June 3, 2026
The Donation Riddle
Normally, when you give someone money, you get something in return.
We call this “buying something”.
But when you give money to a charity, what are you buying?
You might say...
“I’m not buying anything!!! I’m making a donation!”
...and I get that, but I think there’s something more important going on than the mere semantics of buying vs donating.
Charitable donations are a fabulous example of the extent to which buyers (or, if you prefer, “donors”) are willing to exchange cold, hard cash for intangible benefits.
What do I mean by intangible benefits?
- Improved self-perception
- Increased feeling of purpose
- Increased sense of belonging
- Heightened perception of status
- Decreased sense of helplessness
- Discharge of moral obligation
- Decreased feelings of grief or guilt
- Increased odds of lasting legacy
What do all these benefits have in common?
These are all subjective experiences that are internal to the donor.
Strictly speaking, they are not tangible.
You can not hold them in your hand.
But they are super duper real.
Here’s the thing...
The same sort of dynamic is at play whenever anyone buys anything.
Even when a buyer receives a tangible object in exchange for their money, they are probably also receiving a bunch of intangible benefits.
And some of those intangible benefits might be way more important to them than the physical object.
So...
When your clients give you their money, what are some of the intangible benefits they might be buying?
Yours,
—J
P.S. The karate school that my kids and I have been going to since 2015 is running a charity event this weekend.
Our goal was to raise $50,000 for kids in RI who don’t have sufficient access to food outside of school hours (i.e., nights, weekends, and school breaks).
Unfortunately, the event is less than 48 hours away, and we’re 30% short of our goal.
I know times are tough right now, but if you have even a few dollars to spare for a good cause, I’d greatly appreciate anything you could contribute. TIA!
(Please feel free to share this link with your friends and family if you think this is something they’d want to support.)