rethink donations: how we should approach giving
TRANSCRIPT
rethinkdonations.by Rudy Trebels
Many people like to
donate to make a
difference, and that's
great!
However, donating is not
a passive activity. A lot of
research should go into
how we donate.
Dan Pallotta, founder of the
AIDS Rides Bicycle Journey,
says we should treat our
donations like investments.
When selecting a charity,
we need to be doing our
due diligence. This, in part
means not dismissing
"slow moving" NPOs.
Pallotta encourages NPOs
to approach the
organization like that of a
profitable business. Just
because it's doing good in
the world, doesn't mean it
shouldn't be smart about
money.
But when we see a charity
openly acknowledge its
overhead costs,
sometimes we turn up
our noses. But we
shouldn't.
Change is often slow. Finding the
right solution takes periods of
trial and error. If you're looking to
donate to a charity that's taking
on a huge issue, you shouldn't
judge it based on how close they
are to an answer.
As an example, Pallotta uses the
example of Jonas Salk, who was
behind the first vaccine for Polio.
At the time, a polio vaccine
seemed out of this world! If he
had asked for donations then,
many people may have dismissed
the request and instead given to a
cause that contributed to an
already solved problem.
Just remember, donations and
their allocations are more
complex than they look!