Stewart Bainum Jr. is the Chairman of the Board for Choice Hotels International. He was the CEO of Manor Care, Inc. from 1987 to 1998 and has served on various boards including the UCLA Anderson Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins University. Last month Stewart visited GiveDirectly’s operations in Western […]
Blog - Opinions
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Opinions
GiveWell recommends GiveDirectly (again), and benchmarks others against cash
For the fourth consecutive year GiveWell has named us one of their top-rated charities of 2015. GiveWell also rated GiveDirectly strongest on all aspects of organizational performance, including on “transparency and communication,” “robustness of the case for impact,” and “room for more funding.” Perhaps most significantly, Givewell has adopted cash transfers as a benchmark (or […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: A strong guarantee
Avian Weber writes from Australia about the qualities he looks for in a successful non-profit organization in the latest post from our “why I give directly” blog series. Donating money and giving to the poor have always been close to my heart. After traveling through numerous developing countries, including India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam, […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: The evidence
In this week’s “why I give directly” blog series, Ian Turner talks about the values he looks for in a charity, and his reasons for choosing GiveDirectly in particular. I’ve been struggling with how to give effectively for a long time, but it wasn’t until 2014 that I came across a charity as committed to […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: Self-improvement and transparency
In our next “why I give directly” blog series, Katherine Savoie writes about her organization’s rigorous charity vetting process, and how GiveDirectly measures up. Picking a charity is tricky. With millions of charities out there, it can be hard to know where to donate to make the biggest possible difference. At Charity Science we raise […]
Opinions
Doing Good Better (at Scale?)
Will MacAskill’s excellent new book, Doing Good Better, is now on bookshelves. The book lays out the thinking behind the Effective Altruism movement, with thoughtful perspectives on how to do the most good with both money (donating) and time (choosing a career). GiveDirectly features throughout as a highly effective way of working and giving. We […]
Opinions
Announcing $25M grant from Good Ventures
This week, Good Ventures announced an unrestricted $25M grant to GiveDirectly (some coverage: Good Ventures post, GiveWell post, Vox, Inside Philanthropy, CNBC, Huffington Post, Forbes). A large investment like this reflects a lot of confidence in the team and the vision, and we’re grateful for that. In just a few short years, the discussion around […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: The power of choice
In the second post of our “why I give directly” blog series, Charlotte Grinberg writes about why she and her husband give directly – and encourage others to do the same. When my husband proposed, in front of our closest friends and two kind strangers with a cellphone, he did what I dreamed he would […]
Opinions
Why I give directly: I won the lottery
We have recently begun inviting donors from a variety of backgrounds to reflect on “why I give directly.” To start off the series, we have a post from Jake Stein, cofounder of Philadelphia-based data analytics software company, RJMetrics. Read more about why Jake gives directly.I am a lottery winner. I’ve never played the Powerball or […]
Opinions
Dispatches from the field: Dreaming to dance
GiveDirectly’s field team is at the heart of our operations. Our field officers explain the program to potential recipients, provide ongoing education and support, and collect detailed data at every stage of the process. They act as the first line of defense, interacting with recipients on a daily basis. Occasionally, they share stories with the […]