2022-07-17
37 分钟Is it O.K. to bother people for a good cause? Why do people donate to charity in the first place? And do those personalized address labels actually make people get out their checkbooks?
We are good people.
You're good people.
I'm Angela Duckworth.
I'm Steven Dubner, and you're listening to.
No stupid questions today on the show.
Is it worth it for charities to harass and annoy potential donors?
Hey, we know it's a pain in the neck to get 18 letters a year.
Do you think we like having to send out that many letters?
Steven?
We have an email from a listener named Michelle.
Are you ready for it?
I'm ready.
Steven and Angela, why are charities spending money to annoy their donors?
I like Michelle.
Michelle goes on to explain, I have in recent years made it a priority to donate more to charities I care about, but didn't expect that.
One of the long lasting repercussions is that I am now constantly bombarded with junk mail, sometimes with a bunch of personalized address labels or other quote free stuff from multiple charities multiple times a week.
This can't be a good use of their money, right?
Especially in the age of email.
In fact, I tend to donate again to charities who don't send me as much stuff because it makes me feel like they are focusing their money and efforts on actually doing good work.
I would love to hear you discuss this phenomenon, both from the economic and psychological perspective.