Why on earth would a rational person give money to a charity?
Particularly a charity that supports strangers? What do they get?
A story. Every time someone donates to a good cause, they’re buying a story, a story that’s worth more than the amount they donated. It might be the story of doing the right thing, or fitting in, or pleasing a friend or honoring a memory, but the story has value.
It might be the story that they, and they alone are able to make this difference, or perhaps it’s the story of using leverage to change the world. For many, it’s the story of what it means to be part of a community.