UPDATE: Peter Singer’s Best Charities for 2018
We’re excited to announce our 2017 list of Best Charities working against global poverty. These 18 non-profit organizations perform innovative and cost-effective work to bring medical services, vital nutrients, and economic opportunities to many of the 702 million people living in extreme poverty today. They use evidence-backed interventions to give new hope to the world’s neediest men, women, and children.
On this year’s list, you’ll see we’ve added Village Enterprise, a nonprofit that helps the extreme poor become successful entrepreneurs through a simple and cost-effective group model. This recommendation is the first product of our new and improved charity selection process. We’re confident that Village Enterprise offers our supporters one of the best giving opportunities for 2017 and hope you’ll spend some time learning more about the organization’s Graduation program approach to achieving lasting economic empowerment and security.
People often ask me, “What can I do to help the poor? Can one person’s donation really make a difference?” I agree with the eighteenth century British statesman Edmund Burke, who said, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” Last year, individual donations from Americans totaled more than the amount given to charity by corporations, bequests, and foundations combined. But only 6 percent of those donations went to international interventions–most individual donor money never made it to the developing world, where people need help the most and each dollar goes furthest.
Each of us has the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of the global poor. If you haven’t already done so, consider taking The Life You Can Save’s Giving Pledge to donate a portion of your 2017 income to effective poverty relief, or update your pledge amount as part of your New Year’s resolution to improve your personal giving best. Then see what your donation can “buy” through one of our charities, using our interactive Impact Calculator. And don’t forget to help us share the word, including talking to family and friends about your reasons for giving, and using social media to go public with your pledge to give during the holidays and in 2017.
With best wishes for the 2016 Giving and Holiday Season and for the year to come,
