ninme

The Times - Press a key, raise a billion for charity
Colombia’s cash machines help us to count our blessings, by Matthew Parris

Just occasionally you encounter abroad an idea so smart that you cannot think why it hasn’t been adopted here. Colombia, whence I’ve just returned, has cash machines like ours. They work fine with British cards, paying out in Colombian pesos. The procedure’s the same, except that before pressing the final proceed key you are asked on-screen whether you wish to donate the equivalent of about (a) 30p; (b) 60p; or (c) 90p, to a listed charity; a sum that would not be deducted from your cash payout, but charged on your monthly statement. To indicate your decision you press a key.

All my group found ourselves opting for the middle-sized donation, which was to a children’s charity. Why? Because, first, it’s a tiny sum, it’s easy, and it doesn’t reduce your payout; secondly, because this is when you’re keeping your fingers crossed that the machine will cough up and you sort of half-think in a superstitious way that you’re more likely to get mercy if you show mercy to others; and, thirdly, because the moment of pulling loads of dosh from a hole in the wall is (for me, anyway) a moment of counting my blessings and remembering that not everybody can.

Huh. It makes more sense than Safeway’s checkout people asking you at the end if you’d like to donate a dollar to pancreatic cancer research (or whatever their charity of the month is). It’s a noble thing to do, but I just can’t be groovy enough about it to actually do so. Probably because the person’s standing right there, and maybe I’m being ornery about the pressure, but maybe also because in this case I’m spending a bunch of money, whereas if I was (sort of) getting it I’d feel more generous? And in the privacy of my own ATM, more at leisure to do so?

(incidentally, I’m pretty sure this is Matthew Parris’ second year in a row of jetting off to interesting South American locations… haven’t I enough places I want to see?)