Most of us want to make a difference in this world in some way or another - whether it be through our career choices or donating to our favorite charities.
Are you aware that some charities are actually ineffective, even harmful?
Did you know earning to give can be a more beneficial avenue than working in a field that impacts people directly (i.e. The medical field)?
Have you ever wondered how you can make the biggest impact?
In Doing Good Better William MacAskill, author and co-founder of the Effective Altruism movement, discusses the questions many of us have never thought to ask surrounding the topic of helping others. Through this enlightening and important read, you will be challenged to rethink the ways you donate, learn where to find truly effective charities, and discover how you can do the best with your giving.
Effective Is Not Always Sexy
MacAskill begins with an astonishing story about a charity called PlayPumps International - whose seemingly brilliant idea to turn playground equipment into a water pumping mechanism turned out to not only be inefficient and costly but also harmful.
“No one had really considered the practicalities of the PlayPump,” says Macaskil.
“No one had really considered the practicalities of the PlayPump,” says Macaskil.
The necessary research and testing to ensure the effectiveness of the product had not taken place before the pumps were paid for (costing $14,000 per pump) and placed within communities.
PlayPump is not a stand-alone occurrence.
PlayPump is not a stand-alone occurrence.
This is an unfortunate reality behind many charities. Telling this story, the author brings to light an important point - The popular, sexy charity is not always the most impactful, it could even be harmful and extremely wasteful. It is essential to know where your donation is going.
Doing Good Better
After the PlayPump fiasco, Macaskill speaks about two people who did find a way to make a difference - a big difference.
After multiple programs intended to improve school attendance in developing countries failed to be effective, Kremer and Glennerster were given the idea to try deworming the students. Among the children in the study, absenteeism was reduced by 25 percent after deworming.
“Every one hundred dollars spent on the program provided a total of ten years of additional school attendance among all students,” (pg 8). Deworming is now one of the most effective programs run by charities - both in cost and impact.
“Every one hundred dollars spent on the program provided a total of ten years of additional school attendance among all students,” (pg 8). Deworming is now one of the most effective programs run by charities - both in cost and impact.
Best Is Better Than Very Good
MacAskill goes on to show us that not all ineffective charity cases are as extreme as the PlayPumps example, however, doing the best does not merely mean weeding out the bad. As you will find out in chapter three, the best charities are often far better than very good charities and knowing cost-effectiveness is extremely important.
A couple of examples the author gives of very good charities are those that support AIDS or cancer research. If you know someone who has walked either road, it is only natural that you would want to donate to the research for a cure. However, these causes are some of the most popular and well-funded charities in the world. They receive more funding than they can effectively use.
Here, MacAskill recognizes why it is important for us to give to a cause we feel connected to, but he is challenging the reader to reconsider. If we are truly seeking to do the best, donating $100 to charities that already have more money than they can use does not make any sense. Whereas, donating $100 to a charity that can put the money to use immediately, and is both impactful and cost-effective, will actually save lives.
A couple of examples the author gives of very good charities are those that support AIDS or cancer research. If you know someone who has walked either road, it is only natural that you would want to donate to the research for a cure. However, these causes are some of the most popular and well-funded charities in the world. They receive more funding than they can effectively use.
Here, MacAskill recognizes why it is important for us to give to a cause we feel connected to, but he is challenging the reader to reconsider. If we are truly seeking to do the best, donating $100 to charities that already have more money than they can use does not make any sense. Whereas, donating $100 to a charity that can put the money to use immediately, and is both impactful and cost-effective, will actually save lives.
Give Well
But how do I know which charities are best, you ask?
After discussing his research and findings in the first part of the book, the author delves into how to choose a charity. He discusses his list of “five questions every donor should ask before donating,” (pg. 109) - which involves knowing how cost-effective a charity is and how successful they are at implementing their program. Questions that should have been asked in the case of PlayPumps Inc.
Doing such extensive research into all of your favorite charities sounds pretty time-consuming.
Doing such extensive research into all of your favorite charities sounds pretty time-consuming.
Luckily, Doing Good Better points the reader toward organizations, such as GiveWell, that compile all of that information for you into neat lists showing which charities are doing the best each year.
Earning To Give
Doing Good Better is full of eye-opening facts.
For example, did you know, if you earn at least $28,000 per year, you are in the richest five percent of the world’s population? “Even someone living below the US poverty line, earning just $11,000 per year, is still richer than 85 percent of the people in the world,” (pg. 18).
The author does not just leave you flabbergasted with facts, questioning what you can do to help the 1.22 billion people living in extreme poverty, though. He offers encouraging solutions that will allow the reader to determine how to do the most good while doing work that matters.
The discussions surrounding earning to give are brought to life by graphs and charts that map life and wellness satisfaction, showing how much one’s situation/quality of life can be improved through the work of charities.
Keeping this in mind, the author shows us how earning more money through our career can be the most effective path to doing the most good. Through the personal story of Greg Lewis, who went to school to become a doctor because he, like so many others, wants to help people, MacAskill brings to light an idea worth considering.
The author does not just leave you flabbergasted with facts, questioning what you can do to help the 1.22 billion people living in extreme poverty, though. He offers encouraging solutions that will allow the reader to determine how to do the most good while doing work that matters.
The discussions surrounding earning to give are brought to life by graphs and charts that map life and wellness satisfaction, showing how much one’s situation/quality of life can be improved through the work of charities.
Keeping this in mind, the author shows us how earning more money through our career can be the most effective path to doing the most good. Through the personal story of Greg Lewis, who went to school to become a doctor because he, like so many others, wants to help people, MacAskill brings to light an idea worth considering.
The Greatest Need
Becoming a doctor, or doing any work, in a developing country is admirable and necessary. For someone looking to do the best, however, choosing a career path where you earn more and give it away can be far more impactful. This could mean choosing a rational path over following your dream.
The author is exceedingly direct and judicial in relaying his findings.
The author is exceedingly direct and judicial in relaying his findings.
This can make the concept of earning to give sounds a bit callous at first. The important thing the author wants us to consider, however, is knowing where the greatest need lies.
More often than not, there will be another person in line to take your place as a doctor, while the person who would take your place in a field earning, say $80,000+ a year, will not necessarily donate a percentage of what they earn. Therefore, you will be saving more lives by meeting the monetary need of paying for vaccines, medical supplies, and bed nets than you would treat people directly.
More often than not, there will be another person in line to take your place as a doctor, while the person who would take your place in a field earning, say $80,000+ a year, will not necessarily donate a percentage of what they earn. Therefore, you will be saving more lives by meeting the monetary need of paying for vaccines, medical supplies, and bed nets than you would treat people directly.
MacAskill is not encouraging anyone to quit their job at the non-profit and become a lawyer, but, for anyone who is deciding what field to go into, he is asking you to consider where you will make the biggest difference.
What You Should Do Right Now
Through this powerful and inspiring work, the author has shown us all that we have the power to save lives and significantly improve the welfare of thousands of people through giving and conscious living.
If you are curious about what you can do right now to help people all over the world, the author offers a few ideas at the close of his book.
These ideas include: establishing a habit of regularly giving, writing down a plan for the changes you want to make in your own life, joining the effective altruism community, and telling others about it (pg. 197-198). He also offers opportunities for going a step further with actions such as, taking “Giving What We Can’s” pledge to donate ten percent of your income.
Whatever you choose to do with the information from this beautifully written book, I hope you feel as challenged as I did to make a bigger difference, to do good better.