I’ve made a list. When I come into wealth, I’m going to finally go on that vacation, I’ll buy that bag, I will do that thing. And then, I started thinking about the work that money could do for the world. After I take care of myself, how can I take care of someone else? Of course, there is always family in need, but what next?
Maybe I’d establish a scholarship fund at my alma mater. Or maybe a program for girls needs support. Or maybe I could set up a request line for people to submit to receive funds. And then I get stuck, with this money still being imaginary, on whether or not that would be the right choice.
What makes a good choice? Is it based on how I’ll feel after making the donation to the school? Is it following the stories of students who were able to earn a degree debt-free? Is it the reports of the girls and skills they developed through the programming? I’m not sure. How do you measure impact? What makes a donation worth it?
It’s the idea of impact. I would want whatever money I give to do the most good possible. I would want the greatest amount of change to come from the least amount of money. But I don’t think that’s quite the right choice either. I don’t know if equations are for people. I don’t know if multiplying dollars invested times number of people served really equals impact.
I have got a lot of questions and critiques for typical philanthropy, especially corporate philanthropy. But I could see myself falling into the same pit in this fictional future. How do you give well, without reducing people to numbers?
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