It costs money to make money

I’ve made relatively modest financial contributions to my former employer, Saint Louis Universities, targeting a couple of worthy endowment funds. Sadly, 40% of those contributions went to the university development office, even though they had no role in my decision to contribute. 

Skimming political contributions is even worse:

“If your $100 was in response to a fundraising text or email, the single most expensive way to raise money in American politics, $65 is instantly consumed by the cost of asking you for it. Asking this often, and this aggressively, is expensive. It means paying the data brokers who traffic in your personal information, the digital copywriters who draft the inexplicably bizarre messaging, the email and SMS providers who specialize in slipping past spam filters, the compliance lawyers, and, of course, the fundraising consultants. Another $2 goes to strategic consultants for advice on how to spend what’s left, and $14 to administration, travel, and staff. Of the $19 that finally goes toward advertising for the actual candidate, $6 is skimmed off the top as a placement commission before a single ad airs. In the end, barely $13 of your $100 buys real airtime or digital ads.”

65% goes into the fundraising machine before the remainder is wasted on ad buys. Sad.

https://newrepublic.com/article/216304/consulting-class-eating-democratic-party