These nonprofits work because they make a $25 donation feel like a $25,000 donation. If we can see photos of someone’s stroopwafel as she’s eating it in Amsterdam, we’d better be able to see where our donation’s going and what kind of impact it’s making. Keep this in mind next Christmas when your mailbox is flooded with requests to send checks off to vague charities and foundations
There’s still a lot of work to be done. But the era of Sally Struthers poverty porn has thankfully ended. The way forward is by making the giving process more transparent and letting the givers take ownership. Bring on the philanthrogeeks