give well

Give Well

Whether you are making small or large contributions, when you are donating your hard earned money to support charities, and in turn humanity, you want to ensure that these donations are making the biggest impact possible.  With thousands of charities out there, all competing for your donation allocation and, each outlining their mission and potential benefits, it can be hard to truly evaluate which will have the most impact per dollar spent.  Further, getting the data necessary to make such an analysis can be an almost impossible feat. 

I am not insinuating that most charities are ill intentioned or misallocating donations on purpose.  In fact, the opposite. I believe that the majority of all charities have a noble vision that they would like to see to fruition, but, even as a non-profit, the organization needs to run like a business and some business are just run better than others.  Just as you would want the best legal firm to handle your case if you were sued, or the best accountant to handle your money, the same is true with your charitable dollars.  As you would invest in a business via stock with the expectation of an increase in its value, the same methodology should be used for charity where the goal of the charity's "Stock" is impact and lives changed per dollar spent.

If you are wanting to make a difference but, like many, are not sure which charity to support or what world challenge to invest in that will have the biggest bang for your buck, then check out GiveWell. This organization has made it their mission to research both the charities and causes that provide the most impact for each dollar spent.  They provide complete transparency on their research and charities they support and have allocated 100's of millions of dollars to support worthy causes worldwide.

Why contribute through GiveWell?

• They do not take any of your donation to fund themselves. It all goes to the organization of your choosing.
• They take the guesswork out of your contribution allocation.
• They list transparently all of their mistakes on their website.  Everyone, and every organization makes mistakes or has growth opportunities, it is refreshing that GiveWell showcases these for all to see. It truly shows its value on transparency and its commitment toward continuous improvement!
• They have launched an Impact Calculator.  You fill in your donation amount, and which charity you would like to allocate it to, and it will give you the estimated annual impact.
  • What's also great about having this information is that you can use it to fill in your contribution tracker that I created for you for free, which helps you calculate your personal impact and illustrates how a little really can go a long way.  Check out the post and get your tracker HERE.
• Based on the in depth research and due diligence of the GiveWell team you can be confident that even your modest contribution can and will actually change lives. And that your investment will improve the most lives per dollar spent. ​

Check out the video below to learn more about the charities that GiveWell are supporting due to their high impact.  As a double bonus, just by watching and/or sharing the video your are helping those in need as any income made based on views will be donated to one of these charities.  See how you really can make a difference for next to nothing?! 
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​But I believe that the next video completely encapsulates in 5 minutes why you should consider GiveWell for your charitable donation.  Please if you do nothing else, just take 5 minutes to watch and reflect on this video.  It really has changed how I view things overall!!!

We all have a responsibility to giveback, to support each other and to make a change in the world, that is how we evolve as the human race.  And if you are going to give, make sure that you truly are making the world a better place and give well!

To give or to learn more about this organization click HERE.

I would love to hear your feedback on this charity and your perspective overall on effective altruism in the comments below. No matter what your circumstances you can all make a difference and it is all part of…

Designing a life you love ~ Be Authentic. Be You. Be Sharp! 

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Sources:

• Follow Sutherland on YouTube ~ The Top 8 Charities in the World
• Follow Thumbnail on YouTube ~ The opportunity to do good | Effective altruism (feat Peter Singer, Will Mackaskill and Bill Gates)
• GiveWell ~ GiveWell | Charity Reviews and Research