Just Donate Already
You’re on Facebook. Maybe a friend posts about it, or maybe you see something from a business who’s page you’ve liked. “For each share, I’ll donate $1 to Fantasia’s Fun Fund.” or “If we reach 100,000 likes, we’ll donate $500 to the American Cheeseburger Society.”
People buy into this like it’s candy. You think to yourself, “Oh, cool, I’m helping a great cause!” and with many, you are. But here’s why it’s bullshit.
Instead of just donating the money already, the individual or business leverages something that they might not do anyways, for their own selfish benefit. More likes, more leads, more sales. They might not even realize it’s selfish, but it is.
This is a concept that’s existed well before social networks and you’ve likely seen it in the wild with large corporations. “For every bag of chips you buy, part of the proceeds go to the Heart Disease Prevention Foundation.”
It’s just so easy to manipulate the average consumer into believing they’re helping a great cause when in all actuality, they’re aiding the organization by helping them get more awareness which leads to more sales which leads to more profits. Don’t get me wrong…
There are a lot of great companies out there who really do help with certain initiatives. You may know a few yourself. But quite often with many organizations, there is very little if any caring involved. The only care that’s given is if they can increase their bottom line.
So next time you see an individual or business pulling a stunt like this, think for a second. Are they trustworthy? Have they demonstrated their caring in other ways in the past? And as always, you can comment, “Just donate already.”
