“We target the poorest people in the region and try to get the cash to them as efficiently as possible.” “Okay…” I responded. There was a five-second pause before Joy clarified: “And that, in it its simplest form, is it.” “Oh, ok…. You don’t give them advice on how to spend it?” “No. We believe […]
Blog - Opinions
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Opinions
“Please help me….” a report from the GiveDirectly inbox
About a year ago, I took on the job of answering phone calls and responding to the messages that come to GiveDirectly’s email inbox. At the time, I had no idea what to expect, but I was happy to be involved with this “crazy new idea” of giving cash directly to the poor. It looked […]
Opinions
GiveDirectly is The 4th most Innovative Company in Finance for 2014
Fast Company has just named GiveDirectly one of the world’s Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Finance. The list highlights enterprises that “exemplify the best in business from across the economy and around the world.” GiveDirectly is the only one on the list focused exclusively on finance for the poor in developing countries, and was […]
Opinions
Two countries, one team
I had the great pleasure of attending our first East Africa staff retreat this past weekend. Eight members of our Kenya team made the six hour trip from Kisumu to Mbale, the hub for our Uganda country operations. Members of our Kenya and Uganda field teams gathered in Mbale, Uganda for last weekend’s GiveDirectly staff […]
Opinions
New ways to give directly
As we race to meet Good Ventures’ $5M matching challenge by January 31, we’ve introduced five new ways to give directly to the poor – all with the goal of making it easy and efficient: 1. Bitcoin. We now accept donations in bitcoin! You can donate bitcoin through our donate page. Bitcoins are automatically […]
Opinions
Cash Transfers, Conflict, and Assets that Earn their Keep
GiveDirectly’s work has always been guided by scientific evidence. When we began sending unconditional cash transfers to Kenyan villagers a few years ago, we had every reason to believe that the money would change recipients’ lives for the better. A motorcycle is one asset that can continue to generate income for years after the initial […]
Opinions
Looking Beyond the Buzz
GiveDirectly has received some media attention lately. We’re thankful for it, as it allows us to share our work and ideas with more people who might want to help. NPR’s in-depth profile on our work in Kenya reached a broad audience and sparked further discussion in other outlets and the blogosphere. While it’s exciting to […]
Opinions
Corruption: The Elephant in the Room
In discussions of international development, corruption is often the elephant in the room. Funders don’t like to hear about it; nonprofits and governments don’t like to talk about it. During routine visits to recipients, our field team uses technology that automatically records a time and GPS marker for each piece of data they collect. But […]
Opinions
GiveWell’s First Full Update on GiveDirectly
Please visit the GiveWell website to read an in-depth report on GiveDirectly’s work in Kenya, our expansion into a second country, and our long-term outlook as we continue to scale up our cash transfer operations. The report covers our activities since November 2012, when GiveWell named GiveDirectly their #2 rated charity based on their criteria […]
Opinions
Holiday media coverage
GiveDirectly in the news this holiday season: Dana Goldstein in the Atlantic: “So simple, it’s genius.” Dylan Matthews in the Washinton Post: “The idea, in a way, is so obvious it’s hard to believe people hadn’t tried to do it on this scale before: ending poverty by giving people money.” Chris Hayes on MSNBC: “A […]
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