Opinion: Are Emotions or Data Best Drivers for Giving?

The debate over whether the head or the heart should rule in directing charitable dollars is examined by a New York Times financial writer.

Wealth Matters columnist Paul Sullivan writes about his own, more emotion-driven giving to groups that help the blind—inspired by his family’s experience giving a home to a retired guide dog and training her puppies for service—and speaks to donors and experts on the relative merits of giving based on personal feelings about a cause versus relying on data that aim to measure results.