“Do It Yourself Foreign Aid” and Altruism

Altruism, unselfish regard for the welfare of others, provides the motivation for people to do good for others either through being a social innovator themselves or supporting organizations that help people in innovative ways. If we are prone to act unselfishly and are motivated to help others, then we feel good when we do so.

In a recent NY Times article, “Is Pure Altruism Possible,” it states that “we have to raise people from their ‘very youth’ and educate them as to both delight in and to be pained by the things that we ought,” including being pained by the widespread suffering as a result of poverty. If more people are aware of what is going on around them and care about these issues, especially with altruistic motivation, more people will take action.

A recent New York Times article and blog entry are closely linked with this week’s topic, “Drivers of Social Innovation and Human-Centered Design Thinking,” concerning creative solutions to social problems and what drives people to initiate and support these solutions. Nicholas Kristof writes about the “D.I.Y. Foreign-Aid Revolution,” followed up an article in his blog, “How to Change the World,” providing details about a selection of organizations that are working to relieve poverty around the world.

Kristof provides readers with the opportunity to donate to a variety of organizations online that use the money to provide goods and services to people in poverty. We all know that giving to an organization and making a positive impact will feel good, at least to those of us with altruistic tendencies. So why don’t we give our money and time more often, or at all, to organizations doing good for others?

What about the possibility that altruism is contagious? So, the altruistic bug just hasn’t bitten us yet. He sees hope for us though. Kristof writes about this effect: “That first run was exhilarating, and left Shannon with the warm, fuzzy and novel feeling that she was really doing some good in the world.”

As a society, more altruism and care for others is possible. Kristof presents the following idea: “The challenge is to cultivate an ideology of altruism, to spread a culture of social engagement and then to figure out what people can do at a practical level.” Given that people with increased knowledge about the suffering in the world are able to make change through the many organizations that are just clicks away through the Internet, or by becoming social innovators, there is hope that more people will give their time and/or money to help others.

These ideas lead me to believe that we need to plant seeds of altruistic behavior, and the rest will take its course through contagion. What role should this movement of social entrepreneurship take in increasing awareness of social problems in the world and enticing others to take action as well?