In addition to enrolling 31,000 new families and launching the world’s first long term, universal basic income study in 2016, GiveDirectly also released GDLive – a new way to receive unfiltered, unedited communication from cash transfer recipients.This product is made possible by our end-to-end (donor to recipient’s door) operating model, in which we collect all […]
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Opinions
Why Cash Transfers are a Great Option for Foundation Year End Giving
Brittany Erikson of the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation explains how their foundation has thought about meeting their annual giving goals and why as part of that they have given to the poor via GiveDirectly. The end of the year is an exciting time at the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation. It’s when grants go […]
Operations
The largest basic income experiment in history
The second milestone for cash in 2016 (see here for Part 1) was GiveDirectly’s launch of the first long-term Universal Basic Income evaluation in history. Over the last twelve months, cash transfers have moved toward center stage in international policy circles under a new name, Universal Basic Income (UBI). While there has been much debate, […]
Opinions
The year in cash – $27 million distributed
The end of the year is always a time for reflection, and this year asks more than most. With a confluence of global crises, and rising skepticism of institutions, the actions we take as individuals – and the signals they send – are perhaps more important than ever. At GiveDirectly, we’ve been deeply encouraged to […]
Operations
Launch of core operations in Rwanda
In October, the Rwanda team launched its core operations project entitled “Kungahara” (which translates to “Prosper”) with the aim of enrolling 3,600 households by the end of February 2017. Kungahara operates in two sectors in Gicumbi, which is the second poorest district in Rwanda.The modelGiveDirectly Rwanda is utilizing a new model, also being tested in […]
Operations, Recipients
A turning point in my life
Joice was living in poverty when she received a cash transfer from GiveDirectly’s donors in 2014. Now she is a GiveDirectly field officer whose job includes telling new recipients about GiveDirectly. This is her story. I was born in Kisumu County and I was married in Siaya County. I had great dreams of improving my […]
Operations
On GiveDirectly’s use of paid media
We’ve received a couple of questions about an online advertising campaign for GiveDirectly that’s been running on Facebook and general banner ads. The ad inventory for the campaign was donated by a corporate partner, and so comes at zero cost to GiveDirectly aside from staff time. We are not yet sure what role advertising has […]
Opinions
On GiveWell’s recommendation
GiveWell has just recognized GiveDirectly as one of their top rated charities for the fifth year running. We’re proud to have been recognized as the “strongest” on every dimension of organizational performance, and are excited to see GiveWell adopting cash transfers as a benchmark for their evaluations. But perhaps most importantly, GiveWell has recognized our […]
Research
Human stories are not the opposite of data
Data comes in many forms, from the quantitative realm of questionnaire scores, biomarkers and financial metrics, to the qualitative world of narrative and observation. At GiveDirectly, we strive to be rigorous, honest and respectful in how we use all types of data to describe the impact of cash transfers to the extreme poor. Different types […]
Operations
Announcing: GDLive
The last week has been an emotional one for many of us, and I hope that today we can provide a small channel for something more uplifting: a reflection of your collective compassion for the global poor and an honest look into their lives and the impact of your investments. Today, we launch GDLive, which […]