8 tips to make your donation do more

You can do a lot of good with a donation, but in the worst case scenario, you can do nothing at all. So that you can be sure that your donation not only gets through, but also makes a real difference, here are the eight most important donation tips:

1. Donate to the test winners

The best charities achieve up to 100 times more with every euro than average initiatives. Instead of just looking at who works seriously, it is worth finding externally evaluated top organizations that are also rated as outstanding in international comparisons and concentrating your donations on these.

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2. Ignore the level of administrative costs

Do you pay attention to the manufacturer's administrative costs when buying a new cell phone or car? Probably not, and of course this figure says nothing about how much good an aid project does with every euro donated. Instead of paying attention to administrative costs, it is worth comparing the demonstrable impact per euro donated.

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3. Do not rely on donation seals

Awards like the DZI Donation Seal do not compare individual aid organizations. Similar to the TÜV (MoT), they only certify compliance with minimum standards. However, if you want to know more than just whether an organization is "roadworthy" and want to make the most impact, you need to look elsewhere.

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4. Opt for disasters that don't make the headlines

Whether it's an earthquake, drought or flood: in the event of a disaster, many donations are collected within a very short space of time. That's great, but it's often more than can be spent sensibly. It is therefore generally worth donating to quiet, neglected disasters. Here you can usually help considerably more people in need with every euro.
 
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5. Renounce earmarked donations

Top organizations know best how to use their resources to help as many people or animals as possible, or to make a real contribution to climate protection. This is also because the framework conditions for their work are constantly changing. So don't restrict them and donate without earmarking.

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6. Donate money instead of things

It is honorable to donate things that are no longer needed. But often donations in kind do not match local needs-and transportation costs are high. When you donate money (such as the proceeds from the sale of your items), local experts decide what is most needed and provide it.

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7. Donate internationally instead of locally

Your donation can have a much greater impact if it reaches people in the Global South, for example. For two reasons: The purchasing power of your donation - regardless of what it is used to purchase or organize locally - is much greater in these countries. And the local people are much poorer. Your help is therefore all the more valuable.

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8. Use the advice of independent experts

Among the millions (!) of charitable organizations worldwide, finding those that demonstrably achieve the most is anything but easy. International research teams therefore invest thousands of hours every year to find precisely these projects. You can find their analyses and recommendations on independent platforms such as Effektiv Spenden.

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With these eight donation tips, you are well-equipped to make your greatest contribution to a better world. You can start right here on our website and learn about the most effective aid organizations in the fields of fighting poverty, mitigating climate change, improving animal welfare, safeguarding the future, and defending democracy. Or donate directly to highly effective organizations – here is the donation form.

If you still have questions, a personal meeting with independent experts could be helpful. For example, how you can support your family or your company can play a role in your decision or what you should consider when thinking about making a donation in your will. 

Or how much you actually want to donate. There is no right or wrong here, but... if we may give you one last donation tip: donate generously! Because you can achieve more than you think. Even as part of an average German household, you are one of the richest 5% in the world. It follows that with effective donations you can save the life of a small child, or reduce the CO₂-atmospheric content by thousands of tons . Every year!

The team from Effektiv Spenden will be happy to help you with these and other questions. As a recognized non-profit organization our donation advice is free of charge and independent. If you are interested, simply call us at 030 / 260 355 19  write us an e-mail or directly arrange an appointment here .