The American social psychologist C. Daniel. Batson, believes that we help each other out of genuine concern for ones well-being. according to his 'empathy-altruism hypothesis' if someone feels empathy towards another person, they will help them, regardless of what they can gain from it (1991).
The number one free fundraising cite out there today is GoFundMe. The simple process of starting up a fundraiser and getting it out there across multiple social platforms is almost effortless.
I used GoFundMe while in high school to help fund travel expenses for a national competition. The support I received was more than I had expected and looking back on this experience now, I was curious as to why people would support a fundraiser that they would not personally gain from (physical reward).
As we talked about helping others in chapter 10 I came across an article online called In Helping Other, You Help Yourself by Dr. Marianna Pogosyan [1]. In the article she explains that;
Research has found many examples of how doing good, in ways big or small, not only feels good, but also does us good. For instance, the well-being-boosting and depression-lowering benefits of volunteering have been repeatedly documented. As has the sense of meaning and purpose that often accompanies altruistic behavior. Even when it comes to money, spending it on others predicts increases in happiness compared to spending it on ourselves. Moreover, there is now neural evidence from fMRI studies suggesting a link between generosity and happiness in the brain. For example, donating money to charitable organizations activates the same (mesolimbic) regions of the brain that respond to monetary rewards or sex. In fact, the mere intent and commitment to generosity can stimulate neural change and make people happier.
As it turns out, there is a physical benefit to helping others as it reduces stress and creates a positive mood. This then lead me to look at some of the most successful GoFundMe pages to see how their stories caught the attention of so many people. I'm sure many of you aware of the Humboldt Broncos. The Canadian hockey team was traveling to a game when it collided with an oncoming semi-truck. half the team passed away and those who survived were seriously injured. The cite managed to raise nearly 11.5 million dollars to help the unprecedented crisis.
It is clear that there are personal benefits to our overall health, reducing stress, feeling good about ourselves, and boosting our mood to name a few. But, taking the time to lend a hand to someone in need of assistance or donating to a charity can make more of an impact than you may realize. Creating new friendship, strengthening a community after a disaster, or giving someone that second chance to fight an illness. In what ways have you reached out to help someone in need?
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
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References:
[1] Pogosyan, Marianna. “In Helping Others, You Help Yourself.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 30 May 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-cultures/201805/in-helping-others-you-help-yourself.
[2] Glusac, Melina. “The Most Successful GoFundMe Campaigns of All Time.” INSIDER, INSIDER, 16 Nov. 2018, www.thisisinsider.com/best-gofundme-campaigns-2018-11#2-funds-for-humboldt-broncos-cad-15172200-11511299-19.
[3] “Helping Others Quotes (453 Quotes).” Goodreads, Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/helping-others
[4] Cherry, Kendra. “Why We Risk Our Own Well-Being to Help Others.” Verywell Mind, www.verywellmind.com/what-is-altruism-2794828.
Sites like GoFundMe are wonderful because they allow you to help people out even if you are hundreds of miles away from the people in need. I remember the day that the Humboldt Broncos crash occurred. I follow the sport of hockey pretty closely and the GoFundMe page was advertised on the NHL Network quite often, which helped spread the word. It’s really amazing how many people came together to raise so much money for the team. With the news of a disaster/tragedy being spread around, it can encourage others to help as well. When we see other people helping someone, we may feel more inclined to do our part. People even started putting hockey sticks outside their doors in honor of those that were lost in the crash. There was a huge community that was built around helping those that were injured, and mourning the ones that were lost. Every so often I’ll see updates (shared by TSN or Sportsnet) on how some of the players are doing in their rehab, and it’s a nice way of showing people how their contribution to the GoFundMe page is helping some of these young men get better. It is incredible the amount of help that people can do if we all come together to support someone in need.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Morgan, it is really amazing to see people come together to help out those in need and the Humboldt Broncos are a great example of that. But, there are so many more events going on that we we sometimes experience first hand like the Father's Day Flood last summer. I was taking classes at Michigan Tech and saw the whole process from the destruction to the cleaning and rebuilding and most importantly the community coming together to lend a helping hand. It didn't stop there, even through the school year MTU clubs such as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) helped raise money for the Markham family who lost their son Thatcher. It's been great to see what has been accomplished but there is still much to repair.
ReplyDeleteHey, great blog post! I very much enjoyed it and have a question for you. I am curious what category of people you would say this site helps the most? I think your experience in using this site may be beneficial to answering this question. Thanks in advance David.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response Jason. The site GoFundMe does take a small percentage of the total earnings to make a profit for themselves (less then 10 percent). The rest of the earnings goes towards those that the money is either being sent as a donation such as myself or others. Overall the site benefits those that make the account or are being given the donation. That is the purpose of the site in general, to help/benefit those in need and create an easy to do so.
DeleteThanks for your response David! I was a little more critical of GoFundMe. I think of it almost as a way for privileged people to help privileged people. While we may be able to discuss and define privilege, I think you may understand what I mean. Do you agree or just look at GoFundMe as a way to help any and all kinds of people.
DeleteThank you for clarifying that, I have seen some GoFundMe accountants that are cringy due to the fact that they are clearly trying to benefit themselves in situations that are almost pointless.
DeleteHowever, I would say that I have seen more GoFundMe pages regarding helping others through tragic events, hygiene products for homeless, or poverty across the globe.
To answer your question, in my perspective, I have seen it both ways but those that benefit an actual purpose are those that are most successful.
I agree that more people are willing to donate and show support to those who are in tough situations, and are oriented about getting their story out. The people who expect funding and have selfish goals, I would agree do not do as well.
DeleteSome people say that selflessness, or selfless deeds/help, can't really exist because we get something out of it, as you've described in your article, even if there's no trivially obvious "reward".
ReplyDeleteHowever.... is this such a bad thing? Perhaps selflessness in its truest form could be seen as referring to self-sacrifice to the degree that any physiological reward we get out of it still leads to a net negative. Or perhaps we as humans are simply incapable of the selflessness found in the dictionary.
I tend to believe we are incapable of selflessness and that there's always some benefit to us when we choose to perform a good deed or to help others, even if it is simple happiness for it.
DeleteI don't think it's a bad thing. Being "rewarded" in some way for doing good things and helping others motivates people to do so, which ensures those good deeds actually occur. I see no reason why that shouldn't be the case.
Looking at the example I have it is true that the reward seen by helping is more psychological/physical. But, I would argue that there are selfless deeds out there such as serving in the military to the point that one sacrifices his/her own life or perhaps the example of being a parent. the constant sacrifice of to benefit the child(ren).
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that many of the good things that people post on social media are often used just to get likes. I think that Go Fund Me is where the genuine good in people shows through. You can donate anonymously or you can simply spread the word. There is no real gain to people who are not directly affected by the donation (aside from the good feelings that you mentioned). People do this out of the goodness of their heart for people that they have never even met before. I think that Go Fund Me has brought out some of the best aspects of humanity in a way that no other site on the internet has.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Brenna, I agree that the big picture/goal of GoFundMe has been for benefit of those seeking help and doing so through a wide audience to spread the positive impact. It's always nice seeing people coming together to help those in tough circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job on your article! distance can be a problem when it comes to lending a helping hand, because you think it is out of their control and they are too far to make a difference, but the point you make about GoFundMe makes it clear that you can be involved, and show support and help to those who need it by reading there story and being a part of the emotional experience. It helps make connections.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, websites like GoFundMe can speed up the process to reach more people and raise more money in a short time to reduce the stress for waiting in emergency situations like families that lose houses to fires.
DeleteI definetly appreciate the positives of GoFundMe pages. It's awesome that so many people are willing to donate money to causes that really don't have a direct concern to themselves. However I also think it is very important to give in other ways besides money. There are so many other ways of helping out those in need. Just one example that I've been able to complete several times is helping people out of the ditch in winter. Growing up in the UP, this opportunity has often presented itself, but its always surprised me how many people will just drive past somebody stuck in the snow.
ReplyDeleteI can understand your viewpoint. I grew up here as well and have spent countless hours shoveling tons of snow to free neighbors, friends, and strangers.
DeleteI think that this is important to learn. I feel as though there's a lot of obsession with owning more things, becoming wealthier, and so on. But it seems as though, at least past the point of certain needs being met, more money doesn't equate to more happiness. Often the contrary is true. Instead, being generous and giving to others seems to have a stronger impact on happiness. Maybe people should be more concerned with what they can do for the world instead of what they can do for themselves?
ReplyDeleteFrom an individual standpoint I can understand that (helping others/world), but if someone has a family to take care of I believe that their family becomes the priority (themselves/family).
DeleteGoFundMe is nice both in how accessible it is, and how easy it is to find causes you'd like to donate to. Even if you deem donating online as more impersonal than donating to a local charity, it's hard to imagine that you wouldn't still develop a sense of happiness out of supporting something financially. Even if your own health or stress relief aren't anywhere near the forefront of your mind when you do a good deed, merely "feeling good" can have wild effects on your selfless actions. This was a good read!
ReplyDeleteThank you Adam,
DeleteDonating to charities like Red Cross can always come back around to help out your home town/city. Being as large of a charity as they are.