Peter Singer — the man behind the viral book “The Life You Can Save,” and one of the key figures in the effective altruism movement — describes it as giving using one’s heart and mind.
That means you don’t just contribute to any charity, for example, just because it tugged on your heartstrings. You also have to consider whether the money you’re giving would have the most impact possible.
Even then, it’s not that simple.
Just because you can buy more insecticide-treated bed nets with the money you have — and therefore save more lives by preventing more people from getting malaria — doesn’t mean it’s the right choice over pouring your money into research that looks to develop new drugs to treat tuberculosis.
For five basic terms that will help you better understand this growing movement, check out the slideshare above and read this article.
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About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.