Where you give matters more than how much.
The most effective charities achieve on the order of a hundred times more per krona than typical ones. Choosing carefully is the most important decision a donor makes.
Why effective giving?
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Charities differ enormously
Few charities are rigorously evaluated, and among those that are, the best interventions achieve far more per krona than the average — frequently by a factor of a hundred. The choice of organisation typically matters more than the size of the donation.
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The best opportunities are well documented
GiveWell, a research organisation that has evaluated charities for nearly two decades, estimates that its top recommendations — such as malaria prevention and vitamin A supplementation — can save a life for a few thousand US dollars.
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The research is public
Independent evaluators publish their analyses openly: GiveWell for global health and development, Animal Charity Evaluators for animal welfare, and Giving What We Can across cause areas including climate and catastrophic risks.
Where to start
Ge Effektivt
The Swedish donation platform for evaluator-recommended charities in global health, animal welfare and climate. Supports Swish and card payments, and handles the Swedish gift tax reduction.
geeffektivt.se →GiveWell
The most thorough charity evaluator in global health and development. The full research behind every recommendation is published openly.
givewell.org →Giving What We Can
Recommendations across all major cause areas — including animal welfare, climate and global catastrophic risks — and the pledge community below.
givingwhatwecan.org →Why pledge?
A pledge turns the intention to give into a standing commitment. Thousands of people worldwide have taken one through Giving What We Can.
🔹 The Trial Pledge
Choose a percentage (from 1%) and a period that suits you — for example a term or a year. A common starting point for students.
🔸 The 10% Pledge
A commitment to give ten percent of your income to the organisations that can use it most effectively — for most people, the single largest contribution they will make.
As a student the amounts involved are naturally small. The value lies in building the habit — the leverage comes with your future income.
Want to discuss your giving?
Which cause area, which evaluator, whether to pledge — these are genuinely difficult questions, and several of our members have thought them through. We are happy to compare notes.