In concept, I like the idea of showering praise on people based on their philanthropic impact, not merely dollars given (or dollars made). But I am skeptical as to whether Barron’s did the research necessary to base its piece on facts as opposed to guesses. Taking a look at this list, what jumps out at…
The GiveWell Blog
Month: December 2009
Estimating the cost-effectiveness of microfinance charity
Note: I’ve responded to the most recent batch of comments. A lot of work has been put into estimating the “bang for your buck” in health initiatives. In the area of microfinance, though, things appear very murky. Microfinance advocates say things like “As our clients repay the loans, the money is loaned again and again…
Global Giving’s spot check and why it should worry you
Aid Watch: “Local people may be the experts, but for outsiders deciding where their donations can do the most good, getting access to local knowledge and acting on it appropriately requires real-time feedback loops that most aid projects lack. Over a little more than a year, GlobalGiving combined staff visits, formal evaluation, third-party observer reports…
LAPO (Kiva partner) and financial vs. social success
We recently looked at Kiva’s largest partner MFI, LAPO (Lift Above Poverty Organization), as part of our evaluation process for an economic empowerment grant in sub-Saharan Africa. In brief, we found two surprising pieces of information: LAPO is very profitable. There’s good reason to be concerned about LAPO’s social impact. As Natalie recently described on…
What we know about Robin Hood (almost nothing)
One of the charities we’re often asked about is the Robin Hood foundation. Partly because we used to work at a hedge fund and Robin Hood is big in the hedge fund world; partly because we emphasize analytical, impact-focused giving and Robin Hood has a reputation for analytical, impact-focused giving. Robin Hood works mostly in…
Robin Hood, Smile Train and the “0% overhead” donor illusion
For an organization focused on financial metrics, the American Institute of Philanthropy can be very interesting. I can’t do justice to this excellent article on Smile Train with an excerpt, and I urge you to read it all. It thoroughly debunks an alleged claim by Smile Train that “100% of your donation goes toward programs…