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What do I need to keep in mind if I want to claim my donations as a tax deduction in Switzerland?

700 AI agents escaped from their test environment and hacked Hugging Face. We explain the AI agent cyber attack.

Our Giving Fund: “Fighting Poverty” supports four projects in Africa and India with a total of 5.3 million euros in donations from the second half of 2025.

Asset Structure, Legal Framework, Impact: In larger philanthropic initiatives, various providers assume different roles. An overview of the Swiss consulting landscape.

Many large companies support their employees' charitable efforts through matching programs. Here's how to find out if your company participates.

2025 was the year we surpassed the 100-million mark, expanded into Austria, and saw the global fundraising landscape change dramatically due to USAID funding cuts.

We support the Geneva Graduate Institute, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the Safe AI Forum with donations from the second half of 2025.

Our donation fund supports The Humane League and Sinergia Animal in H2/2025.

Funding decisions from our Giving Fund: Mitigating Climate Change from H1/2025

This time, our donation fund is supporting Humánny Pokrok, the International Council for Animal Welfare, OBRAZ, and the Animal Welfare Observatory.

This half-year, the funds again went to the Verfassungsblog, HateAid, the Flow Fund for Eastern Germany and a new addition: Alliance4Europe.

The Code of Practice of the AI Regulation is in force. Does it represent a success for safe AI?

We support SaferAI, which conducts research into the risk management of AI, and the Meselsons Center, which deals with biorisks, with donations from the 2025 half-year.

Our new partner researches particularly effective measures for the defense of democracy worldwide and makes recommendations for donations.

Anyone who believes that climate policy can be implemented with no more than left-of-center majorities is misjudging political reality.

Our donation fund supports Evidence Action's "Safe Water Now" program for life-saving access to safe drinking water.

Talk to us 24/7 about our recommendations: The Effektiv Spenden Chatbot.

International development aid is currently being cut at a record pace. What is the background to this and what can you do?

This is how a lazy argument beginns. But why is it so weak? Here are five reasons.

In a world where so many unimaginable things are happening, it is gratifying to know that Effektiv Spenden has continued to grow in 2024.

The Giving Fund: Defending Democracy continued to develop in Q4 2024.

This time our giving fund supports Sinergia Animal, The Humane League, & Animal Policy International.

Funding decisions from our Giving Fund: Mitigating Climate Change from H2/2024

In the second half of 2024, we had some news in the area of "Safeguarding the future".

Do you want your donation not only to be received, but to really make a difference? Then our 2024 donation recommendations are just the thing for you.

Effective donations can save a ton of CO2 or more with every euro. But how does this actually work?

Follow these 8 donation tips and make sure that your donation not only arrives, but also makes a real difference.

Nothing, 1%, 4% or 10% of your own income or assets? As much as you would pay in church tax? What are the philosophers and religions saying and how much is the author himself donating?

There is no product comparison in which the administrative costs of the manufacturers are discussed. Why do so many people believe that this should be different for donations?

Donation labels only verify compliance with minimum standards, but say nothing about where you can make the most difference with your donation. We want to change that.

A donation to a high-impact organization in a relevant issue area easily achieves 100 times or more good than an average donation - great news for donors who want their money to go as far as possible.

The market mechanisms of the free economy do not work in the donation market. It is therefore all the more important that aid organizations are professionally evaluated and compared with one another.

CO2- offsetting sounds good, but it is often used to finance ineffective projects. We explain how you can avoid 100 times more CO2- with every euro.

We are often asked why we do not recommend any large, well-known charities. Here we explain why.

Many charities promote child sponsorship. Is it serious or just misleading marketing? What is really behind it, and are there better ways to help?

Which providers of donation and philanthropy advice are there in the German-speaking world - and what do they offer?

Donations in kind usually involve high logistics costs. In addition, they often do not exactly meet the needs of the target group.

Nothing influences donation behavior more than disasters in the media, but couldn't we help many more people if we turned our attention to disasters that are neglected by the media?

What are donation funds, how exactly do they work and why do we think they are the most effective form of donation?

Does the Zewo seal of approval help you decide who to donate to? Not really. There are better alternatives.

The Austrian Donation Seal of Approval claims to stand for "security and transparency in donations", but does it?

Biodiversity is in crisis. Donations should be geared more towards the highest impact opportunities.

Money from our Giving Fund: Safeguarding the Future went to CeSIA, a French think tank that campaigns for safe AI, in the first half of 2024

Funding decisions from our Giving Fund: Mitigating Climate Change from H1/2024

Effektiv Spenden works together with Mieux Donner, which recommends the most effective organizations to donors in France and French-speaking Switzerland.

Artificial intelligence poses an existential risk. Philanthropic engagement can help to minimize these risks.

2023 was our best year ever. We have never been able to collect more donations from more people for the aid organizations we recommend than in 2023.

It is wrong to believe that these three statements contradict each other. Max Roser from Our World in Data explains why.

Should citizens really "work on" democracy, i.e. donate to its preservation and renewal?

Funding decisions from our Giving Fund: Mitigating Climate Change from H2/2023

Funding decisions from our Giving Fund: Improving Animal Welfare from H2/2023.

Our donation fund supports the Malaria Consortium for seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in Mozambique.

Foundations among themselves: With elegant momentum and in perfect harmony with themselves and the world, they take one step forward and two steps back

Since June 2025, donations via our platform are finally tax-deductible in Austria.

The millionaire heiress and tax activist is donating a large part of her fortune via a citizens' council. Should other wealthy people follow her example?

What will it take to stop climate change and global warming? We provide an overview.

What role does the 1.5°C threshold play? What happens if we cross it? A perspective.

Our Giving Fund: Defending Democracy has been successfully launched. We are using the funds from Q1 to support three promising organizations in Germany.

Helping to vaccinate babies in remote villages in Nigeria. In the guest article, New Incentives reports on a day with a mobile vaccination team.

Anyone who cares about the welfare of animals first thinks about donations to animal shelters or animal sponsorships. But there is much more that can be achieved.

In order to further develop the social sector in Germany, the welfare sector needs to be involved. But who is welfare anyway?

Swiss Solidarity mobilizes donations in the millions. But can the quality of the projects really be monitored so well that the donations raised are used as effectively as possible?

Which organizations do we support with the funds from the Giving Fund: Safeguarding the Future from H2/2023? Focus on biosecurity and AI.

Foundations in Germany would benefit from a little more professionalism. Hope rests on the next generation of foundation managers.

Why do non-profit organizations in Germany continue to find it so difficult to determine their impact?

Four questions can help you to narrow down your donation topics in order to maximize the impact of your donation.

With our Giving Fund: Safeguarding the Future, we have supported a number of initiatives in its first year to minimize global disaster risks.

Our cautious assessment of which organizations are making a promising contribution to protecting our democracy in the current situation in Germany.

What do we know about measures to defend democracy and why are donation recommendations so difficult?

How can I draw up my will in such a way that part of my assets are donated in an effective, legally compliant and tax-optimized way?

Save taxes now - decide on the donation later: find out more about the Effektiv Spenden Depot.

An analysis in the Guardian concludes that most offsets are ineffective. We believe there are better approaches for effective climate action.

William MacAskill describes effective giving on ZEIT ONLINE as a "superpower". That is exactly our goal. Find out more.

Advanced AI poses an existential risk. What solutions are there and what can I do?

The US foundation Open Philanthropy is supporting the donation portal Effektiv Spenden with 2.18 million euros.

The top recommendation for effective climate protection "Future Cleantech Architects" scientifically accompanies a new greentech series in the Handelsblatt.

Donations can present companies with challenges. Our Giving Funds offer a simple approach.

The news from Syria and Turkey is terrible. Nevertheless, it is precisely at times like these that we want to help ensure that people who want to help know all the options for doing so as effectively as possible.

Companies are under increasing pressure to develop ambitious climate strategies. Our Giving Fund: Mitigating Climate Change offers an effective approach.

Inflation means that many people have to "tighten their belts". Does this mean that we should also cut back on donations?

Unfortunately, donation tips are often hard to beat in terms of banality. We show that things can be done differently and what really matters when donating.

We are very pleased to be recommended as a top-rated charity ourselves, so that the donation to Effektiv Spenden itself also has a high impact.

Development aid supposedly does nothing or is even counterproductive. That is only partly true. It depends on the type of development aid.

In this guest article, Christoph Hartmann writes about why he donates, how much he donates and how he decides who to donate to.