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The Life You Can Save’s Best Charities for 2017
We’re excited to announce our 2017 list of Best Charities working against global poverty. These 18 non-profit organizations perform innovative and cost-effective work to bring medical services, vital nutrients, and economic opportunities to many of the 702 million people living in extreme poverty today. They use evidence-backed interventions to give new hope to the world’s neediest men, women, and children.
On this year’s list, you’ll see we’ve added Village Enterprise, a nonprofit that helps the extreme poor become successful entrepreneurs through a simple and cost-effective group model. This recommendation is the first product of our new and improved charity selection process. We’re confident that Village Enterprise offers our supporters one of the best giving opportunities for 2017 and hope you’ll spend some time learning more about the organization’s Graduation program approach to achieving lasting economic empowerment and security.
People often ask me, “What can I do to help the poor? Can one person’s donation really make a difference?” I agree with the eighteenth century British statesman Edmund Burke, who said, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” Last year, individual donations from Americans totaled more than the amount given to charity by corporations, bequests, and foundations combined. But only 6 percent of those donations went to international interventions--most individual donor money never made it to the developing world, where people need help the most and each dollar goes furthest.
Each of us has the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of the global poor. If you haven’t already done so, consider taking The Life You Can Save’s Giving Pledge to donate a portion of your 2017 income to effective poverty relief, or update your pledge amount as part of your New Year’s resolution to improve your personal giving best. Then see what your donation can “buy” through one of our charities, using our interactive Impact Calculator. And don’t forget to help us share the word, including talking to family and friends about your reasons for giving, and using social media to go public with your pledge to give during the holidays and in 2017.
With best wishes for the 2016 Giving and Holiday Season and for the year to come.
Peter Singer
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While you can find “success stories” and pictures of poor people smiling anywhere, what hasn’t been done before is letting the poor speak for themselves, with no filter, about the things that are important to them, in real time. GiveDirectly's just-launched GDLive provides an unfiltered, near real-time connection with program participants, allowing you to hear directly from the recipients of your donations.
A GDLive page with updates from a cash transfer recipient
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In an article originally published in The Hill, David Hong, One Acre Fund's global senior policy analyst, and Homi Kharas, senior fellow and deputy director for global economics and development at the Brookings Institution present suggestions for the incoming U.S. administration in addressing global hunger.
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Without the dedication and skill or our broadcast partners, many of DMI's programmes would not be possible. Read about some exciting work we've recently done to further strengthen the capacities of our radio partners in Burkina Faso and Mozambique, including enhancements to make sure that the call-in show addresses subjects that are otherwise taboo.
Development Media International
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by Greg S. Garrett, Food Fortification Director, GAIN, and Laura Rowe, President, PHC
In October 2014, a student from Mageyo Primary School in Burundi approached a program manager from Project Healthy Children (PHC). The child asked about food fortification and the PHC program manager explained the program’s purpose and how it worked in the context of Burundi. After listening intently, the primary school student explained, “You see, my mother died three years ago because of a lack of iron while giving birth. Why didn’t you bring food fortification to Burundi earlier?”
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by Doug Moore
ClearerThinking.org’s brand-new Leaving Your Mark on the World: The Essential Starter's Guide uses evidence-based tactics to help you determine which charities are best equipped to save lives with your help.
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by Jessica Hyde
I grew up in a culture where women’s voices were feared. I was told my worth was tied up in being a good mother and wife. I was fortunate to leave and pursue a career after years of darkness prolonged by lack of self confidence and of financial independence. When I think on the global scale of the billions of such women, my heart is on fire. When altruists ask me if gender equality is an impactful goal we should focus on and strive towards, I answer, “absolutely.”
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We all know that New Year's Resolutions, like most good intentions, are easy to set but harder to deliver on. So how about a bit of help--from yourself. stickK.com helps those good intentions to, well, stick!
stickK works by asking users to define their goal (lose weight, exercise, donate to effective charities--whatever you choose), pick a timeline to accomplish it, and put something at stake (whether it’s money or their reputation).
You can even pick an organisation that you oppose to benefit if you fail - how's that for incentive? Set up by behavioral economists from Yale (including Prof Dean Karlan of TLYCS-recommended charity Innovations For Poverty Action), these guys should know a bit about motivation.
--Nick Hopkinson, Director of Development
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J-PAL Co-Founder and Director Esther Duflo discusses the economic and social dimensions of poverty that must be considered in order to design effective anti-poverty programs.
--Jon Behar, COO & Director of Philanthropy Education
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GiveDirectly's GD Live is my Team pick for December. If we are going to increase donations to highly effective international non-profits, we must make the impact of donations felt by the donors. While improved technology will no doubt facilitate even better experiences than GD Live, GiveDirectly is taking an important step with this program. Bravo!
--Charlie Bresler, Executive Director
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The Life You Can Save is a 501(c)(3) - an official non-profit registered with the United States Internal Revenue Service. Donations to The Life You Can Save are tax-deductible to individuals filing taxes in the U.S.
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