If all anyone hears about is "This Big Company just donated $X to WellKnownCharity," then, it makes the people who give pocket change to the labeled jar in the corner coffee shop even less visible.
It also implies that the BIG donation is not merely more money, but more IMPORTANT than the pocket change of an unknown number of people across the same fiscal year. Which is nonsense, of course, BUT, because the bookkeeping is obvious and easy, news agencies gravitate toward it. (Just like they look at the travel budget of the President or the Prince of Wales; they have neither the time nor interest to dig in and understand the WHOLE budget, but money on travel is easy to understand, and usually riles up a hefty percentage of the population.)
Me, I'd rather be the individual ant working toward a goal, because with enough ants working in the same direction, things are finished both well and quickly.
Re: Instant news, and 24-hour news cycles
It also implies that the BIG donation is not merely more money, but more IMPORTANT than the pocket change of an unknown number of people across the same fiscal year. Which is nonsense, of course, BUT, because the bookkeeping is obvious and easy, news agencies gravitate toward it. (Just like they look at the travel budget of the President or the Prince of Wales; they have neither the time nor interest to dig in and understand the WHOLE budget, but money on travel is easy to understand, and usually riles up a hefty percentage of the population.)
Me, I'd rather be the individual ant working toward a goal, because with enough ants working in the same direction, things are finished both well and quickly.