Consumer Philanthropy: It’s a Good Thing

The holidays have come and gone and as I return to school, I reflect with my friends the highs and lows of the season, mostly, regarding presents. For a few years now, all my friends and family have received a card in the mail or under the tree. That card includes a heartfelt message proclaiming my love and appreciation in the first part. The second half goes into detail about the girl or woman that I have sponsored for that year. Whether it is for a fistula surgery, educational fees, vocational training, or a micro-loan, my family and friends receive the specifics and personal story (impact) of the life I hope to change in their honor. This year, mostly due to my readings, classmates, and exposure to new organizations, I have come across more opportunities for consumer philanthropy. While reading “The Hidden Costs of Cause Marketing,” I began to question consumer philanthropy and really look at my why I would buy a Feed Bear for my 6 year old nephew.
Some of Angela Eikenberry’s comments resonated with the part of me that recognized that not all citizens are as driven to ‘do good’ in the same sense that my colleagues and I may be. Perhaps there is some truth to the argument that cause marketing makes philanthropy ‘too easy’ and is only enabling citizens to continue to disconnect from their humanity and render a false sense of virtue and good. I also recently read an article on Change.org that there is a potential for corporations to take advantage of the consumer philanthropy ‘fad’ to increase profits and not actually contribute a proportionate amount to the cause that they advertise.
Alas, I think that there is opportunity for exploitation in almost any good idea/cause, therefore I choose to pick my battles, and the battle against consumer philanthropy is not one I can get behind. I explained to my mother recently, that I support consumer philanthropy even though some of the money goes to a commodity, for two main reasons. One, I believe it is increasingly important to expose the younger generations to the world outside of their Facebook friends, classmates, and most difficultly, themselves. Therefore, I think the value of purchasing a bear that represents a cause, idea, child, and issue that is greater than the bear itself has a higher value than a set of legos or Paper Jamz. My nephew may only be 6 years old, a.k.a. not yet the age where he recognizes a world much larger than his immediate community and daily routine, but simply generating a conversation with his mother about why the bear says, “Feed the children of the world,” could plant the seed for the future understanding of the plight of other children. When his friends, or his mother’s friends, visit the house they will ask what the bear stands for and he will be able to spread the message. Leading to the reason number two, flipping the funnel. When my mom uses her Girl Effect mug that I made at work, she is able to tell her colleagues about the importance of education in developing countries and encourage them to visit the site. I truly believe that solutions, changes, and societal shifts have to come from grassroots social movements and greater awareness. So if that means I am going to spend a couple extra dollars for a philanthropic gift in order to educate my family and their friends, that is worth the value of the product to me. Of course I would love to just give money, tell a story, and have that be it, but in our material world, my strategy is to advocate and utilize consumer philanthropy.