The GiveWell Blog

Perspectives on donor irrationality

This post is more than 14 years old

Jeanne Panossian left two very interesting comments on our blog discussing donor irrationality, from the point of view of someone running a small charity.

  • On donor illusions: ” … It takes extraordinary ethical fortitude to openly tell people how complicated your organization is, normally a donor has made their basic decision in the first 15 to 30 seconds of a conversation …”
  • On the administrative expense ratio: “…While I love to talk all day about [my charity’s impact], I have learned it is not worth my while. Waving a flag and telling people how we pay for our paper clips yields me more funds faster …”

Recommended reading.