Philanthropic Advice

Nick Kristof is an especially observant and thoughtful journalist. Daughter Abby applied for an internship with him a few years back through a contest. That's when I first heard of him; she didn't win, but we've all admired him since.

Outside magazine published this article by him the other day. I love what he says about personalizing the great needs around the world. When we hear terms like "millions," "epidemic," "plague," etc., as individuals, we feel overwhelmed. And because the problems are distant, we can turn them off in our minds, and we don't feel the pain.

But that's not moving the ball down the field. To be good communicators for our cause, we must learn some things. Putting a face and a name and hopes and dreams with the problem makes it much more do-able and personal. I think this is why Pastor Val and the children he cares for have been such an easy "sell" for lack of a better word. Not that we set out to pitch anything. It's just that this little place is not that difficult to take care of. It's relatively closeby and easy to get to, it's cheap to feed kids in Haiti, it's absolutely do-able!

People are generous when they feel connected to the individual. And they are much more generous when there is some hope! All that sad statistic-waving is just plain depressing, and doesn't get me in the mood to really help. Big numbers and pitiful faces don't motivate most folks. I just want to lighten the load off my conscience. (I'm thinking of those LONG commercials for Save the Children, with pathetic faces oozing and fly-infested...) And sadly, I can usually do that by switching the channel.

So I first give praise to God for moving on the hearts of so many people to get involved. But I also know that from a genuine first-person touch, in a manageable project, people really feel like they are personally making a difference. There aren't 10 layers of volunteers to go through to be connected to Pastor Val...just the Mettys. And I can take you there, too if you want to go!