How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti *and Built Six Homes

[werepossum]

You know that huge charity telethon that Obama and all the major TV networks did at the time did seem to me nothing but a massive curated sociological scam.

"Scam" would imply that Obama and the networks were in on it, which clearly isn't the case. Rather it shows that very large organizations tend to center on their own existence than on their supposed reason for existing, so instead of economies of scale we get inefficiencies of size. The Canadian Red Cross also shows that to a large degree, this is avoidable. (Note that I'm assuming here poor performance on the part of the American Red Cross; it's possible that there is an agreed division of labor here to explain the difference, although the ARC's continued silence makes that seem unlikely.)

I do think celebrities (and networks) have a responsibility to make sure the causes and organizations they endorse are honest and efficient, but they don't exactly have control of those causes and organizations.

 

[norseamd]

I do think celebrities (and networks) have a responsibility to make sure the causes and organizations they endorse are honest and efficient, but they don't exactly have control of those causes and organizations.

Well I think the politicians, celebrities, networks, and businesses cared more about the show then the cause actually.

 

[werepossum]

Well I think the politicians, celebrities, networks, and businesses cared more about the show then the cause actually.

Agreed, in the same way many of the charities care more about the fundraising than about why they were fundraising. I just think "scam" is a bit harsh.