How Effective is Your Charity?

I often hear about people wanting to give money to help some cause, whether in their own back yard of half way around the world.  They don’t always do so.  And while there are many reasons and explanations, one of them is quite common – how can you be sure that the organization which takes your money is actually effective in what it does?  In today’s world, its not just about making donations – it about making donations that in turn make a difference. 

Welcome GiveWell, a service profiled this week by NY Times.  GiveWell attempts to navigate the world of charities and provides valuable information on how far your dollar will go in achieving change.  The project, it seems, is still in its early growth stages, but there are early results on some non-profits that seek to save lives in Africa.  Out of 107 organizations which were asked to participate in the survey and 59 that responded 3 leading non-profits emerged: Population Services International, Partners in Health, and Interplast.  While the report is in no way extensive, it does give some ideas on what to look out for in evaluating impact that  charities can have.

Next up for GiveWell – a review of non-profits that seek to combat global poverty.  This should be interesting. Stay tuned!

Published Date: December 21, 2007