Comments on: Donating to a non-profit: Is it all about the free gift? http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/ NGOs, Voluntourism, Cambodia, and Life Lessons Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:56:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: danielapapi http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-656 danielapapi Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:03:57 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-656 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. <br><br>When NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.<br><br>I often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product.

When NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.

I often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: Anonymous http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-1261 Anonymous Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:03:00 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-1261 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: Anonymous http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-1300 Anonymous Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:03:00 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-1300 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: Anonymous http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-1655 Anonymous Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:03:00 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-1655 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: Anonymous http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-2784 Anonymous Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:03:00 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-2784 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. nnWhen NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.nnI often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: danielapapi http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-574 danielapapi Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:03:57 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-574 Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product. <br><br>When NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.<br><br>I often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from - nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions. Sorry for the delay. I have been away, but I appreciate the thoughts you both added. I think that buying something, like a cool bag made by people who have a x/y/z difficulty in their lives is different than an NGO giving you a gift for donating, because in essence you are buying the bag. In the bigger picture, most people are buying the bag because they like it or identifying with it resonates with them, but it is clear in that financial transaction that they are buying a product.

When NGOs are collecting donations, I think it is part of our responsibility to educate the donors on the value of their impact, not just give them a gift, though those are not mutually exclusive. It is tricky to balance the psychology involved with getting people to donate with little knowledge of our work with the psychology of getting people to want to learn more.

I often struggle with the ethics of where a donation came from – nothing as severe as Robin Hooding, but ideally we would be collecting donations from like-minded people who believe in the work that we do. I understand that that can not always be the case, but I hope that people who just donate because their friends asked them to can then be better educated about future donations through PEPY communications and discussions.

]]> By: qutequte http://lessonsilearned.org/2010/01/donating-for-the-free-gift/comment-page-1/#comment-562 qutequte Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:57:17 +0000 http://lessonsilearned.org/?p=348#comment-562 Hi Daniela! You are absolutely right on most points! Josh is right on the "competition" factor. If you have only a dollar to donate, would you donate based on who need the money more....or to the person who is giving you a free gift?<br><br>Instead of looking at the flaws of "human nature" (greed), it is perhaps also, a lesson for non-profits to learn from. Using "gifts" to entice people to donate can be seen as a bribe, but you can be positive and see it as a "juicy reward" for those who donate.<br><br>In my country, young ppl and teenagers love donating for a cute keychain. But that doesn't mean they will not donate, as long as they can afford to help, and most of the time they can.<br><br>It's funny, I still don't understand why students are able to own cell phones when they have not yet learn to earn money. But at least they are generous enough to, consider donating a little bit of their pocket money. Thanks for this blog, and for the "discussion"! :) Hi Daniela! You are absolutely right on most points! Josh is right on the “competition” factor. If you have only a dollar to donate, would you donate based on who need the money more….or to the person who is giving you a free gift?

Instead of looking at the flaws of “human nature” (greed), it is perhaps also, a lesson for non-profits to learn from. Using “gifts” to entice people to donate can be seen as a bribe, but you can be positive and see it as a “juicy reward” for those who donate.

In my country, young ppl and teenagers love donating for a cute keychain. But that doesn't mean they will not donate, as long as they can afford to help, and most of the time they can.

It's funny, I still don't understand why students are able to own cell phones when they have not yet learn to earn money. But at least they are generous enough to, consider donating a little bit of their pocket money. Thanks for this blog, and for the “discussion”! :)

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