Steve's 10+3 List of Great Charities

To end the suspense, the list (in alphabetical order) is first. Also, you can just stop reading after that. I'll say a few things about each below, but this is the Internet. I don't expect a long attention span. 

Please to enjoy.

Charities

A Safe Place
Against Malaria Foundation
Charity: Water
Compassion International
International Justice Mission
Iraq Crisis Response
Legacy World Missions
Neverthirst
Sole Hope
Unlikely Heroes

Meta-charities

GiveWell
Innovations for Poverty Action
ROI Ministry

So, part of this is where I tell you most charity is dumb and that you're wasting your time with it. Canned food drives are inefficient. Microloans are prison. The goat you bought somebody overseas probably got sold the second their child got sick. In fact, there's some nascent but really good research indicating that just giving cash to poor people is an awesome way to help. Yep, that's counterintuitive. But you know, math.

But you're smart; you check Charity Navigator and GuideStar. You know that overhead expenses are the devil and program expenses are all that matters. Good thoughts all, just not correct ones. Overhead expenses are great for expanding capacity. A low percentage of donations spent on program expenses really just allow us to wag our fingers from the sidelines and think of how we could do it better than those charlatans stealing our money in the name of charity.

I would say efficacy is the most important thing to look for in a charity. Does it do what it says it will do? Is the problem being (even slowly) solved sustainably? There is a correlation between charities who have low overhead and high efficacy, but that's more an indication of smart people being smart. 

And that's what gets a charity onto my list. Instead of giving with our hearts and looking for that warm fuzzy feeling we all want during the holidays, the one that helps us sleep at night after unwrapping a houseful of gifts we hardly care about and will put in a yard sale before the next Christmas, let's give with our hearts and our heads. 

How about we do some randomized controlled trials. That's what Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is doing. It's difficult. It's not a perfect science, but it is, in the end, science. How about we look at long-term results? GiveWell is beginning to collect some of that information. ROI Ministry is doing the same thing but concentrating on Christian-based organizations. And as a Christ-follower, I'm super-glad to have some accountability for so much of the heart-based giving.

Not all of the charities I've listed can claim incredible long-term results, but that's mostly because they haven't been around long enough for there to be a "long-term." New charities need visionaries and venture philanthropists. 

You'll notice some themes in the charities I've listed. You'll notice that there are none for saving animals or to promote the arts. I like animals and consider myself an artist, but those things don't excite me toward philanthropy. Most involve the poorest populations on Earth. I care about that. Five of the 10 (of which I'm aware) have definite Christian roots and are unapologetically coupling giving and evangelism. I'm OK with that. I think it can be both/and rather than either/or.

Also, I'm involved, directly or indirectly, with four of the 10. That includes being a giver, volunteer and/or knowing someone involved.

The Charities (These will be short. If you're interested, click the links.)

A Safe Place (ASP) is one of these charities that hasn't been around very long. There is no way to know how those served fare 10 years down the road because they haven't been around 10 years. From its website, "A Safe Place is the only organization in Wilmington and surrounding area designed to serve young girls and women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking." 

Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), obviously, fights malaria, a disease that has been eradicated in North America and the West for quite some time. From their website, "We protect people from malaria. We fund nets and ensure they are distributed and used. We show you where the nets go. We monitor and report their use and impact." Until DDT is brought back, there's no better, proven way to fight malaria than what AMF does.

Charity: Water provides clean water for those without. They have an awesome website, so you should go there. Also, their operating expenses are paid by a small group of private donors. Every cent you donate goes straight to clean water.

Compassion International is the best way to get your money directly to a needy child. 

International Justice Mission. Our world is a violent place (though increasingly less so) full of peril and horror. IFM frees slaves and brings monsters to justice.

Iraq Crisis Response is a new NGO on the ground in the Middle East assisting refugees and internally displaced persons (mostly from Islamic State) with health care and education. There's more to it than you can find online because of security concerns, but just search "Iraq" on the linked page and you can make a donation.

Legacy World Missions was honored to be designated in 2013 and 2014 as one of R.O.I. Ministry’s Top 10 Most Impactful Christian Charities for feeding 10,000 orphans across 24 orphanages throughout Uganda at an average cost of $8.24 per year.

Neverthirst provides clean and living water solutions in north African and southern Asia.

Sole Hope is an international organization based in Salisbury, NC. Which is awesome. Their goal is to eradicate the problem of jiggers. It's a big and awesome goal. The website is good and they have a few good videos. If you're squeamish, do not search for "Jigger Removal" on YouTube.

Unlikely Heroes rescues and provides safe homes and restoration for child victims of sex slavery. Their slogan is "We're coming for you." And frankly, that's just bad ass.

You can also give to the three meta-charities which are helping folks move from heart giving to head-heart giving. 

If I've written anything false or dumb, let me know and I'll retract it. I'm willing to be wrong about most all of this.