Charities Using Naming Rights

Many people find it difficult to ignore pleas for assistance to citizens of poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. At the same time, it is often difficult to demonstrate convincingly that this private assistance makes a big difference and this has led to cynicism about what real difference one can make. However, a number of philanthropists are matching dollars to big but useful ideas in a way that is making a difference and exploiting market mechanisms. In this article by Nicholas Kristof of the NYT, it is clear that in spite of the broad cynicism about charity from the countries whose citizens have higher incomes, there are new approaches to delivering assistance with better results than before.

To my mind, the most impressive is the offer for naming rights to wells in countries where a given charity has sunk a number. I find the replication of naming rights together with specific GPS coordinates an interesting way for verifying that the project does exist. Given the lucrative contracts that companies have had for Stadiums and other sports facilities, I think that this illustrates the growing sophistication of these charities in harnessing new opportunities. Giving credit where it is due, i am not sure whether the proliferation of wells is not always the best way to deliver water to rural villages.

However, I think that the possibility of extending naming rights to portions of tropical forest, coral reefs or fragile lands may be an idea that private sector firms may explore as green messages help in communication of environmental awareness.