Robert Thompson, a violinist currently living in China, saw Greenspun's blog entry and offered to buy the water buffalo for Greenspun and give it to a poor family. A real buffalo and a real family--no symbolic contributions. They worked the details out and Thompson put together a video showing the purchase and delivery of the water buffalo.

Whoa. How's that for reaching across the world through the Internet? And how's that for bypassing a respected charity? Of course every potential donor isn't likely to find a Robert Thompson so they can donate an actual animal. That's why organizations like Heifer International exist. Such organizations also provide much more needed backing than a random person can provide (like training, follow-up, tax deductibility, etc.) which can make the gift go that much farther.

But organizations like Heifer International need to understand that people don't want a symbolic contribution, they actually want to make a real difference. The tools easily exist to show the actual water buffalo going to a real family (I get a real picture when I sponsor a child), so why not do it? If you don't do it, people like Greenspun and Thompson will do it for you, all the while making light of your less than honest marketing. And that's not exactly the place you want to be.

(link via Kottke.org)