Optimizing Your Pandemic Charity : Planet Money

Running the numbers on giving in the time of coronavirus

We called up James Snowden, a senior research analyst at GiveWell. GiveWell is based in Oakland. They're like a Michelin guide for do-gooders, and they're backed up by numbers. They have a neat slogan: "We search for the charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar." They're optimizers.

Snowden told us that, before the coronavirus pandemic, GiveWell's top recommended charity was Malaria Consortium. Malaria kills about 450,000 people a year, ...

Running the numbers on giving in the time of coronavirus

We called up James Snowden, a senior research analyst at GiveWell. GiveWell is based in Oakland. They're like a Michelin guide for do-gooders, and they're backed up by numbers. They have a neat slogan: "We search for the charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar." They're optimizers.

Snowden told us that, before the coronavirus pandemic, GiveWell's top recommended charity was Malaria Consortium. Malaria kills about 450,000 people a year, ...