Publicizing Good Works

Excerpts from a church editorial, "Publicizing Good Works "

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Faced with the dilemma between publicizing the good works and results of its worldwide humanitarian efforts on the one hand and appearing self-promotional on the other, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attempts to find a balance and walk that fine line.

While the many humanitarian workers around the world go about their business humbly and modestly, they inescapably attract media attention. Though this is not the intention of the efforts, it raises the awareness of people across the globe to real problems facing God's children.

If publicity contributes to this result, then that is an unqualified good thing. Nevertheless, drawing media attention to these efforts for its own sake is not the intention and works against the spirit of the effort itself. Therefore, the Church lets media attention come as a natural byproduct of the efforts themselves and does not try to force this awareness as some kind of missionary push or as an effort to seek public validation.

This humanitarian aid is supported by generous donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, many of which are associated with the Church, but not necessarily so. Thus, in the interest of showing how these donations are put to use, the Church sometimes considers it appropriate to provide a full picture of the progress and success of its various humanitarian projects. Furthermore, publicizing the logistics of emergency response projects that provide help during high-profile national and local emergencies allows people to respond to imminent crises, puts them in a better position to help those around them and motivates others to prepare for future disasters.

Publicizing of these efforts helps create a culture and environment that place value on Christian service. It also fosters valuable partnerships between the Church and various other humanitarian organizations that have a mutual interest in sharing best practices, methods and strategies.