i tend to think that the approach here described as "incompetent" isn't necessarily bad as long as you maintain honesty about it.
for instance, it might be more effective to just donate money but there's nothing wrong with wanting to volunteer hands on, as long as you don't fool yourself.
of course from a very, very strict utilitarian perspective, making a somewhat less effective choice is in fact morally evil. but I don't think that viewpoint actually holds up to scrutiny -- few people would agree that volunteering at a food bank rather than donating money is morally equivalent to taking food away from hungry children.
for instance, it might be more effective to just donate money but there's nothing wrong with wanting to volunteer hands on, as long as you don't fool yourself.
of course from a very, very strict utilitarian perspective, making a somewhat less effective choice is in fact morally evil. but I don't think that viewpoint actually holds up to scrutiny -- few people would agree that volunteering at a food bank rather than donating money is morally equivalent to taking food away from hungry children.