This might lead to a view of global poverty issues that prioritize promoting the rule of law, efficient markets, and entrepreneurship in poor countries, rather than reallocation of existing resources (eg direct cash transfers).
And sometimes the re-branding could even be fairly thin. For instance, World Vision is a major NGO popular among American evangelical Christians; presumably their marketing pitches have been tested against their donor base which has significant conservative elements. IIRC, one of the classic pitches in their holiday gift catalog: your donation will purchase these chickens for a poor family, which will not only produce eggs for consumption but allow them to sell some of the eggs in the marketplace to generate income. In a certain light, that sounds like an indirect cash transfer program that is more legible to some conservatives because it partially bypasses their concern that one-time redistribution programs improve short-term welfare only. Receptiveness to this kind of value proposition might signal openness to indirect cash transfer programs with a better EV, like deworming.
Definitely not recommending World Vision itself. But if you could get more American evangelical Christians to support bednet distribution by creating a new AMF-esque organization with (e.g.) Bible verses featured in its promotional materials and sewn in tags on its bednets, then I would probably be in favor of that. The Bible verses would not make the bednets less effective.
And sometimes the re-branding could even be fairly thin. For instance, World Vision is a major NGO popular among American evangelical Christians; presumably their marketing pitches have been tested against their donor base which has significant conservative elements. IIRC, one of the classic pitches in their holiday gift catalog: your donation will purchase these chickens for a poor family, which will not only produce eggs for consumption but allow them to sell some of the eggs in the marketplace to generate income. In a certain light, that sounds like an indirect cash transfer program that is more legible to some conservatives because it partially bypasses their concern that one-time redistribution programs improve short-term welfare only. Receptiveness to this kind of value proposition might signal openness to indirect cash transfer programs with a better EV, like deworming.
World Vision being a Christian charity I think dominates these other effects unfortunately.
Definitely not recommending World Vision itself. But if you could get more American evangelical Christians to support bednet distribution by creating a new AMF-esque organization with (e.g.) Bible verses featured in its promotional materials and sewn in tags on its bednets, then I would probably be in favor of that. The Bible verses would not make the bednets less effective.
Jason—great example. A lot of it’s in the framing!