Note: mothers2mothers has provided a response to this post that can be viewed below. Summary: mothers2mothers, a well-respected group that focuses on HIV programs in Africa, published figures on its website that we have recently come to believe are erroneous. We feel this finding is important not because of what it says about mothers2mothers, but…

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We spent a lot of time last month dealing with headaches around tax deductions and processing fees. We thought we’d share our experiences with these headaches, and how they get in the way of donors’ abilities to give as effectively as possible. We’re thinking about how to better deal with these issues in 2012.

Of the money moved to our top charities through our website in 2010, 25% was on December 31st alone. We know that lots of people will be looking to make last-minute donations. If you only have five minutes but you want to take advantage of the thousands of hours of work we put into finding…

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Elie recently highlighted his doubts about our top charities, and a commenter responded: Of course one ultimately never knows how much good a charity or any given donation will do. Bednets might end up saving the life of child who grows up to be the next Nelson Mandela – or the next Saddam Hussein. Everything…

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There’s no question that “giving a goat” has caught on, as a way of getting people to support charity – rather than consumer goods – for the holidays. I certainly don’t need an iPad or a new TV, and I encourage friends and family to make donations in my name rather than sending me gifts….

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My favorite cause used to be U.S. equality of opportunity. But over the years since we started GiveWell, I’ve become more and more convinced that the best giving opportunities for individual donors lie in the area of global health and nutrition. Fundamentally, this area stands out because it involves a lot of interventions that have…

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