By DIANE PHILLIPS

An executive of a leading Bahamian bank asked an interesting question during a press conference for the Bahamas Feeding Network on Monday. 

“Would the government consider tax benefits for corporations that donate to non-profits?” he asked. 

He looked toward the panel at the head table, a Cabinet minister and others whose names are no strangers to headlines. 

“Businesses watch their bottom line,” he persisted when no one rushed in to answer. 

“If there were tax benefits for donating, wouldn’t that help solve the problem that some of these organisations like the Bahamas Feeding Network face as they work so hard to meet a need so they wouldn’t have to go begging for donations while lots of businesses are making huge profits?” 

The minister answered, assuring the exec that The Bahamas was familiar with countries like the US that offer tax benefits through 501C3s or other mechanisms, but while it was not on the agenda for the administration, more funding was coming for social needs. 

Others offered different answers, all of which were sincere, but only one of which was so provocative as to start a real conversation.  

First, before we get to that, I want to share Fidelity CEO Gowon Bowe’s reply as there’s a good reason his name seems to appear in the headlines as often as the PM’s when he doesn’t even hold a political office. 

Bowe, seated at the head table of the press conference announcing the Bahamas Feeding Network’s largest fund-raiser of the year, the third annual Fidelity Tee-off for Hunger Golf Tournament, said the question demonstrated clearly why the National Development Plan was so important. 

The plan, he said. would establish key pillars and goals, prioritise funding for programs directly linked to those, create a baseline, include ways to measure success, assess and amend as needed. Instead of finding scraps for a line item, programs like the Bahamas Feeding Network aimed at eliminating hunger would be viewed as contributing to youth development and other national advances.  

We don’t leave home

Bowe’s answer made a lot of sense. But crazy as it seems, we don’t have a National Development Plan and tens of thousands of people go without enough food every day. 

A plan is not going to fill empty bellies tomorrow or next month though the country would certainly be better off if we had a plan. Let’s be real, we don’t leave home in the morning without a plan for the day, yet The Bahamas starts off every day and every year without a plan for the long-term future. 

Not to disparage the Budget or all the work that goes into creating it each year, the long days and sleepless nights of those trying to wring the last dollar out of every stone to meet needs, but the closest thing we have to a national plan is that Budget, a document laden with numbers and absent of long-term goals. 

The problem with a budget instead of a plan is that the budget addresses expenditures, not goals, and the vast majority of expenditures goes to salaries and other fixed costs over which the administration has no control much as they might wish. 

A budget without a plan is like a boat without a rudder, yet we manage to steer that vessel every year with the equivalent of oars hoping we eventually reach our destination. 

Surprising, provocative answer

The most surprising – and definitely the most provocative – answer to the dilemma of how to fund non-profits meeting social needs as basic as feeding came from Mario Carey. Let everyone who benefits from The Bahamas contribute to creating a better Bahamas, he said.

That includes Bahamian companies, individuals, students who graduate and can contribute to other students’ education and yes, non-Bahamians, who want to establish permanent residency. 

“We need to create a means by which everyone gives back, not just the few big companies that are always being asked to donate, but every individual, citizen, student and permanent resident who can,” said Carey. 

“This must not be a government thing, but through a national foundation or other appropriately monitored vehicle with absolute transparency and accountability. We have the resources to solve our social ills. We need to find the courage and means to do so.” 

Carey’s idea that permanent residents who want to spend a certain number of days in The Bahamas must be included in the all-should-help campaign might surprise some. He has handled more than $3 billion in real estate transactions, many of those sales to foreigners. Carey also believes that most of those individuals who have chosen The Bahamas as a place to call their first or second home would welcome opportunities to connect. 

Carey also has a strong social conscience and is a strong proponent of nationalism. As a director of the Bahamas Feeding Network and host of the annual golf tournament, he has not hesitated to work his phone magic to raise funds among those who can afford to give. 

“So many of those who purchase property enjoy all the benefits of life in The Bahamas and they can add greatly to the community through their financial resources and their expertise,”  says Carey. “As it is now, most of them don’t really feel a strong connection to the country and this would change that.” 

Carey has a valid point. The Lyford Cay Foundations, American and Canadian, understood this principle and corrected it more than half a century ago, Residents of that community, many who receive tax benefits, others who do not, have donated more than $80m toward education of Bahamians. They have made a huge difference in the development of The Bahamas. Imagine if we could spread that model and tap into resources to date untouched. 

Just imagine. Thousands of individuals with resources are within our reach in Nassau, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. They may live in condos and gated communities or on private islands beyond our reach, but the key to their doors is within reach. It is in our hands. And in the end, we may not only wipe out hunger and other ills that stunt our growth as a nation, we may just find the key to the hearts of strangers.