Reductionism in the So-Called Science of Giving? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly

Reductionism in the So-Called Science of Giving? - NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly: As we are in the end-of-year period when people traditionally think about making charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations and causes, we recognize that there are almost as many reasons to give as there are donors. But what donors give to and what they should expect to see from their gift has been a fairly hot topic, particularly with the growing emphasis on outcomes in the sector. As one article in NPQ has reported, there have been many studies and much investment in looking at what donors want. With no firm conclusions to be had, there are nonetheless legions of advocates who are wed to the idea that even if metrics are not what donors want as deciders in their giving, they should be. Now, in a blog on the New York Times website, Tina Rosenberg writes about a researcher from Oxford University, Toby Ord, who suggests that donors should give to those organizations that are the most effective in having an impact on the most significant issues (by the way, if you read this blog posting, do open up the comments section, as there have been some very interesting and intelligent responses posted there from around the world).