The mission of FairMormon is to “provide well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” [1] As such, we support fully the leadership of the church, its teaching and practices. That said, FairMormon is an independent organization that is not funded, nor run, nor even directed, by church leadership.
The three main sources of income for FairMormon are contributions from individuals and groups, revenue from conferences, and book sales. FairMormon has never received donations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nor has it received funds through Deseret Trust or the Foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FairMormon has received two donations from the More Good Foundation. One was a $2,000 donation that was part of a fundraising effort that was matched. The other was in 2018 when a $125,000 donation was made, which we were very grateful for because FairMormon was in financial difficulties at the time. At no time has the More Good Foundation ever told Fairmormon what to do. They do, however, use some of our information in their videos.
The More Good Foundation is also an independent organization funded through contributions. According to their website, they “operate several websites along with social media pages where persons of other faiths can learn about the Church, and where individual members of the Church can share their beliefs. We also provide training and support for members interested in sharing their beliefs online.” [2] Their website also states that they are “primarily funded by the generous donations of individuals. It may also receive funds from trusts, corporations, and foundations, including Deseret Trust Company (a donor-advised fund), and the Foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes donations to many organizations and is funded by the revenues of wholly owned, for-profit companies” (emphasis added). [3] In addition, their website states “The More Good Foundation operates independently from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. More Good Foundation is not managed or directed by the Church.” [4]
Because the More Good Foundation has received donations from the Deseret Trust Company and the Foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, there have been accusations that the Church funds FairMormon. This would be like saying if I make a large donation to the Red Cross, and then the Red Cross donates to Planned Parenthood, then I am funding Planned Parenthood. Even though the donation from me came with no strings and I have no input on donations to Planned Parenthood. This is a stretch by anyone’s definitions.
FairMormon has always operated as a volunteer organization. Its board and president are unpaid and have not received any compensation, ever, from the organization. FairMormon has paid contractors on occasion to help with needs that volunteers have been unable to fill. There are currently two part-time employees who assist with administrative tasks. It has only been in the past several years that FairMormon has had the resources to employ anyone part-time. So it is “fair” to say that the motivation of the Board and other volunteers of FairMormon to spend their time, talents and energy to support FairMormon’s mission, is not money.
So how much does the organization receive? And how is it spent? A quick look at the ProPublica website shows IRS filings for the past ten years. These documents show that over the past ten years, FairMormon has received $736,717 from fundraising and donations and $366,965 from program services (mainly conference revenue) and book sales. This is for TEN years. Expenses for that same period totaled $944,147, of which zero dollars went to compensation for board members, its president, or any apologists. Expenses include the conference center and other conference expenses, internet costs, accounting services, insurance, bookstore supplies, travel, website design and redesign, and, as mentioned earlier, part-time administrative employees.
So what does motivate those who volunteer their time and talents to this organization? For most if not all volunteers, it is out of a love of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a desire to help others receive the benefits of the gospel by providing faithful answers to critical questions. And while the Church does not fund nor direct this organization, the desire to support and defend the Church are unapologetically the reason for its existence. Nobody at FairMormon is benefiting financially from defending the church. But we hope that many are benefitted from our existence.
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[1] https://www.fairmormon.org
[2] https://www.moregoodfoundation.org/faq
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
