With the end of the year approaching, Money Magazine recently sat down with our founding executive director Kat Rosqueta to get the Center’s perspective on high-impact charitable giving.
So what’s the best way to give? “If you want to make a big impact, it’s not about the money you give,” Kat told readers. “It’s about how well you give that money. The biggest misconception people have is that good intentions and a lot of money mean a lot of impact. You need to move away from the focus on financial inputs, like how much money a charity has and what its overhead costs are. Instead, focus on the change you want to create, the actual impact. Is it helping people who have lost everything in a major disaster? Getting a child to read at grade level?”
“Ask yourself where you can get the most bang for your buck,” Kat added. “Be clear on the results you’re trying to achieve. Then support organizations that are doing that.”
But what if you don’t have Bill Gates’ money? “Funders with more resources than you are often addressing bigger, more capital-intensive problems, like developing a new vaccine,” Kat told readers. “But you can make a meaningful difference with a lot less money. It costs $150 to provide home-based health care to poor families in rural India. To help just one newborn, it’s $7. You could be saving a child’s life.The key is finding organizations that are using your money to the maximum effect.”
To read the full article from Money Magazine and listen to more giving tips from the Center, click here.