The debate on responsible investing continues, including some thought-provoking discussion of “blended value.” People are pointing out, rightly, that being profitable vs. being beneficial to society is not an either-or. A charitable foundation can make investments that it expects to recoup partly or fully, and still think of these as part of its charitable activities…
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I’m basically fine with investing in evil
I have plenty more ranting to do on the Straw Ratio, but apparently blogs are supposed to discuss current events or something, and the big story in charity blogging (yeah, charity blogging is a thing–I knew it wasn’t going to take much more time to get going than food blogging) is “social investing.” Specifically, the…
Which of these boasts is not like the others?
1. “90c of your dollar goes directly to building cars. Only 10% of our expenses go into planning and designing them.” 2. “We’re using a volunteer director and no advertising, so we can spend 100% of the movie’s budget on shooting expenses. It’ll be a hit!” 3. “90% of our military budget goes directly to…
OK, Straw Man, the gloves are off
I’m spreading my rant against the Straw Ratio across a few posts, because (a) I have a lot to say; (b) this idea is really central to what we’re doing. Let’s start with an observation so obvious that you’re going to get mad at me for being patronizing. There is a lot you need to…
Who should I help: My friend or my pet?
Note from Elie: I don’t stand by this post, and it’s been left up only as a matter of historical record. This post was made very early on in GiveWell’s history, when GiveWell was a part-time project and Holden and I saw the blog as a place to experiment, have fun, give exaggerated versions of…
Before I tear the Straw Man apart …
Let me note that there is some truth to what the Straw Man says below. There is very little information that you can get and compare across all charities, and looking at the Straw Ratio (program expenses / total expenses) is probably the single quickest, easiest way to spot the worst of the worst (i.e.,…