GiveWell is what’s called a “charity analysis group” that looks at the hard math behind hundreds of charities to determine how effective they are at turning donations into actual action. They endorse charities that are best and fastest at helping the greatest number of the neediest people with the money they get. Every year, they release a new report on their findings—the idea being that, if you’re going to give money, you should be giving it to the places that will do the most with it. In no particular order, GiveWell says the world’s most effective charities are …
Give Directly: an organization dedicated to helping the poor in Kenya.
Schistosomiasis Control Initiative: an organization in Africa running deworming programs.
Deworm the World: another deworming organization, more involved at a government and systemic level than SCI is.
Of course, there are scores of great charities in the world, many doing the best they can with what they have and many worth your time and donations. But it pays to be responsible with your money and know that your money’s going to good use. Head over to GiveWell’s site to take a look at all the organizations they evaluated, and see how some of the ones who might give to stacked up …