No, this isn’t exactly about math. As I have mentioned in previous posts, math and I did not have a good relationship, and while in retrospect and with new understanding of the mechanics of learning I know that aspect of my schooling could have been reversed, there is also a great deal of water under that bridge, the horses are long gone from the barn, etc., In what may sound odd, this post is actually about what charities you decide to give to. I have previously addressed this issue coming from a slightly different angle.
The percentage of revenue a charity spends on their direct programs is the key component for me. There have to be administrative costs and there have to be fund raising costs since getting volunteers to raise funds is very difficult and I don’t like to do that myself. However, as always happens in capitalism (and anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I support capitalism), fundraising has become its own business and it is big business. The calls that you get from professional fundraisers are no different from any other telemarketer except these are for charities rather than to sell you a timeshare (or whatever). And since most of those companies operate on a percentage of what they bring in, you can understand that their reluctance to take no from you and their refusal to remove you from a calling or mailing list is not only because they are asking for donations for a worthy cause. So if you have a certain amount that you set aside to give to charities and you have reached that threshold, don’t feel guilty with the heartrending script that is being read to you. The individual making the call probably does agree it’s a worthy cause, but remember that like any sales’ commission, the more you give to the charity, the more the fundraising company earns, too. Their “job” is to get as large a donation from you as they can and it can be especially tempting during the holidays to give extra and there is always that end-of-year push. Give what you can and understand the attempted “guilt trip” for what it is.
