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Dan Houser discusses Giving Games and A Path That’s Clear in a recent presentation. Dan is Professor and Chairman in the Department of Economics at George Mason University and Director of ICES (The Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science). The full webinar of his talk, presented to the Science of Philanthropy Institute, is available here.
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Testimonials
Giving Games are getting great reviews. See what participants and others have to say.
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What Others Are Saying
The Giving Games on this website should stimulate people to think about what they contribute to the solution of real ethical problems that we all face. Nor are they just games - playing them has real practical consequences that will change lives. The games can be used for a variety of causes, and show our ability to contribute to make a difference. They are also a fascinating social experiment in learning and in changing behavior.
-Peter Singer Ira W. Decamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University (Bio).
Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Giving Games are a great way to introduce people to thinking about charity and effectiveness for the first time. And they can be really fun both to participate in, and to run. A lot of the feedback we received from people who took part in the second game [organized by Giving What We Can: Cambridge] said that they enjoyed how much more interactive the evening had been than a normal talk - so Giving Games can be a great way to build a local [philanthropy] chapter too.
-Jacob Trefethen of GWWC: Cambridge, from his blog post How Giving Games Can Spread the Word About Smarter Charity Choices.
I used a Giving Game as the basis for several meetings of the Ethics Club at the Virginia Military Institute. We talked about the best ways to make a difference in the world, how to assess charities. and which of two organizations it would be more effective for us to support. Our discussions were lively, the experience was eye-opening for all of us, and thanks to the generosity of A Path That's Clear we were able to do real good through a donation to the charity of our choice.
-Duncan Richter
Professor of Philosophy at the Virginia Military Institute
Being involved in the Giving Game as a participant and as a moderator has opened my eyes to the immediate importance of the psychology behind charity. I've learned that for the majority of people, decisions as to what and where to give are informed by a surprisingly small group of considerations, the most important of which is simple awareness of need. I've come to believe that more extensive and effective giving will result from clearer and more consistent "marketing" of charities.
-Cal Peyser, Princeton '15
The conversations helped people solidify their values thoughts and ideas. There was no right answer. I think that people were comfortable throughout the process and thought through tough ideas… I was so proud to have facilitated for an hour and forty minutes. I learned a lot for the future and look forward to the opportunity to lead another Giving Game. I think that it is a great way to bond a group and carry out really important discussions. I look forward to seeing more Giving Games pop up around Brandeis and other college campuses. We do not sit down and have group conversations frequently enough and the Giving Game set up a comfortable atmosphere for discussion and grappling with challenging ideas. Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity to facilitate a Giving Game.
-Brandeis undergraduate, '13
-Peter Singer Ira W. Decamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University (Bio).
Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Giving Games are a great way to introduce people to thinking about charity and effectiveness for the first time. And they can be really fun both to participate in, and to run. A lot of the feedback we received from people who took part in the second game [organized by Giving What We Can: Cambridge] said that they enjoyed how much more interactive the evening had been than a normal talk - so Giving Games can be a great way to build a local [philanthropy] chapter too.
-Jacob Trefethen of GWWC: Cambridge, from his blog post How Giving Games Can Spread the Word About Smarter Charity Choices.
I used a Giving Game as the basis for several meetings of the Ethics Club at the Virginia Military Institute. We talked about the best ways to make a difference in the world, how to assess charities. and which of two organizations it would be more effective for us to support. Our discussions were lively, the experience was eye-opening for all of us, and thanks to the generosity of A Path That's Clear we were able to do real good through a donation to the charity of our choice.
-Duncan Richter
Professor of Philosophy at the Virginia Military Institute
Being involved in the Giving Game as a participant and as a moderator has opened my eyes to the immediate importance of the psychology behind charity. I've learned that for the majority of people, decisions as to what and where to give are informed by a surprisingly small group of considerations, the most important of which is simple awareness of need. I've come to believe that more extensive and effective giving will result from clearer and more consistent "marketing" of charities.
-Cal Peyser, Princeton '15
The conversations helped people solidify their values thoughts and ideas. There was no right answer. I think that people were comfortable throughout the process and thought through tough ideas… I was so proud to have facilitated for an hour and forty minutes. I learned a lot for the future and look forward to the opportunity to lead another Giving Game. I think that it is a great way to bond a group and carry out really important discussions. I look forward to seeing more Giving Games pop up around Brandeis and other college campuses. We do not sit down and have group conversations frequently enough and the Giving Game set up a comfortable atmosphere for discussion and grappling with challenging ideas. Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity to facilitate a Giving Game.
-Brandeis undergraduate, '13
Excerpts from Giving Games
It was nice to think about donating to a charity because I feel like most of the time, if I am going to donate to a charity, I do not really think about why I am donating. I just do it because I feel morally obligated... I am now more inclined to actually research charities instead of just believing everything they say.
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a post-game feedback form
I thought that the overall experience was great. Donating to charity is something that occurs on a daily basis but often little thought is given as to where the money will go. I think that this experience was excellent to analyze giving in a different perspective.
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a post-game feedback form
I don’t think that people should be giving every single penny to charity and constantly be thinking about people in need, but I do think that when consciousness arises you do have an obligation to give to people, if you feel like you are able. Which I feel we are, considering our budget and other things… We don’t think about charity every single day of our lives, obviously. But, our consciousness has been, I don’t know, "awakened"… We’re thinking about it now, and why would we think about charity and then decide not to [give where it will have the most impact]?
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a Giving Game discussion
I do believe that our moral obligation, about whether or not we give this money to charity is no greater or less than for all of our money, because we don’t really need any of our money. So I’m wondering why we choose to give this money to charity and not other money to charity. And if we choose not to give other money to charity, I don’t know why we choose to give this money to charity.
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a Giving Game discussion
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a post-game feedback form
I thought that the overall experience was great. Donating to charity is something that occurs on a daily basis but often little thought is given as to where the money will go. I think that this experience was excellent to analyze giving in a different perspective.
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a post-game feedback form
I don’t think that people should be giving every single penny to charity and constantly be thinking about people in need, but I do think that when consciousness arises you do have an obligation to give to people, if you feel like you are able. Which I feel we are, considering our budget and other things… We don’t think about charity every single day of our lives, obviously. But, our consciousness has been, I don’t know, "awakened"… We’re thinking about it now, and why would we think about charity and then decide not to [give where it will have the most impact]?
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a Giving Game discussion
I do believe that our moral obligation, about whether or not we give this money to charity is no greater or less than for all of our money, because we don’t really need any of our money. So I’m wondering why we choose to give this money to charity and not other money to charity. And if we choose not to give other money to charity, I don’t know why we choose to give this money to charity.
-Undergraduate participant
Quote from a Giving Game discussion