Charity: how effective is giving? | The Economist
Today's. Super, wealthy are richer, than ever and, they're. Giving away their billions, like never, before Facebook. Founder Mark Zuckerberg promising. To give away 99%, of. His shares of the company to, charity. Philanthropists. Are putting record sums into tackling the world's most pressing problems. Of. Compassion. And unlike. The mega donors of the past, today's philanthropists. Want, to see the results, in their lifetimes. Michael. Bloomberg's philanthropy. Is. A gift, to this planet, but how altruistic is, this new golden age of Giving. Have. These mega donors become too powerful we. Have created a separate and unequal system where billionaires go influence it by, just buying social. Change the. Way charities, work is increasingly. Under the microscope, a long-delayed. Reports, into sexual abuse by Oxfam workers in Haiti we're in non-violently. Donas. Large and small a demanding, better bang for their buck, Caroline. 103. Nitiram rock form this, is leading to innovative, new approaches, to doing good which. Are redefining, notions, of altruism. 100. Million dollars has been given thanks to the effective altruism. You. Manhattan. New York. Other, pathways belts if you need any services we. Take a car just in case. Hilton. Douglas is an, outreach worker for, urban pathways, a nonprofit. Benefiting. From a recent explosion in charity, amongst wealthy Americans. And. Hilton. Is on a mission to tackle, one of the country's toughest, problems, one. Rough sleeper, at a time. There. Are record numbers of homeless people in New York and every, day Hilton, tries to help some of the worst affected, hagel, sir there's, a card that's. The drop-in center. In. 2018. Spending. By charitable, foundations, reached, a record seventy five billion dollars, in America, the. Charity Hilton works for is one of 250. That are backed by New York's largest and best-known foundation, Robin, Hood Robin. Hood. Provides, a small percentage, of urban pathways, total, income but, the foundation also donates, strategic. And operational assistance. Having. The support of funders is essential, they, have up wasn't for Robin Hood I'm. Not sure where would be at at this particular time. Put, your feelings. Urban. Pathways, runs. Outreach programs, in a drop-in center and provides, a roof for around 850. Men and women each night. It. Can be dangerous. Other. People in the street and take advantage. Rufus. Has been on the streets for six years. Good. News for you and, I've a placement. For you at the safe haven today. Today.
We're. Going to do it today so you finally can walk the streets and. Give. Your chapter a new chapter alright. For. Long-term rough sleepers, like Rufus, the charity, has set up three safe havens, as an, alternative, to city funded, dormitory-style, shelters. Officers. Lost contact with his family and is hoping his temporary home could, help turn his life around. Don't. Own yet you have to act hard when you're not on there. Are a lot of cutthroats, heard. Some time and I see people just just. Step over somebody, they just laid out in the street. And. I would love to get back to work. Thinking. For myself I can get back with my family in there. And. That's my family. The. Ultimate, aim is to get Rufus and other homeless people into, permanent affordable. Housing. Hilton. Believes the Robin Hood Foundation is, helping his charity find a long-term solution to. New York's homelessness, crisis, and. Say if I wasn't here there might be two hundred plus more people on the street that you might be stepping over so Robin Hood is saving lives because I'm saving lives. Every. Year Robin. Hood stages, America's, biggest glitziest, fundraising. Gala where, it raises over 60%, of its annual funding, in three, hours. Whatever. Amount that you feel whether it be a hundred dollars to house a family for one night that they otherwise would be homeless. While. The average annual, donation, to the foundation is a hundred and eight dollars the. Gala has helped Robin Hood become, renowned as the charity of choice for, hedge fund managers, and bankers. Over. The past 30 years it's, raised and spent around three billion dollars, fighting, poverty in New York. We've. Helped, hundreds. Of thousands, of people change lives. Improve. Lives. Paul. Tudor Jones founded. Robin Hood an investor. In hedge fund manager, worth, around five billion dollars he. Believes private, philanthropy, leads the state in dealing with society's, problems. If. We had a perfect world where. Governments, were going to actually, act in the best interest, to people were they actually going to represent, and what, local communities, need. And address, those problems then no, we wouldn't, have a need for philanthropy, but that unfortunately, is not the case the innovation. As it does in virtually. Everything in, the world comes, from the private sector and, then quite often as either sanctioned, and/or adopted, by, the public, sector I don't think fighting poverty, is any different. Real. Altruism. For. Most people at the Robin Hood gala, would. Be to stop doing business the way they do business, journalist. Anna and Gary Derrida's spent, three years exploring.
The Motivations, of America's, wealthy philanthropists. He. Is concluded, that some of their business practices, create the very social, problems, their philanthropy tries, to address. What. I see is a roomful of people who. Think. They are helping but. Are working. At much greater scale. To. Maintain and entrench a system. That. Frankly dooms the people that. They're helping real. Altruism, would. Actually, be, doing. Less harm not. Running. Working. People into. The ground through, the pressure they put on the companies they take. Stakes in in. The past 30 years the, number of foundations in, America, has almost tripled since. 1978. The proportion, of overall giving has come from those foundations, has also tripled. But. The US Treasury estimates, philanthropy, will cost it seven hundred and forty billion dollars in lost, tax revenue, over the next decade. Anand. Claims this, giving by wealthy Americans, is more about tax breaks than charity poor. People people, who make twenty thousand dollars a year are paying, higher taxes, than they otherwise would. To. Subsidize, about fifty billion dollars in tax breaks every year that we give people. For. Donating money. You. Are. Injecting. Harm into the society, you. Are making more money and, then you are going to the Robin Hood gala to donate 1% of, what you have stolen from the good to, a, fraction. Of the people whose. Interests you have harmed and you. Feel so proud of yourself, it's, an arsonist. Convention. In which, everybody is under the mistaken impression that their firefighters. While. Some are questioning the motivations, behind large, charitable, donations, others. Are taking action to stop what they see as tainted philanthropy. It's. Monday night in London a. Group. Of activists, are protesting, outside one of the city's most prestigious, art galleries. They. Are angry that the National Portrait Gallery, is sponsored, by BP, one, of the world's leading fossil, fuel companies. Do. You not think, those. Could be much better. One. Of the group's founders, Danny Cheevers has chosen the opening, night of a new exhibition to chain himself to the gallery's railings, eep-eep, gets to associate, itself for this great artist to associate itself with his leading artists, gets to present itself as this, sort of positive. Company. That's doing something useful in the world when in reality it's. Actively. Lobbying, spending tens of millions of pounds every year, blocking. Climate, laws slowing, down the growth of renewable energy, making, the world a much more dangerous, place for everybody and in the middle of a climate crisis the idea of taking money or in fact helping to promote on oil company, just. Seems, more and more in defensible. Since. 2012. These protesters, have been invading, spaces, in performing, guerrilla theater, like. This protest, against BP sponsorship. Of the British Museum. They. Call themselves BP. Or not, BP, and described, themselves as a theatrical protest. Group of, activists. The. Methane, is rising, and killing. Us. Tonight. Protest, is another, attempt, to shame a major arts, institution. Into refusing. Philanthropic money, from big oil. Institutions. Need, to actually, have a conversation with, themselves and with their stakeholders and with their publics and with their star about, what are their values and what are the ethical red lines. Any. Of the guests don't seem to agree with the protesters, I. Think. The, sponsorship. Of something, like this has helped artists. Immeasurably. Over the last thirty, years is it at Bingo. Some. Feel arts institutions. Have little choice but to accept sponsorship, money in an era of austerity, the.
Arts Have been consistently, cut by. They have to generate income from other sources and, sponsorship. Is undoubtedly, one of the sensible ways in which they can do. The. Gallery security, try to prevent the protesters disrupting, the night. But. BP or not BP continues. The protest. The. Group argues that for some major corporations. Philanthropy. Is primarily, about whitewashing. Their reputations. They're. Buying a cleansing, of their image and they're doing so at a very cheap price it is not appropriate for, overwhelmingly. Publicly, funded institutions, to. Be. Laundering. The images, of corporations. That are working actively, against. The public interest. Around. The world revered, arts institutions. Are now questioning, the sources of philanthropic donations, they receive as in, storing the guggenheim museum to, protest, the, donors alleged ties to the opioid, crisis, in, 2019. The guggenheim, new york the tate and the National Portrait Gallery, refused, grants from the Sackler foundation, because, the Sackler family, were widely perceived to have profited from America's, opioid crisis. In, today's world perhaps, the most effective, checks on the motivations, and impact, of big philanthropy, come, from other big philanthropists. Today. Billionaire, Michael Bloomberg announced a 500, million dollar pledge to support efforts to phase out the nation's remaining coal-fired plants. Since. 2011. Former. Mayor of New York Michael, Bloomberg, has, donated over five hundred million, dollars to campaigns, to replace coal with clean energy in the US by. 2030. I am. Pleased to note that Bloomberg philanthropies is, making a pledge of 50 million dollars over the next four years to, support the Sierra Club's new grassroots, beyond call campaign but. In taking on the battle against climate change mr.. Bloomberg has also taken on other billionaire, philanthropists. On the opposing side of the debate. The. Koch brothers are among the nation's best known politically, active families, the billionaires network of political, action committees, and advocacy. Groups woodsmen, for decades Oil Barons Charles, Koch and his late brother David, have given billions of dollars to nonprofit, organizations in. Order to promote skepticism. About global, warming well. I give to my foundations. Is is. Is. All public, information. The. Koch donations. Have had a huge impact on strengthening, the climate change denial Lobby in America. Their. Money has helped attack, scientists. Who, work. In the climate change field, their. Money has. Helped. Underwrite. An, army of policy, wonks, and and lawyers, who poked holes in. In. Different, efforts to regulate greenhouse gas, emissions, the, cokes have pulled, all the, levers of power with, their wealth to try, to stop. The, momentum to. Regulate greenhouse gas, emissions. But. Michael Bloomberg's, donations, to his campaign, beyond, coal have, proved an influential, counterbalance. So. Far these have helped retire, 289. Coal plants, more than half the country's total. Michael. Bloomberg's philanthropy. Is a gift. To, this planet. Thanks. To the coal plants that we have retired. Through. The beyond coal campaign the, u.s. still. Has a chance of meeting its, commitments under, the Paris climate agreement even, despite, Trump its, philanthropy.
That's Harnessing. The, will of the. American people and our desire for, a better world for our kids. America. Has witnessed, the spectacle, of its most renowned philanthropists. Battling, it out over one of the world's most important, political issues, the story, of philanthropy, and climate change is the story of kind of billionaire. Versus billionaire, it's like watching these Greek gods throw, Thunderbolts. At each other you. Know the cokes versus. Bloomberg, and, that's. Increasingly. A story about a, lot of issues today that, you'll find billionaires, on both sides, of. The. Issue, it. Raises a fundamental, question how. Much political power should wealthy, but unelected, philanthropists, wield. I. Think. Bloomberg, is doing great work I am. Worried, about climate change I also think, Bloomberg, has way too much power for a single individual, you, can cheer, somebody, on in their philanthropy. Even. As you're concerned, about their, power in. A society which. Is supposed, to be a democracy, even. Do quiting even, philanthropy, even supporting, nonprofits it is still an exertion of power even, when it's good and the, whole point of. Modern. Democracies. Is, to. Limit the power of private. Individuals over public life that's, the whole game that's. Why we did this and, now. We have created a separate non equal system where billionaires can also influence, it by, just buying. Social. Change. While, powerful, and wealthy philanthropists. Are increasingly, giving away their money. Fewer. People on average are giving in the developed world than, two decades ago. A long-delayed. Reports, into sexual abuse by Oxfam workers in Haiti says it's a decline that's coincided. With scandals, that have rocked some of the world's best-known charities. You. Not only have taken people's money you, have taken people's sympathy, and you. Have, betrayed, them. Little. Wonder charities. Are now experimenting, with innovative, new approaches, to persuade donors, to part with their cash I. Am. Really excited about tonight I think it's gonna be great fun in. London project. Manager Jennifer Johnston, is about to give away her money but, she doesn't know how much not, a who. I. Don't, even consider myself a philanthropist, ready. Jennifer. Is one of 80 people, attending. An event organised, by the funding, network. Eret, is here have to compete for donors, bids wave. Cafe's goal is, to set up a vibrant, community arts, cafe in North London. It's. A live auction with. A difference, so. You put your hand up and when I point to you you say your name and the amount you'd like to give Caroline, 100, octopus. 100, okay 300. Yes. Martin one hundred, four. Hundred. Francesca. Franchesca, 100, Thank You Jennifer. 200. I. Was saying about 12, minutes we've ratcheted, up 15. Grand. Charities. Have just a few minutes, each for their pitch. At. An average event, the, funding Network raises, between 25, and 35, thousand, pounds in about 40, minutes we. Want to reduce those maternity, deaths and you can help us please. I have learned my budget already but that is inherent, when you come to advance notice, someone, could come along tonight and contribute 200, pounds but they will leave saying, I was part of a group of people that raised 30,000, pounds it's. A dynamic model, of giving and it's, making philanthropists. Out of anyone, with some cash to spare we. Believe we're democratizing. Philanthropy, something, that we all not only can do but have a responsibility. To do and that's that's what we take great pride in. There's. Lots of people from different backgrounds here tonight, I think what we've all got in common is, want. To engage, in, the community in. The issues that the world faces today I feel really inspired that is the point of the funding network you come here with your small contribution. To contribute, to the greater good the. Funding, network runs, events, across 25, countries worldwide, and hopes, to buck the trend in the developed world of, fewer individuals, giving to charity, I think. It's why it's for Holden on all of us who are working with in this area to, be transparent, to be open, to build trust with our donors and. To look at innovative ways of engaging or, re-engaging, people.
With. Rising demand, for transparency and accountability some. Charities, are offering, potential, donors a clearer, incentive. Results. Mm. Catherine. Kisara. I, Dominion. It it can. Kill em it's a small amount of funding Analia, can. Come Guinea, West, Africa. The. Front line in the fight against, a disease that kills, over 400,000. People worldwide, every year. Cabala. Lost her two-year-old son to malaria last, year. Never. Eaten Dylan. Annie Annie. Don't wanna, be. Seein Anya Nadya, Kalapana Salalah one Santa de fer fer McKenna me aitana. Yamato-kun. But. This is also the front line in a new approach to giving, that is rooted in hard economics. Here. One charity against. Malaria Foundation, is distributing. Mosquito, nets. In. Guinea they've, handed out four point eight million nets this year alone and they're, doing it because by analyzing, data they've, calculated, this is the most efficient, way to save lives. Rather. Than attracting, donors using marketing, techniques that play on emotion, the, charity, relies instead, on arguments, based on hard data. It's. A growing model, known, as effective. Altruism. Effective. Altruism, is a. Movement, and a philosophy, that aims. To use, reason. And evidence in. Order, to do the, most good possible, data. Is absolutely fundamental to everything we do it critically, allows us to say how. Many nets need to go to each household, so. That there is universal coverage achieves. Donors. Have confidence, that we're going to do what, we say we will do so, every two dollars every dollar. Really. Counts. Effective. Altruism relies. On charity. Evaluators, which search for and assess, nonprofits. That, save or improve the, most lives per dollar. The. Charities achieving, the best results are, published in a league table to, help donors, identify, which, will make best use of their money. Against. Malaria foundation, is consistently. Ranked as one of the highest for impact and accountability. If. We were going to buy a car we would look, at all the different options and try, to work out which is the best suited and which has best value for money it's bringing. That same scrutiny, that we bring to other you, know economic, areas into the charity sector in. The past ten years effective. Altruism, has contributed over a hundred, million dollars in donations towards. Against, malaria foundation. The. Charity says this has helped fund the distribution of 50 million bed nets worldwide, protecting. 90 million people and saving, around thirty thousand, lives. Economically. When you're ill and suffering from malaria you. Can't work you can't teach you can't farm, you really can't function and so it puts a burden on the, economies of these countries and, it's, estimated that, for. Every, dollar spent in, combating. And fighting malaria through, bed. Nets twelve. Dollars is generated. In GDP. For that country. But. Effective, altruism, EA has. Its critics who. Say giving is not a science, and, that there is more to charity than cold hard numbers.
Critics. Of EA have, said that it appeals, maybe. To. Logic, and not emotion. And we're here at a hospital today and there are numerous, young. Children, who. Are suffering from severe. Malaria, and you can see worried, parents everywhere I don't. See a lack of emotion in any of that at all. This. Scientific, approach to charitable, giving and work is on the rise and is assuming, innovative new forms. It's. Being used by some of today's class of billionaire, philanthropists. How. This plays out alongside their rising power will. Help to redefine, the impact, of altruism. And. How. Its perceived. You.
2020-02-08 13:42
