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Why Effective Donations
The most effective charities
We introduce you to the aid organizations that have been rated as outstandingly effective by leading experts in an international comparison.
Donate directly through us
You choose the cause or project that moves you the most and can support it directly and without deductions via our platform.
Deduct donation from tax
We forward your donation without deducting any fees and issue you with a donation receipt—even for aid organizations based abroad.
Maximum effect
With your donation, you support demonstrably outstandingly effective organizations in the areas that are particularly close to your heart.
Sources & Methodology
income calculator
This calculator was created by Giving What We Can with the support of Our World in Data developed. It was last updated in 2024.
Measuring global income distribution is, by its very nature, very difficult. Various attempts have been made to determine it, such as the World Inequality Database or GapMinderuse slightly different approaches and arrive at different, albeit largely similar, results. Accordingly, our calculator aims to provide the best possible classification rather than an exact result. The results should be treated accordingly.
How do we calculate how wealthy you are?
Global income distribution is calculated using data from the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP, German: Platform for Poverty and Inequality) of the World Bank for the last available year (currently 2022). These values are per capita values in international dollars at 2017 prices, i.e., they have already been adjusted for inflation and differences in the cost of living between countries. The values in the PIP aim to measure disposable income, defined as the sum of earned and unearned income (including transfers) minus taxes and contributions.
The computer then adjusts this data for inflation and purchasing power parity (PPP) to obtain current income values. (As of 2022) The underlying data also comes from the World Bank.
How do we take household size into account?
The calculator takes household size into account according to the methodology of the World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform, which here This means that household income is converted into per capita values by simply dividing the total household income by the number of household members.
This is based on the assumption that all household members have the same level of consumption or derive the same level of prosperity from the total household income. The use of per capita normalization is common in the literature on developing countries, as poor people often have little scope for economies of scale in consumption.
However, the World Bank acknowledges that this assumption can be questioned. When household members have different needs, e.g., when children consume less than adults, using per capita wealth can be misleading. For this reason, organizations such as the OECD Different equivalence scales. The World Bank cites the lack of agreement on the equivalence scale to be used in individual countries and the simplicity of per capita estimates as arguments for their continued use.
Contact
If you have any questions about the calculator, just send us an email. e-mail, call us at +49 (0)30 / 260 355 19 or arrange for an independent and free donation advice.
donation effect
Mosquito nets against malaria
More than 1,000 children die every day from malaria. The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) saves lives by distributing mosquito nets in developing countries to protect people from malaria. Since the mosquitoes that transmit malaria are nocturnal, sleeping under a mosquito net significantly reduces the risk of contracting malaria. One mosquito net protects two people from malaria for around three years.
After current analyses (as of April 2024) by the renowned expert GiveWell The distribution of a net in an AMF-supported program costs approximately $3.50-5.50. (Excluding government contributions in kind, such as staff working hours.) We use an average value of $4.50 for the calculation.
Routine vaccinations for children
Many children in emerging and developing countries are inadequately vaccinated and therefore exposed to dangerous diseases. Vaccines for children prevent two to three million deaths worldwide every year. They are considered one of the most cost-effective measures in the field of child health.
New Incentives, offers families in Nigeria small financial incentives to bring their children to clinics for routine vaccinations. This increases vaccination rates among children, prevents disease, and saves children's lives. According to current analyses (as of May 2023) by the renowned expert GiveWell New Incentives incurs costs of $21.17 for each toddler reached. For every $21.17 donated, New Incentives protects one child from disease through vaccinations.
How much does it cost to save a life?
Our recommendations in the area of "combating poverty" are based on the analyses of the renowned expert GiveWellThe organization invests more than 50,000 hours per year in research and analysis to find the aid organizations that save or improve the most lives per euro donated. According to current calculations, the aid organizations recommended and supported by GiveWell could save 1.5 million lives in 2022. Save a life for an average of $1,000GiveWell explains here in detail what these calculations are based on.
Tax deductibility of donations
In Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, donations to charitable causes are tax deductible, which reduces your tax burden and affects your net income after taxes. The exact tax benefit depends on your tax rate and whether a donation meets all the requirements for tax deductibility. At effektiv-spenden.org, all donations from Germany and Switzerland are currently tax deductible.
For simplicity's sake, the calculator does not currently take these potential tax benefits into account when calculating your net income after deducting possible donations. This means that you could donate slightly more than indicated based on the remaining household income displayed, or your actual net income after deducting the donation amount could be slightly higher (i.e., you would be slightly wealthier than indicated).
Contact
If you have any questions about the impact of a donation, just send us an email. e-mail, call us at +49 (0)30 / 260 355 19 or arrange for an independent and free donation advice.