It's that time of the year when people think about giving unto others. We can thank the fabled wise men from the Bible story for that (and consider how badly it's gotten corrupted via commercialism). Giving to strangers less fortunate, or for a cause that works for the betterment of all is the basis of charity. Different charities have their seasons. This time of year we see the Salvation Army pots and bell ringers. It's the epitome of what most people think of when they consider charity - anonymous giving, done out of a selfless moment of empathy.

Unfortunately, that is not enough to satisfy some who give. Consider groups like the Sierra Club or Greenpeace that rely on "memberships" and donations. Every week I am getting junk mail where they are asking me to send a contribution which will secure me a tote bag with their logo emblazoned on it. I get to show the world that I am "giving back", while also becoming a walking billboard.

One has to wonder how much of the contributions made go towards the cost of this sort of marketing. One assumes some nominal percentage is allocated for administrative expenses. But those tote bags? The endless onslaught of paper snail mail? How much does that cost? How much is spent on that which could be spent on the charity's chief raison d'être?

I think about it every October when I see football players wearing every sort of pink apparel on their uniforms, whether they be gloves or shoes or towels. How much money is spent on that stuff? Why not just donate it directly to the breast cancer foundations? But - some might say - they raise money by auctioning those things off.

And that gets back to the root of the problem: vanity. The people that bid on these items could just as easily give that money directly to Avon or Planned Parenthood (or even Komen). But no - they want a piece of football "memorabilia" that they can show off. It's not enough to donate - there's the bragging rights that go with it.

This wastefulness in the donation process was driven home to me yesterday when I saw a pink garbage truck with the familiar ribbon on it and "we care" in bold letters. What they care about is certainly debateable. How much did it cost to repaint that truck? How much will it cost to paint it back when that pink shows the nasty garbage stains a little too well? Are they raising any money with this, or are they just "trying to raise awareness" (as if there's a person in this country that isn't aware of breast cancer already).

Or maybe they're just trying to assuage some ego and consider it a marketing "win". Why not quietly donate the money they spent on painting the truck instead of painting the truck? I think we know the answer to that one.

Like a new school library with the major donor's name on a gold plaque, like a tree falling in a forest and attempting to make a sound: it seems like it only matters if there are witnesses to it. Otherwise, what's the point?