{"items": [{"author": "Daniel", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/443392695698398?comment_id=443409149030086", "anchor": "fb-443409149030086", "service": "fb", "text": "This is a really interesting question. I've always wondered what the point was of events like \"Walk for Hunger\". I mean, they raise money of course, but it seems like the event is completely irrelevant to the money raised. I could walk a mile, or 500 miles, and it wouldn't earn a penny more or less than the amount I solicited from friends and others. But somehow people seem to be more likely to give to a friend who says \"Please sponsor me in the Walk for Hunger\" than to a friend who says \"Please give money to Project Bread.\"", "timestamp": "1351922185"}, {"author": "Gianna", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/443392695698398?comment_id=443432225694445", "anchor": "fb-443432225694445", "service": "fb", "text": "Daniel maybe it has something to do with the psychology of discrete, understandably-sized tasks than with huge amorphous problems...I'm too tired to articulate it more, but I can try at some point when I've had more sleep.", "timestamp": "1351932068"}, {"author": "Cecile", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/443392695698398?comment_id=443511919019809", "anchor": "fb-443511919019809", "service": "fb", "text": "Well, it means that your friend is putting forth effort and somehow we feel more comfortable giving them money for something for which they were willing to walk 20 miles than for something for which they were only willing to send an e-mail. Are people more likely to sponsor people for hard tasks (20 miles) than easy tasks (100 yard dash)?", "timestamp": "1351954141"}, {"author": "Cecile", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/443392695698398?comment_id=443512965686371", "anchor": "fb-443512965686371", "service": "fb", "text": "I think also we feel like, well if they can put all this time into it, I suppose it's not asking too much for me to throw $20 at it. So maybe a comparison between our effort and theirs?", "timestamp": "1351954314"}, {"author": "David German", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/111229345142780712481", "anchor": "gp-1351961521833", "service": "gp", "text": "I think you nailed it in the first two bullet points: community-building and narrative-building. \u00a0Drives, competitions, participation goals, benefit dinners, and matching challenges work this way too. \u00a0It's primarily about the sense of team accomplishment, not about the cause. \u00a0I have two unrelated reactions to that.\n
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\nFirst, because these requests are undeniably gimmicky, it's tempting to dismiss them. \u00a0I'm gradually learning not to do that. \u00a0The community-building aspect produces social capital. \u00a0If people feel like they've supported each other, however artificially, they work together better going forward. \u00a0Moreover, that benefit comes from interest and participation, not money moved. \u00a0Token amounts are a great investment whenever someone you know is fundraising.\n
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\nSecond, because gimmick fundraising is not about the cause, I don't think it has much to offer advocates of effective giving. \u00a0Sure, the people you hit up for money will pull out a $20, and marvel that you're really going to do a 36-hour cartwheel marathon. \u00a0If you try to educate them about research on ITN distributions, though, they'll suddenly remember that they need to be somewhere else. \u00a0You can repeat the gimmick annually, but if it doesn't change anyone's philosophy of giving, it doesn't scale.", "timestamp": 1351961521}]}