I think it boils down to having or not having, let's call it "religious mindset". If you have religious mindset (it doesn't matter if you are an atheist) you d

I think it boils down to having or not having, let's call it "religious mindset". If you have religious mindset (it doesn't matter if you are an atheist) you donate to "save your soul", or, to be less vague, to alleviate your moral distress. If that's the goal it doesn't really matter whether the charity you give to is effective or not. It only matters if it makes you feel like a better person. If you, on the other hand, care about actually helping people, it matters very much who you donate to.