Options and donations #1

Say you want to make a donation.

You have maximum 10o dollars to spare.

You first look for organizations that need and ask for your money.

Let’s say you notice 3 of them; say

Unicef
Oxfam
Mercy Corps

How would you give your 100 dollars away?

Would you give all of it? Or maybe keep some for a next time?

What if, instead of 3, there were 8 of them actively auditioning for your money?

Children’s Network International
Every Child
Global Fund for Children
Mercy Corps
Oxfam
Stop Child Poverty
Unicef
United Children’s Fund

How would you feel now?

What if there were even more of them, say 16?

Care
Children in Crisis
Children’s Network International
Doctors Without Borders
EveryChild
Global Fund for Children
Mercy Corps
Oxfam
Plan International
Serving Our World
Save the Children
SOS Kinderdorf International
Stop Child Poverty
Unicef
United Children’s Fund
World Emergency Relief

It turns out, people donate more when they face more alternatives.The reason, I suspect, is that when there are 3 NGOs asking for help, we perceive a certain need for aid, But when there are 16 of them, the need for aid we perceive is much greater.

Now the question becomes?

How would you distribute your money when there are 3 NGOs?
How would you distribute when there are 16?

More on that later…