Selfish Charity


Many consider corporate charity a noble undertaking. When you consider who really pays for this charity, however, its morality becomes questionable. Charitable donors usually get both pleasure and pain. The pleasure results from knowing you have helped someone and from getting recognition for your good deeds. The pain comes from actually having to give away your own money. When you give away other people’s money, however, it’s all pleasure.

Stockholders own public companies. Consequently, when an executive donates some of her company’s money to charity, she is really giving away her shareholders’ money. Imagine if a college professor forced each of his students to donate $100 to some charity of the professor’s choice. Few would praise the professor’s generosity.

Knowing that it’s easier to give away other people’s money than one’s own, charitable groups often look to corporations for money. Charities often reward those who contribute to them. When charities seek corporate money, however, they should focus more on rewarding the giver than the stockholders. After all, the person who controls the money is far more important than the person who merely owns it.




Game Theory at Work(c) How to Use Game Theory to Outthink and Outmaneuver Your Competition
Game Theory at Work(c) How to Use Game Theory to Outthink and Outmaneuver Your Competition
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 260

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