Why is it important to evaluate charities?
The simple truth is that donating to an effective organization can make a far greater impact.
Take a look at the following graph, taken from a research review of health interventions in the UK. The graph depicts the effectiveness of 175 interventions in the health sector in England (the measure is a change in the quality of life per year (QALY) per GBP, an accepted measure in the field of health economics).
While 150 interventions hardly manage to have any impact, the 10 best NGOs manage to produce a tremendous change in relation to cost. In other words, every GBP per capita invested in an effective program created a significant impact many times more than a contribution to the average program.
Similar gaps have been found across other areas and locations. Though comprehensive Israeli data is still needed, these performance variations likely exist here as well. In 2020, donations to the non-profit sector in Israel totaled 180 billion NIS annually. Imagine if even a portion of that was redirected based on rigorous outcome evaluations showing what works best on the Israeli society.
In light of this information, we believe it is crucially important to recognize top-performing Israeli organizations. Their work has the power to save and enhance lives if supported proportional to their proven effectiveness. The lives of thousands of people could be significantly improved and even saved, if we donated as we’re invested – based on deep thinking, research, and striving to achieve the best result possible.