Many donors, including corporations and foundations, prefer to see their money go directly to the charity's mission.

Many donors would instead prefer simply to feel good about their generosity and thus they deceive themselves into thinking that all is going well.

Individual donors and political action committees generally prefer to give to incumbents, rather than to challengers who are not well known and often have less chance of winning.

Some donors prefer not to disclose their identity.

Both donor and recipient prefer to minimize the role played by grants.

Although administrators much prefer checks for general funds, donors, male and female, increasingly prefer targeted-giving appeals or restricted-use bequests.

Mr. Russell, of the orchestra's board, pointed out that potential donors often prefer to support New York City cultural institutions.

It seems that donors prefer to finance interventions, such as bed nets, that will not upset environmental activists.

"Unfortunately, philanthropic donors prefer to finance a new building with their name on it, not an air-chiller, which is a dull-sounding item, but awfully important," he said.

Another reason for endowments is that donors prefer to make gifts that way, to fund something over a long period of time.