Note: I posted most of this post last night as a comment. There has been some interesting back-and-forth in the comments lately between Laura Deaton and me (see the Should Charity Evaluation be “fair”? thread). Laura seems worried that by issuing ratings and a list of “top” charities, we are implying a level of objectivity…
The GiveWell Blog
Year: 2010
No interest rate is too high
Recent coverage of microfinance has had a sharp focus on interest rates, implying some line between “reasonable” interest (associated with “social investment”) and “excessive” interest (associated with “loan sharking”). In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega, outraged that interest rates there were hovering around 35 percent in 2008, announced that he would back a microfinance institution that…
Should charity evaluation be “fair”?
One of the goals we do not have is the goal of being “fair” to charities, in the sense expressed in this comment: You are right on in your focus on provable results, but some areas are much easier to evaluate than others … A bad charity to me is one that is misleading, not…
Microfinance interest rates
One of the more difficult things to understand about the microfinance institutions we’ve investigated is the “true” interest rate they’re charging their borrowers. In July 2009, David Roodman of the Center for Global Development wrote: It appears that many MFIs impose subtle fees that effectively raise interest rates. Some charge one-time loan origination fees. Some…
Think Before You Give: A new podcast with Elie Hassenfeld and Saundra Schimmelpfennig
GiveWell has teamed up with Saundra Schimmelpfenig of Good Intentions Are Not Enough to produce Think Before You Give, a podcast aimed at helping to empower and educate donors. We enjoy Saundra’s work and are happy to be working with her on this. The Think Before You Give website now has the first podcast available….
TakeAction @ GuideStar
We are thrilled to announce a partnership with GuideStar via its new feature, TakeAction @ GuideStar. TakeAction allows donors to select a cause that interests them and see general information as well as recommended charities, with content provided by GiveWell, Philanthropedia, and Great Nonprofits. To date, GuideStar has provided only basic information, and only information…