KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010 / NEWS
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ous reasons. In some cases, people give because they feel morally obligated to do so. In others, people are looking for a tax break.
"If it's generosity, they're doing it to create a better world and to alleviate someone's suffering, but others do it for a tax cut," Gillath said.
"The exact same behavior can have a very different incentive."
Social pressure, though it can have a negative association, also affects the act of giving. He said that just as you may start going
$58 million, a new record for money raised by a disaster relief telethon.
Gillath said seeing celebrities or role models give to certain causes can make others want to help as well.
"It's the same thing with your mother — if your mother gives
"People want to know that their help can end people's suffering."
to the gym because your friends do, you may also give because of those around you.
MEDIA IMPACT
OMRI GILLATH Professor of social psychology
Gillath said the media undoubtedly has an effect on donations. Days after the earthquake, celebrities such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake took part in the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon, which aired on all major networks and generated more than
to something,
you're more like
to give," Gillath
said.
While some celebrities took part in oil-spill relief in the gulf, many major celebrities were absent. "Gulf Aid," a benefit
concert featuring musicians likes Mos Def and Lenny Kravitz, raised $350,000 far less than other celebrity efforts.
"When the earthquake happened, all these organizations said, 'Here's how you can help,'" Jackson said.
Heather Jackson, a campus minister with Campus Christians, traveled to Haiti to help with relief projects. She said a lack of awareness is what separates the Haiti relief from the oil spill.
"I don't really see that with the oil spill. Groups are saying 'This happened,' but they don't say how to help."
DONATING MADE EASY
Haiti relief groups took advantage of social media as a means to spread their message and to make it easy for people to donate. According to the American Red Cross, $22 million was donated to Haiti relief just through its text messaging program, which charged $10 to cell phone bills each time "Haiti" was texted to its number.
Earthquake damage on Rue Liberte in Jacmel, Haiti minutes after the Jan. 12 earthquake . Hundreds of lives were lost in the city of Jacmel and thousands were already projected to have been lost in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Sean Elliot, a junior from Overland Park who helped organize a Haiti benefit concert, said the lower involvement in oil spill relief could be because it was a man-made problem, while Haiti's earthquake was a natural disaster.
"The nature of the problems are completely different," Elliot said. "The involvement level of regular people in America seems to be a lot less; it doesn't seem like people think they can be involved."
Elliot, president of Delta Force, a Lawrence community service-based group, said his group became involved in the Haiti relief effort
because of the number of displaced people from the earthquake. Delta Force joined other student groups to hold a benefit concert last semester.
"The numbers to us seemed out of this world," Elliot said. "We didn't want to stand there and do nothing about it, especially because it's so close to the U.S."
Elliot said the groups like the American Red Cross made donating for Haiti relief easy, whereas the complexity of the oil spill made it harder for people to understand what was needed or what organizations were involved.
"The American Red Cross was ready," Elliot said. "All they needed was the money."
Delta Force is planning a benefit for oil-spill victims in late August. The money will be donated to the United Way.