When I was at the store, I was asked whether I wanted to “round up” my purchase to the nearest dollar. It’s a powerful tactic because you feel like a cheapskate if you say no, but it does make me wonder about the logistics of all that extra collection.
When I rounded up at the National Park store, they were clear that every dollar stayed within the local park to supplement their normal funding. I was happy to contribute my cents.
But at the chain store, it went to “help food banks.” Of course, that is a noble cause given the recent suspension of SNAP funds, but does that mean the corporation gets a hefty write-off when they give a check with all of our contributions? Do they match the customers’ donations? Does the money stay local, and when/how is it distributed to them? I had more questions than answers about my 48 cent variance.
If you’re helping promote or seeking donations to a cause, be clear about the process surrounding it. It’s one thing to make it easy to give; another to make people feel good about doing so.
