I wonder if everyone who has come across both options (broad vs. specific) choses one and sticks with that, or whether some people like both and split their donations?
While you'd obviously always prefer to expand the pie rather than just take a piece, there's nothing wrong with the latter - like you said, your approach can help people who slip through the gaps, so even if the pie doesn't expand, your taking a piece of it can still be a good thing.
Great insight. We're in the process of creating a "General Fund" on Watsi to help us answer that very question.
Donors that are interested in maximizing impact, and not necessarily interested in helping a specific person, can give to that fund. We'll then use those donations to support organizational projects (e.g. $1 vaccinations and the like).
We're considering leveraging an organization like GiveWell to help us identify organizations and projects that will be beneficiaries of the general fund.
While you'd obviously always prefer to expand the pie rather than just take a piece, there's nothing wrong with the latter - like you said, your approach can help people who slip through the gaps, so even if the pie doesn't expand, your taking a piece of it can still be a good thing.
Keep up the good work.