Sasha Dichter a member of the Acumen Fund speaks to us about his 30 day experiment in saying “yes” to everyone asking him for money. After his experiment, he shares with us the benefits of giving freely to others.
Ditchter states that although he did not know where/how his money was used, he realized that we need to be more open about how we give. He states that there is a “right” kind of investment. However, he does not discuss what “right” means.
Philanthropy, according to Sasha, is about risk taking. Being generous with ones money and asking tough questions is how he envisions the betterment of the world.
Here are a few questions that popped into my head while listening to Sasha:
What are you thoughts on his experiment? What do you think Sasha means when he states that tough questions need to be asked? Do you think that Sasha’s experiment was too simplistic or reflective of what needs to be done from an organization perspective? is this in line with the way you perceive generosity?
I think one problem with Sasha’s experiment is that he was dealing in money. Generosity isn’t necessarily about giving in monetary terms but also includes other forms of “giving” through time and effort for example. Still, an interesting watch!
Alkamist, I completely agree with you. That was one of my concerns with his talk. I also found that his thinking does not lead to self sufficiency. So, even though his experiment can bring about a sense of empathy and generosity it seems that this sense of giving should not be separated from the aspects of sustainability.
It is also strange that we persist in splitting the non-profit sector from the for-profit. Why do we act like these are two different worlds? Sentiments in the non-profit sector are always reflected in the personalities running for-profit, and private-market initiatives are always employed by non-profits. I think this continuous discourse separating the two is unhealthy for our children… they need to grow up in a world where there are more commonalities than differences.