These are 10 impactful things we’ve gotten right and wrong over the last decade. From these wins and misses, we’ve gleaned important learnings to help guide us in better serving recipients.
Blog -
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Why I give directly
Reflections from a trip to Kenya
One of our donors recently spent five days with our team in Kenya and shared his reflections. We found them thoughtful, candid, and insightful, and asked to republish them here. — Carlos Dominguez Context note: I work at a financial firm in NYC. This firm has an “employee philanthropy bulletin board” where people discuss their […]
Cash transfers
4 years in the making: first cash benchmarking results released
Today we can finally share with you something we’ve been hard at work on for over 4 years: the results from our first experimental benchmarking study, a unique collaboration with USAID, Google.org, and academic and implementing partners set in Rwanda. The animating idea behind this project is incredibly simple: if we’re serious about helping other […]
Uncategorized
Our take on HS18, revisited
Johannes Haushofer and Jeremy Shapiro recently released a paper (HS18) estimating the three-year impacts of individually randomized cash transfers on GiveDirectly recipients. We wrote a short note on these results in February; recently there has been active discussion among researchers (e.g., e.g.), and we’ve since followed up with many of them. Our failure in original […]
Uncategorized
How crypto can help refugees
We have some good news to share: OmiseGO, with an additional generous contribution from Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, is donating the equivalent of $1 million USD in OMG tokens directly to refugees living in extreme poverty, and GiveDirectly will deliver those funds. The crypto economy has grown immensely over the last year, bringing a great […]
Cash transfers, Fieldwork, Refugees
Announcing cash for refugees
Images of refugees in boats make headlines and grip hearts, but we rarely think about what happens to them 1, 2, or even 10 years later. It turns out that refugees spend, on average, 10+ years in settlements or camps. The aid they receive helps them survive, but rarely do they get the chance to […]
Cash transfers
How to talk about cash like an expert
Over the years, we’ve had lots of conversations with folks about whether it’s a good idea to simply give money to people who don’t have much of it. It’s a great conversation: it gets to some pretty core issues about human nature, and (spoiler alert) there is good news to share! To help you have […]
Uncategorized
3 ways to give even smarter
Friends, If you’re a fan of efficiency ― as most GiveDirectly donors are ― here are three ways to make the absolute most of your year-end giving. Ask your employer to match you. Many employers will match from 10% up to 100% of what you give. Save money: give appreciated stock. All donations to the […]
Uncategorized
6th straight GiveWell recommendation
We’re thrilled to be a GiveWell recommended charity again this year. It’s the 6th year in a row that giving money directly to the poor has been rated one of the smartest bets in philanthropy. Direct giving joins a short list of other highly effective interventions atop the GiveWell list. To the other recommended charities, […]
Uncategorized
Four questions to ask before you give
Giving effectively means asking tough questions. (We know; you all have been great about asking us some tough ones over the years.) With the holiday giving season coming up, here are the top four questions we ask before giving. Share this post and get some conversations going: Can I tell where my dollar (or pound, […]
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