Summary People impacted by disasters need cash aid, but rarely receive it People impacted by a crisis prefer cash relief over in-kind aid (e.g. food, tarps), as it allows them to meet their own needs rather than having others guess for them. Decades of evidence show giving cash improves basic needs like food security and […]
Blog - Opinions
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Opinions
4 reasons to give cash to disaster survivors, rather than stuff
After a disaster strikes, images of destroyed homes motivate many of us to donate. Often we give to charities handing out things like tarps and food, because that’s what we imagine people need. Here are 4 reasons you should instead… 1. Survivors use cash for urgent goods and services Markets and businesses rebound quicker than […]
Opinions
Cash transfers help more than the individual
The June 14 Washington Post essay by Anton Jäger and Daniel Zamora Varga, “The problem with universal basic income programs,” mischaracterized the impact and intention of direct cash transfers, arguing they “forestall systemic or structural changes.” The authors employed a causal fallacy in claiming the spread of cash programs such as universal basic income are […]
Opinions, Recipients
Sharing stories of poverty but not ‘poverty porn’
“The sight of a child so starved he’s too weak to cry… it’s enough to make the angels cry,” says Sally Struthers, strolling through a slum in an unidentified south Asian country. These Christian Children’s Fund ads, which ran for two decades, exemplify the ‘poverty porn’ trope still employed by many charities––a practice so ubiquitous […]
Opinions
Why we work in the United States
GiveDirectly began delivering cash donations in Kenya, but we’ve run programs in the United States for the past five years: first responding in 2017 to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. When COVID-19 hit, we launched Project100, the largest donor-funded cash aid program in U.S. history. Beyond emergency response, we have […]
Opinions
Why giving directly still means giving well
When we set out to build GiveDirectly, we hoped not only to shift resources and decision-making to those in extreme poverty but also to increase the effectiveness of the sector as a whole. The effective altruism movement and organizations including the Centre for Effective Altruism, GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and many others have […]
Opinions, Recipients
Don’t wait – there’s plenty more need and opportunity today
Yesterday, leading charity evaluator GiveWell announced they’re committing more money than ever to effective causes, which we commend. This generosity reflects great news: the world is wealthier than ever before. However, they also decided not to distribute $110M this year because they don’t believe they can find good enough ways to use it now. They […]
Opinions
Yes, we have costs
When explaining what GiveDirectly does, we sometimes get asked whether 100% of funds go to recipients. That’s no different than asking whether GiveDirectly has any costs. We do have costs, and think it’s best to be transparent about them.
Opinions
Meet Ann: A Refugee and GiveDirectly Field Officer
About 30% of GiveDirectly staff on the GiveDirectly Kiryandongo refugee team are refugees themselves. One of the field officers who was hired from the Kiryandongo settlement, Ann Chukulu, wrote about what it’s like working as a GiveDirectly field officer in her own home community.
Opinions
Reflecting on the Last Decade: 10 Things We Got Right & Wrong
These are 10 impactful things we’ve gotten right and wrong over the last decade. From these wins and misses, we’ve gleaned important learnings to help guide us in better serving recipients.