The app for independent voices
Donation matching schemes reveal interesting inconsistencies in my preferences.
On the one hand, they probably make me want to give more than I otherwise would. This is good!
On the other hand, if the size of the original impact had counterfactually been 50% larger (or whatever the size of the match is) before donation matching became an option (ie if pre-matching SWP originally helped 2100/year/$ rather than 1400), I think I would have only given the same amount as I currently do.
Because donation matching makes me want to donate more, and because this amount seems larger than the one in the counterfactual world, I learn that
My preferences are irrational and pretty dependent on framing (naturally and unsurprisingly), and
The amount I’m currently donating is probably not even close to what it would be if I were to fully visualize the scale of my impact.
To maintain consistent preferences, I’m essentially left with 2 options:
(Probably) donate a lot more in general
Barely let donation matching adjust my willingness to give
In general, it bothers me how little my marginal willingness to do good seems related to the size of the good done. It also kinda annoys me that having rational and internally consistent preferences will probably lead to worse outcomes for the world when people think about them carefully and choose option 2.