Since the corona virus crisis has started, all of us have had to think about our lives in a different way. Almost every aspect of life at large has been overturned, including philanthropy. This crisis has to change our thinking about where and how we want to send donations. Massive amounts of people are struggling, not only with the depression and debilitating mental effects of constant isolation, but over 30 million Americans are unemployed and unable to pay the bills for basic necessities. While this problem is especially bad in America thanks to inaction from our government to stop layoffs and provide people with money to make ends meet, these problems are even worse in other areas of the globe that were struggling before the corona virus hit.
This situation has brought one charity back into my mind that we discussed in class earlier this semester and stuck with me, GiveDirectly. GiveDirectly is a top rated organization that focuses on helping families in developing countries as well as the United States by giving direct cash payments to them. They argue that this is the best way to help those in need, as that money goes directly to rent, groceries, bills, and other expenses that need to be paid right now. And during the COVID crisis, aid like this is more important than ever as the number of unemployed Americans continues to rise.
Some might think that this is unwise, as people could just spend the money on things that aren't essential, like new gadgets or alcohol. However, there are countless accounts of these payments making a huge difference in people's lives. Especially in places like Kenya and Uganda, a small amount of US dollars can go a long way to making improvements in someone's life and making sure they have the basics of survival. GiveDirectly is stepping up for COVID-19 too, kick-starting its Project 100 initiative, to raise $100M in 100 days to fund expenses for 100,000 American families during the pandemic. In fact, CharityNavigator has marked it as one of the best charities to donate to during this crisis and it has a 4 out of 4 rating from the website as well as a gold medal for transparency.
When looking for a charity to pitch, I wanted to make sure that they not only were helping out as much as possible during COVID-19, but also had a pattern of valuable and reliable work that made an deep impact in people's lives. I believe that GiveDirectly does this in the US and around the globe, and in a crisis like this where we are all in this together, helping those who need it in the best way possible is essential. And in my view one of the best ways to do that is to just give people the money they need now.
This situation has brought one charity back into my mind that we discussed in class earlier this semester and stuck with me, GiveDirectly. GiveDirectly is a top rated organization that focuses on helping families in developing countries as well as the United States by giving direct cash payments to them. They argue that this is the best way to help those in need, as that money goes directly to rent, groceries, bills, and other expenses that need to be paid right now. And during the COVID crisis, aid like this is more important than ever as the number of unemployed Americans continues to rise.
Some might think that this is unwise, as people could just spend the money on things that aren't essential, like new gadgets or alcohol. However, there are countless accounts of these payments making a huge difference in people's lives. Especially in places like Kenya and Uganda, a small amount of US dollars can go a long way to making improvements in someone's life and making sure they have the basics of survival. GiveDirectly is stepping up for COVID-19 too, kick-starting its Project 100 initiative, to raise $100M in 100 days to fund expenses for 100,000 American families during the pandemic. In fact, CharityNavigator has marked it as one of the best charities to donate to during this crisis and it has a 4 out of 4 rating from the website as well as a gold medal for transparency.
When looking for a charity to pitch, I wanted to make sure that they not only were helping out as much as possible during COVID-19, but also had a pattern of valuable and reliable work that made an deep impact in people's lives. I believe that GiveDirectly does this in the US and around the globe, and in a crisis like this where we are all in this together, helping those who need it in the best way possible is essential. And in my view one of the best ways to do that is to just give people the money they need now.
Great pitch, Luke!
ReplyDeleteWhen we originally discussed GiveDirectly in class, I was skeptical about its ability to help as many as it does. But after researching it and reading more about it when covering effective altruism, I now see how they do it. It seems like a very simple idea to give people money as they know what they need to do with it, but some wonder how we know that the money is being used appropriately when we give people the power to decide what they want to buy. It was nice to hear that most accounts of people who get the money, make purchases in a life-changing way, and don't spend it on alcohol. Of course there can be no guarantee that people will not make the wrong decisions, but that can't stop us from donating.
After researching GiveDirectly, I saw that they were helping people in Kenya and Uganda and other disadvantaged countries, which made me feel more secure in their mission. Our donations can go a long way in those countries, and can change their lives. It was also nice to see that they help with disaster relief as well. And that now they are helping with COVID. But my question is who do they decide to help now, when this is affecting everybody?
"How To Fix Poverty: Why Not Just Give People Money?" discusses some of the reasons why GiveDirectly is effective in countries like Kenya. I recommend taking a look at the article. It shares stories of people that have used the money to change everything (https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/08/07/541609649/how-to-fix-poverty-why-not-just-give-people-money).
Luke,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you brought back this organization. This pandemic really shows how important is is to give cash directly to people in times of crisis. I think we have gained insight to the mentality that comes from being within a crisis and I can't imagine anyone that would spend money on alcohol when they have bills to pay, families to feed, etc. Our government made an attempt in doing something GiveDirectly-esque this with the direct cash payments to families and individuals, but I feel that they didn't go far enough. Also, they gave billions of dollars to companies that do not need the money instead of to states who pay the essential workers that are so necessary during this time. I think this pandemic highlights the fragility of the working class situation in this country and I hope people will reconsider the extremely unequal and unjust economic and health system we have in place. To give my opinion on Brendan's question, I think the money should go families who are out of work and in areas that have or will be closed the longest like dense cities. Even though this pandemic affects everybody, it does not affect everybody equally, so it is important to give to those most negatively affected by the crisis. Great job with your pitch Luke!
I’m very interested to know everyone’s stance on the highly contested stimulus checks that were just issued by the Trump administration in order to battle the recession. A major conservative outlook is that those who are less wealthy are selfish and weak for demanding and accepting more financial and structural support. They cannot work to make up the difference between classes. Regardless of institutional racism, sexism, LGBTQ+ discrimination and every form of identity politics that I am not including, is the concept of a “free handout” different when it comes from the government rather than from a charity? I find that the answer is yes, but only because the government collects revenue through compulsory taxation, not voluntary donations. People don’t want their money funding things they don’t care about or don’t benefit from, so, of course, they would be upset about an increase in taxes for those reasons. So fund charities! They are a more free and capitalist form of social investment. But, I say to my dear altruistic, young, hypothetical conservative, are you going to give to donations as easily as the government can take away your money? No! You like your money and there’s nothing wrong with that. You will find some excuse to not donate just like the rest of us flakey, misguided liberals. It’s not so much a question of civil liberties, but really efficiency. Assuming no government inconsistencies, it’s faster and more deterministic that good will be done when the money is taken and, as recently discussed, many charities rely on government funding in order to operate. Kill two birds with one stone. I’m so glad we got a little political in the final classes. And good thing— you are now one of the government’s charity cases. How does that check feel?
ReplyDeleteLuke,
ReplyDeleteWhen we first discussed GiveDirectly in class I was unsure about the validity of their method of philanthropy. If we just give direct handouts, what prevents people from using it on non-essential items? However, during this crisis direct handouts seem to have become the norm. President Trump has given away millions in the form of stimulus checks to the American population and billions to corporations in massive bailouts. What I find most interesting about these donations is the lack of public outcry screaming socialism. The majority of the public and media outlets have a very strange definition of socialism. Based on my perception, it seems their definition is closest to "it's only socialism if it helps the poor/marginalized people". I wonder what people's views on GiveDirectly are? America has placed a negative stigma around free handouts. However, maybe in light of this crisis public opinions around handouts will change. Ultimately, I think philanthropy's very existence in a "capitalist society" is evidence of the tangled mess of political and ideological contradiction that is America.
-Ryan Marrone