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A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good.

Corruption can interfere with aid. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to make a big difference through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

Does corruption in recipient governments interfere with foreign aid?

This article is part of a series addressing 

A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good. Indeed, corruption is a big problem in many countries, and it can sometimes lead to aid money being diverted from its intended purpose. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to 

 through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

No one can deny that corruption has sometimes prevented aid money from achieving its intended goal. But the solution is not giving less, but giving "smarter."

One way to reduce the danger of corruption is to donate to programs which do not deal in valuable goods which officials could divert. Another is to give to charities that reliably monitor the impact of their programs, ensuring that their work is actually improving lives, rather than lining a few pockets. For example, the 

 (AMF) is particularly careful to avoid and discourage corruption while carrying out its distributions. You can learn more about AMF and similarly reliable charities through charity evaluators like 

Even many governmental aid programs, which have historically attracted significant criticism for corruption and fraud, now have measures in place to ensure that aid money goes where it is most needed. Done right, foreign aid can actually be used to 

 local institutions to become less corrupt and serve their communities more effectively. Instead of pressuring governments to cut foreign aid spending, we should pressure them to be 

 and impact, so that funds are directed to the most effective programs.

, we can make a positive impact in low- and middle-income countries. 

Common Concerns About Donating to Charity

A common criticism of giving aid to low-income countries is that the money gets siphoned off by corrupt local officials before it can do any good.

Corruption can interfere with aid. However, by donating through reliable and effective charities, it is possible to make a big difference through charitable giving, even in areas where corruption is widespread.

Luke Freeman

March 2021 Newsletter

Ways you can help advocate for causes you care about

In an effort to better understand our members, we are collaborating with researchers from Yale University's Mind and Development Lab. If you have taken one of our giving pledges, we would really appreciate you answering a ~15-minute survey about your beliefs and attitudes. Your responses may help us to recruit new members and raise more for effective charities.

Have questions about the study? Contact the study lead, Matti Wilks, at 

Why do people pledge to give effectively?

"I didn't know that giving can actually work. Once I learned about that, the realisation fell into place that there was nothing more useful I could possibly be doing with that money." - 

"I'm usually motivated by the idea that there is someone out there who has been spared from having something terrible happen to them because an action that I took. Or an animal has been spared from having to come into existence and live a life full of suffering. Or I have taken some kind of action to help build an amazing future for sentient life." - 

"I live a pretty great life with plenty of food and medicine and friends and I'd like more people to have that too. Pretty crazy that we live in a world where people are dying of hunger and diseases that we collectively have the wealth to fix. Hope my money helps get us a little closer to a world where everyone is having a great time. Happy to be helping!" - 

Thanks to those who replied to our last newsletter to tell us why you're motivated to use a portion of your income to help others.

Come along and meet other people who are committed to effectively using their resources to improve the world:

Law + Effective Altruism: How can we do good better

What does it take to be a charity founder?

World Malaria Day: How can we eradicate malaria?

If you have any questions or want to discuss your donation decisions with other members or our team, we recommend registering for an Open Forum event. 

A post shared by Giving What We Can (@giving_what_we_can)

Want to work with us? Applications close on March 31 for our 

," Julian Hazell and David Holmes compare a few of the most commonly used measures of wealth and point out some of the subtleties that can arise in the study of wealth distribution.

" Julian Hazell explains how donating helps others, ourselves, and makes the world a fairer place.

, in which Carlos Tkacz explains how his giving philosophy was shaped by his education, rock climbing experience, and religious upbringing.

Do you work in the personal finance industry (e.g., as a wealth manager, financial advisor, accountant, etc.)? We'd love to speak with you about how we can best help our members to donate effectively, and about spreading effective giving ideas within your industry. Please reply to let us know.

 so we can reach 1000 subscribers and unlock more features.

 you can use to spread the word, and our 

Find other Giving What We Can members and create your own profile on the new and improved 

 (Australia, New Zealand, and online) using the code EFFECTIVE20.

Marcus Daniell was interviewed on Hear This Idea

 about High Impact Athletes and his advocacy for effective giving.

CEA's Ben West published three new posts on retention in the effective altruism community. He covers the 

 compared to those of other social groups.

Need to focus while working from home? Join the 

. Want to run or participate in a reading group with the GWWC community? Simply reply to let us know.

: Jeff Kauffman was asked by a friend whether there was some amount of donations that would be "enough." His response is enlightening.

," Jonas Vollmer helps clarify common misconceptions about Effective Altruism Funds.

Are you on Clubhouse? We invite you to join the 

 clubs to discuss effective giving and effective altruism.

 is a good guide to staying motivated and doing good sustainably.

Thanks to those of you who participated in Project4Awesome and helped 

plant-based meat industry grew exponentially

 has been launched, a coalition of advocacy organisations and a project of the Aquatic Life Institute.

The next frontier for animal welfare is fish

 advocacy -- Vox's Kenny Torrella explains why.

One of the biggest animal welfare successes of the past six years is the transition to cage-free eggs, demonstrated in 

one idea Bill Gates hopes people will take away

 from his new book on how to combat climate change?

Our World in Data's Hannah Ritchie looks at the 

history of deforestation and whether it can be reversed

A new paper from the team at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk assesses the risks posed by 

Malaria is notoriously hard to vaccinate against. 

A new vaccine technology might change that

Our World in Data's Max Roser writes about 

why economic growth should be a key focus if we want global poverty to decline

Open Philanthropy provided $70 million in grants to GiveWell's top charities in 2020. 

How has Covid-19 impacted the fight against malaria?

 Sadly, malaria cases will likely increase, but there's hope if we keep striving.

Basic income: when a California city gave people a guaranteed income, 

: what slows down scientific progress and how can we speed it up without compromising on quality?

Psychologist Stuart Ritchie argues that COVID-19 has revealed 

Caroline Fiennes of Giving Evidence suggests that 

many charities are too small to measure their own impact

a high risk, high reward scientific research agency

, with £800,000,000 in funding over four years.

: aligning journalism, politics, and what matters most

existential risks from a Christian perspective

Daniel Kokotajlo of the Center on Long-Term Risk 

argues against using GDP as a metric for AI timelines

syllabus of readings related to longtermist philosophy

 has been published by Joshua Teperowski Monrad on the EA Forum.

possible misconceptions about (strong) longtermism

resources on personal mental health and finding a therapist

John Halstead of Founders' Pledge wrote about the extent to which 

," Cullen O'Keefe outlines how the effective altruism community can better collaborate with political progressives.

why socially responsible investing isn't high-impact

A great way to multiply your impact is to tell people about effective giving.

 certificate and put it on your wall, desk, or shelf.

recommended videos, books, podcasts, and essays

Spreading effective ideas and growing our community helps us make progress on some of the world's most pressing problems. Importantly, it also enriches the lives of the givers. 

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. 

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.

 with Giving What We Can and effective altruism.

Surbhi Bharadwaj

A persistent idea is that, if a problem is very large, one individual donor cannot make much of a difference. However, by using evidence and reason to ensure that their donations are effective, an individual donor absolutely can make a difference, even on large problems.

Can an individual donor really make a difference?

A persistent idea is that, if a problem is very large, one individual donor cannot make much of a difference. With more than a billion people living in extreme poverty, one individual's actions certainly are unable to end it, or to reduce its burdens by even one percent.

While it is easy to be distracted by looking at our impact on poverty in relative terms, it is our impact in absolute terms that matters. By using evidence and reason to ensure that their donations are effective, an individual donor absolutely can 

Not all charitable donations have the same impact. Donating to an ineffective charity might not make a big difference. However, when directed to a 

, even a small donation can have a surprisingly large impact.

For example, purchasing and distributing a single anti-malarial bed net costs around 

 and can protect two to three people for up to three years. If a donor gave $6,800 (10% of the U.S. 

 every year, they could fund the purchase and distribution of over 1,400 mosquito nets annually. This amounts to nearly 60,000 nets through their working life --- which can avert over 

 many charities that pursue similarly cost-effective solutions or research across cause areas. Our recommended charities pursue a range of work, including: providing 

 children to prevent parasitic infections, promoting 

 to reduce animal suffering, and researching 

These organisations provide incredible results for problems that may seem intractable at first. By supporting them, we can each have a great positive impact in the lives of thousands of people living in low-income countries at modest personal cost. Of course you cannot solve the problem on your own, but we shouldn't ignore the truly profound impact you could have. If we all donated a meaningful percentage of our income to the most effective charities, together we could have an enormous positive impact in the world.

 of like-minded people who are working to make the world a better place.

Carlos Tkacz

I give because I have seen enough suffering. I have many things I do not need, and I wish to share my luck with others if possible. I also understand  --- and this is something I learned at a young age through my family --- that much of the good in my life was made possible by others. My parents raised me and so many others worked very hard so that I could have food, medical care, education, clothing, goods, etc. Given this reality, I find it impossible to reconcile the difference between (a) my quality of life and (b) the quality of life of others, whose labor I benefit from. I became a teacher to try to give back, and I give for the same reason.

Member Profile: Carlos Tkacz

This profile of Carlos Tkacz is part of the 

Tell us about yourself. What keeps you busy and what makes you tick?

There are a few things that keep me busy: reading, writing, teaching, and rock climbing. Reading and writing have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I studied literature in school, but I have, in the last few years, made it a point to read more nonfiction as well --- from history and philosophy to science and social-issue focused works. I also write and self-publish science fiction.

For me, it is important that I continually try to stay flexible in mind and continue my own, personal education. I have found teaching to be a part of that process. I have worked with students of one sort or another for over a decade now, first as a kids' climbing instructor and guide, then as an elementary substitute teacher, and, most recently, as a community college instructor. I also spend much of my time climbing, specifically bouldering. This has taken me around the world, and I find the physicality of it to be a good balance to my more intellectual pursuits. Climbing has also taught me discipline, something that I find to be a very important tool in my life.

Tell us about your effective giving journey.

I was raised in a Christian church, though I am no longer a Christian and am not entirely happy with some of the service I conducted in that capacity (often motivated more by evangelism than altruism). Still, my experience as a Christian taught me that giving, either through work or money, can be a regular part of my life. I have since come to question the effectiveness of the work we did, but the broader lesson remained with me.

Later in my life, through interactions with the men who worked for my father, who is an immigrant, and through travelling and reading, I became aware of how much of my life depends on the labor and work of others. I learned that, often, those people's contributions to society are not properly recognized nor rewarded. Initially, my response was to try to minimize my economic involvement; I wanted to make as little money as possible throughout my life and to live as simply as possible. This is still something I hold to (for multiple reasons), but, as my academic interests have pushed me to continue my education, my earning potential has increased. I realized that, as a professor, I am going to make more than I personally need. Then 2020 hit. Through a combination of reading, thinking, and listening, I have found the effective altruism movement and have come to see my earning potential as an opportunity to help more.

What motivated you to give originally and what keeps you motivated now?

I give because I have seen enough suffering. I have many things I do not need, and I wish to share my luck with others if possible. I also understand --- and this is something I learned at a young age through my family --- that much of the good in my life was made possible by others. My parents raised me and so many others worked very hard so that I could have food, medical care, education, clothing, goods, etc. Given this reality, I find it impossible to reconcile the difference between (a) my quality of life and (b) the quality of life of others, whose labor I benefit from. I became a teacher to try to give back, and I give for the same reason.

Why did you take the Giving What We Can pledge?

I have long looked for a way to formalize my commitment to giving. I heard about the Giving What We Can pledge on Sam Harris's podcast, and it immediately made sense to me.

What are the issues in the world that you care most deeply about?

I care about education, income inequality, and the environment. For me, education has truly been a saving grace. Reading is what opened my world when I was young, and literature helped me make sense of that world. I do not think anything else could have been as effective. My education, both formal and personal, is what helped me escape the fundamentalist thinking I was raised to engage in. Income inequality is also important to me, though perhaps this is more of an emotional response to poverty. I simply find the differences in quality of life between the rich and the poor to be impossible to live with. Finally, the environment is very important to me. As a climber, I spend much of my time outside. Indeed, I have spent the last four years living outdoors in an attempt to have a closer relationship with nature.

Which organizations do you give to (and why)?

I give to the Long Term Future Fund and the Global Health and Development Fund on 

. I also donate some money to political organizations and art groups, and I offset my carbon emissions, but I do not count these in my pledge.

Not especially. I prefer to give my money to those who need it rather than use it for things I don't need.

Do you try to effect change in any other way?

I consider my teaching to be a social act, and I work hard to remember that I am not trying to influence my students. Rather, my job is to give them the tools they need to make the world they want. That said, I do hope they learn that the life of the mind is a special one and can be balanced with a life of adventure. I also have a small online presence in the climbing community. The climbing community is very focused on fitness and is becoming mainstream enough to start falling into some of the pitfalls of commercialization. I try, in my small way, to inspire others in the community to read more, give more, think more, and create more art. Finally, I think storytelling can be an important way to create cultural change, and so I try to tell stories with characters worth looking up to, and I am trying to move into 

What effective giving tips would you like to share?

I try to think of my giving the same way I think of my car insurance: it is necessary and automatic. I find this helps.

What suggestions do you have for other people considering the pledge?

I have a rhetorical trick I sometimes use on students who I think are nearing a place in their lives where they want to focus more of their efforts toward discovering what it means to live a good life. I tell them: there are essentially two ways of looking at your existence (I acknowledge the false dichotomy here, but explain this is just for rhetorical purposes). Either: (1) you were created by an intelligent being --- a god --- who, in its infinite goodness and wisdom saw fit to make you exactly as you are, or (2) you are the result of billions and billions of years of creative chaos, of trial and error, of life and death. Billions of years of unimaginable change and evolution have led to you, now. Either way you look at it, how amazing! How glorious! But now, I say, the question is this: what are you going to do with this incredible stroke of luck? What are you going to do in the short amount of time that the cosmos has somehow graced you with?

Have any books, documentaries, articles, or studies significantly changed the way you see giving?

 have been very influential to me. This will sound silly, but Star Trek has also been an inspiration to me. I think stories matter. I am a latecomer to Trek, but its optimistic outlook for humanity has helped me to believe.

I would like to see a world in which our human activity can be conducted in a way that does not threaten the environment and other people.

" series which profiles a selection of the Giving What We Can community. The Giving What We Can is a community of people from all walks of life, with different perspectives and motivations for giving – all united by their desire to make a significant commitment to use their income to effectively helping others. Read more 

 to help inspire others to give more, and more effectively.

For more information about Giving What We Can we recommend you check out our 

Julian Hazell

David Holmes

Income can vary dramatically between and within countries. Measures like GDP per capita, average income, median income, and Gini index are important to understand how best to allocate our resources to solve global poverty. 

Blog

Does corruption in recipient governments interfere with foreign aid?

March 2021 Newsletter

Can an individual donor really make a difference?

Member Profile: Carlos Tkacz

Measuring global inequality: Median income, GDP per capita, and the Gini Index

Why should we donate money to charity?

February 2021 Newsletter

My journey to help fight suffering

Welcome to our 978 new pledges!

January 2021 Newsletter