Thoughts on What to Donate to and Why
I originally wrote this for a friend who was deciding where to donate. I realized it might be useful to others too, so I'm putting it here as a more thorough explanation that hopefully can help inform too what you should donate to and why. First, I honestly commend you for even thinking seriously about this. A lot of people never get to the point of intentionally deciding where their money can help, so blessings on WHO you are.
Let’s talk some real stats on the impact donations can have:
*Toggle > to see inflammatory comments..
Individual scale: According to GiveWell (opens in a new tab) it takes in 2024 ~$5,000 to save someone’s life through medicine (through Malaria prevention, vitamins, childhood vaccinations)
- It's a very sobering stat because in essence by spending $30k on something as useful as a car, or relaxing as vacation, or for some as hedonistic as bottle service, you could've really saved SIX lives.
- I of course am guilty of this too, but I remind myself I shouldn't have an all-or-nothing mindset, and I pledge percentages of annual income instead.
Massive Scale: PEPFAR (opens in a new tab), a foreign aid program by the U.S. Government, has saved 25 million lives since 2003 through providing HIV prevention, testing, treatment, care and health-system support.
As much as I admire Elon for his technological achievements, it's really B.S. that he doesn't take responsibility for act-by-omission deaths caused by DOGE international aid cuts. (he claims "zero" people died (opens in a new tab)) His whataboutism on Gates Foundation is so disappointing. PEPFAR is PROOF he's wrong here.
How much do people typically give?
- According to Philanthropy Round Table (opens in a new tab), 58% of American households earning under $50,000 a year donated to charity; among those who donated, an average of 5% of their income, or $1760. 93% of more fortunate households earning more than $162k a year donated, and among those gave 2% of their income, or $5,805.
Overall, know that your altruism really can have an impact.
So what are the options? My 2 types of philosophies:
- Donating to the maximum impact organizations, typically internationally to areas less developed.
This is great because it treats all lives as equal (utilitarian mindset). The tradeoff is that it requires more trust. You often don’t get to see the impact directly, and large organizations can introduce bureaucracy or waste.
It’s best to go off guides like GiveWell that study the best orgs that also provide financial audits. For example, I only felt comfortable donating the plurality of my money to New Incentives because it provided a 17 page financial report (opens in a new tab).
- Local causes, organizations, and donating directly.
This is great because you can see the impact you make firsthand by helping someone’s life close to you. It also raises the social consciousness of people around you and really drives our dream of compassion, meaning and community, which must start local.
Overall I recommend a mix of both and to do whatever YOU feel the most connection to.
As for what I personally did in 2024, amounting to roughly $10,000 (doubled by Cisco corporate match to $20,000):
I polled our peers recently about what organizations they cared about and why. I traditionally donated to international causes only like the Mercy Corp for the Famine in Sudan. But talking to other friends made me dedicate a good 30%+ to local causes like Minds Matter of Bay Area. While theoretically someone in Sudan needs it more than a kid in the Bay Area, I was reminded the power of local initiatives and what I "feel the most connection to". There’s something that deeply touches my heart too about empowering low-income kids nearby. That’s because I once was a poor kid that received help from such generous programs too and if I have the chance to pay it forward, I’ll be damned if I don’t. So overall stand for what gives you meaning and touches YOUR HEART.
Shinzo wo Sasageyo!
Brian Lai
My 70-30 international-local split in 2024.
Most of these orgs were polled when I asked my friends “What causes do you care about?”
| Organization | Type | Description |
| UNICEF for Ukraine (opens in a new tab) | International, war relief | Provides humanitarian aid to children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine, ensuring access to essential services. |
| Mercy Corps for Sudan Famine (opens in a new tab) | International,Famine relief | Delivers emergency assistance and supports long-term recovery for communities in Sudan facing severe hunger and malnutrition. |
| Equal Justice Initiative (opens in a new tab) | National, Social Justice | Works to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., challenging racial and economic injustice. |
| Border Kindness (opens in a new tab) | National, Refugees | Provides migrants and refugees with comprehensive services, including shelter, medical care, and legal assistance, at the U.S.-Mexico border. |
| Asclepius Snakebite Foundation (opens in a new tab) | Local, Research | Aims to reduce global snakebite mortality through medical treatment, education, and research in affected communities. |
| Minds Matter of Bay Area (opens in a new tab) | Local, Education | Empowers low-income high school students by providing academic mentorship and support to achieve college success. |
| Five Buckets Four Shovels Foundation (opens in a new tab) | Local, Education | provide quality financial literacy education and tools for those starting their personal financial journey. |
| Muddy Paws Rescue (opens in a new tab) | Local, Animal Health | Dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating homeless dogs, facilitating their adoption into loving homes. |
| National Park Foundation (opens in a new tab) | National, Public Spaces | Supports the preservation and enhancement of U.S. national parks through private funding and public partnerships. |
| Innocence Project (opens in a new tab) | National Social Justice | Works to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals through DNA testing and advocates for criminal justice reform. |
| Caitlin Westerfield WiSTEM Fund (opens in a new tab) | Local, Education | helps to create the conditions that enable girls and women to discover, pursue, persist, and thrive in STEM, such as curiosity, confidence, community, and celebration in memory of Caitlin Westerfield |
| Doctors Without Borders (opens in a new tab) | International, Public health | Provides medical care in conflict zones and regions affected by disease outbreaks, regardless of political affiliations. |
| Feeding America (opens in a new tab) | National, Food | A nationwide network of food banks addressing hunger by distributing meals to those in need across the United States. |
| Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (opens in a new tab) | Local, Public Health | Offers reproductive health care services, education, and advocacy in the Gulf Coast region. |
| Palestinian Red Cross (opens in a new tab) | International, War relief | Delivers emergency medical services and humanitarian aid to Palestinian communities in need. |
| New Incentives (opens in a new tab) | International, Public Health | Provides conditional cash transfers to encourage childhood vaccinations among low-income populations in developing countries. |
I'm always looking to refine my philosophies, and try to remain very open-minded. If you have comments or suggestions, please leave below!!
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