Charities Like TOMS Shoes Might Do More Harm Than Good

It’s a popular model for charities these days: “one for one.” Buy something for yourself and a needy African somewhere will receive the same. That strategy has made charities like TOMS shoes wildly successful. Customers who buy the shoes often feel they’re patronizing a different sort of company. But this sort of giving might actually be doing more harm than good.
 

Other stories on KUOW Presents, Monday, March 18:

• Amish Get Into The Fracking Business
• Why Vultures Are Important To Bulgaria
• TOMS Shoes: An Investigation
• The Public Defender
• Your Dad Ruined My Life
• Rosie The Riveter Had A Sister, Laura The Luthier
• Writer's Almanac
• Rosie The Riveter Had A Sister: Laura The Luthier
• Microhousing
• 'Salt, Sugar, Fat'