________________ JainDigest and. men in long-term relationships aresignificantly which allows donors to purchase supplies or fund more likely to say that the relationship will projects for a specific group of students. Creating continue--and culminate in marriage. links between a specific donor and a specific classroom enables an emotional connection to But not only do gifts make us feel close to others; emerge from what would otherwise be a cold feeling closer to others makes us feel better about financial transaction. Teachers send thank-you gifts. Research shows that people derive more notes to donors, and students often do so as happiness from spending money on "strong ties" well. "When we deliver the initial thank-you note (such as significant others, but also close friends to the donor, our first ask is not for money," says and immediate family members) than on "weak DonorsChoose founder Charles Best. "Instead, ties" (think a friend of a friend, or a step-uncle). we ask the donor to write back to the classroom, and we measure success in the volume of two-way How you give and experience this connection is correspondence that we see between donors and important, too. To explore this idea, Lara Aknin, classrooms." who is now a professor at Simon Fraser University, decided to hand out $10 Starbucks gift cards. She 3. Make an Impact told some people to use the gift card to take another A donation to UNICEF (the United Nations person out for coffee. She told others to give the Children's Fund) helps children around the world. gift card away to someone else, but she insisted There is no denying the importance of this cause, that they refrain from accompanying that person but it can be hard to see how a small donation to Starbucks. So, people in both groups got the to such a large, nebulous organization will make chance to invest in others, specifically through the a concrete difference in a child's life. Contrast gift of caffeination, but only one group was allowed that with Spread the Net, which allows donors to spend time with the beneficiary of their gift. to contribute $10 to send one malaria net to sub-Saharan Africa. Their slogan? "A child dies Meanwhile, Lara handed out additional gift cards needlessly from malaria every minute. One bed to a different group of lucky people, telling them net can protect up to five children for five years. 1 to spend the gift card on themselves; half of these net. 10 bucks. Save lives." people went to Starbucks alone, while the others visited Starbucks with a friend but spent the card Both UNICEF and Spread the Net are worthy only on themselves. organizations devoted to children's well-being, and the two are partners. But it's a lot easier to see Who was happiest by the end of the day? The how your donation to Spread the Net will make people who used the gift card to benefit someone an impact. And, sure enough, research we've else and spent time with that person at Starbucks. conducted has found that when donors give money Investing and connecting provided the most to Spread the Net, they get a bigger happiness happiness. boost than when they give money to UNICEF. Think of your own pro-social spending budget in As that finding suggests, people feel better about terms of levels of connection. You're likely to get giving money when they can sense the real-world the biggest happiness bang for your prosocial buck impact of their generosity. Knowing that we're if you invest in others in ways that help you connect having an impact on someone else is another with people, especially people you care about critical factor in transforming good deeds into good feelings. But it's possible to create a sense of connection even with total strangers. A particularly strong What's more, enabling donors to see the specific example of that is the website DonorsChoose.org, impact of charitable initiatives carries a huge
