A Contrarian Speaks up for New Charities

Christine Cronin, manager of a website (www. NYCharities.org) which encourages giving to literally myriads of charities in New York state, counters the conventional wisdom that too many charitable organizations are fighting for the same dollars, thus causing worthy charities to be underfunded. According to Cronin, market forces can use the large number of choices as a good thing, forcing inefficient charities to either improve or lose ground. To support her argument, she cites the large amount of expected giving ($41 trillion in the next decade) to charities and heirs and points out the importance of dedication and passion to the growth of causes, indeed pointing out how the feminist movement tended to have duplication in its early years before hitting its stride.

This is one of those questions, like whether Protestant Christianity has too many denominations, which does not have an easy answer. One man's passion is another's duplication.