rethink donations: how we should approach giving

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!