Are charities having a positive impact on your life?

When we talk today about giving to charity, most of us think about collection times or unwanted clothes and household goods – raising funds for a charitable cause. But giving to charity doesn’t just have to be about raising money; giving to charity can be so much more – and through giving we can receive too.

In a previous post, I mentioned philosopher and effective altruist Peter Singer who tells us to focus our gifts on the charities that are the most effective – the ones that have the greatest positive impact.

So what does a charity with a strong positive impact look like? Is it a charity that spends our money wisely? One that ensures our gifts:

• Keep on giving; educating, involving, and empowering communities to take responsibility – rather than become dependent on handouts? In countries like Ethiopia, there is a fear that aid may be having a negative impact with beneficiaries losing the motivation to work to improve their own livelihoods.
• Reach the most-needy 3rd world countries – not countries where corruption is rife and whose leaders choose to waste their taxpayer’s money for their own gains. There are so many examples of leaders spending money flamboyantly while their people suffer, supported by aid.
• Are spent wisely? With transparency increasing – for example data on UK charities’ income and spending is to be made public from March 2014 – in the future, we will all be able to ensure that our money is not being wasted.

Or a charity that has a positive impact across its whole ecosystem?

• One that gives to the donor as much as it receives (we’re not just talking about money here, a donor can give their time, their experience or their expertise, for example). A charity that allows individuals and firms to make new connections, find new opportunities, learn new skills, enhance their humanitarian credentials… or simply make them feel good about themselves.

What does positive impact mean to you?