I’ve always been impressed—and a little surprised—that people choose to donate to GAIA.

On one level, the logic is straightforward. GAIA works in one of the highest-need, lowest-cost regions in the world. A dollar goes far—farther than it would almost anywhere else. If you care about impact, it makes perfect sense.

But then there’s the other reality.

GAIA works in Malawi—a country many people have never heard of, serving communities most of us will never visit, half a world away. And every dollar we receive competes with countless worthy causes much closer to home.

So recently, as Chairman, I’ve had the opportunity to speak more directly with donors and ask a simple question: Why GAIA?

The answers have been anything but simple.

One generous donor gave a one-word answer: “Inequality.”

Another told me his wife had just begun receiving Social Security payments—and they didn’t really need the money. He suspected it might do more good in Malawi.

Some donors have visited Malawi and are motivated by joy—the warmth, the resilience, the human connection. Others are motivated by outrage—reading about recent events in foreign aid and feeling compelled to act.

One donor, frustrated after receiving a final paycheck from USAID, sent it directly to GAIA.

Many give in memory of loved ones who believed deeply in helping others.

And just recently, I learned of a legacy gift left by a former board member who passed earlier this year—a final act of generosity. A gift, quite literally, from the blue.

The reasons are varied, sometimes deeply personal, sometimes almost accidental.

But across all of them, I see two common threads:

Imagination—the ability to picture lives they will never see, in places they may never go, being changed in real and measurable ways.

And empathy—the quiet satisfaction of knowing they are part of that change.

So yes—I understand why people give to GAIA.

I’m heartened by it. I’m deeply grateful.

And, if I’m honest, I’m still a little surprised.