But even so, charity becomes less a gift than a transaction. Worse, adoption reveals a cruel side of charity. Mr. Weinrich said. The program uses donations to study all the whales and their habitat, but that doesn't mean that some whales don't get their feelings hurt. Yet for all their problems, adoption pleas may be the most effective way to entice new donors into the fold, tickling their vanity and their altruism, said Ms. Snider of Guidestar.
High rollers donate millions to have their names memorialized by their universities.
By that measure, giving a buck to adopt a nail on a covered bridge in Swanzey, N.H., is nothing short of a bargain.