sum to be at the Guardian’s disposal. Any monies received as contributions from the Bahá’Ãs for the International Centre should not be credited to this account which represents a national joint contribution, and has nothing to do with individual or local contributions forwarded to the World Centre in your care.“
-Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly, 20 June 1954
The Local Assembly should advise the friends in its community to make the purpose of their donations clear if they are to be forwarded on their behalf to a National, Continental or International Fund, otherwise it will be assumed that it is a donation to the Local Fund.
Should the believers contribute directly to the National Fund?
“The friends are encouraged to make donations to the National Fund as the progress of the Cause in …(especially the teaching activities) is reliant upon the contributions by the friends. The National Assembly creates a budget yearly which is shared with the friends so that contributions to other funds can be efficiently budgeted.
The need, therefore, is to make clear to individual believers and Local Spiritual Assemblies how they should express their earmarkings so that the National Assembly can know whether a contribution is intended to be towards any particular segment of the national budget or to be a separate contribution merely passed through the National Assembly. In view of the Guardian’s statement one should assume that, unless there is an indication to the contrary, an earmarked contribution is intended to be over and above the allocation made out of the National Fund.”
-Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, 18 January, 1968
Is it permissible to earmark donations for specific purposes?
Yes.
“… any donor, Assembly or individual, has the right to specify the purpose intended for any contribution of funds or property.”
-Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, 22 June 1980
The practice, however, has its limitations, as it is better to leave the recipient free to expend the funds in the manner of most use to the Faith:
“Regarding your question about contributions: it is up to the individual to decide; if he wishes to devote a sum to a specific purpose, he is free to do so; but the friends should recognise the fact that too much labelling of contributions will tie the hands of the Assembly and prevent it from meeting its many obligations in various fields of Bahá’à activity.“
-Letter from Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly, 23 June 1950
“In general, although it is permitted for the friends to earmark contributions, it is apparent that it is often better that the friends allow the Assembly to use their contributions without restricting them. Furthermore, an Assembly is by no means obligated to accept an earmarked contribution; if it does, however, it is bound to respect the earmarking.“
-Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, 21 August, 1980