Crypto Means Business

Help the World’s Poor Via GiveDirectly and Ripple

Insights
Feature Image

Man with Bike Topping UpGiving back can, at times, feel ineffective. How much of my donation reaches the beneficiaries and how much does the program absorb for expenses? Who, specifically, benefitted from my donation? And, how did they benefit?

Instead of giving back, Ripple users can now give directly to help fight poverty. All you have to do is send money to GiveDirectly.org‘s Ripple Wallet: rBt92zFDGzK2tCoTkxr81NojbKBXoec1wS

What is GiveDirectly?

GiveDirectly offers a platform for donors to provide direct transfer resources to the extreme poor. Using the latest technology at each step, they locate poor households in Kenya, integrate them into electronic payments networks like M-Pesa, and transfer donations directly to recipients via their cell phones. Recipients then use the transfers to pursue their own goals. GiveDirectly charges donors the full cost of delivering this service and nothing more.

“Our supporters tell us that they greatly value the ability to give efficiently, with as much of their donation as possible going directly to the poor,” said Joy Sun, COO-Dometic at GiveDirectly. “To do this we seek to minimize costs like bank, credit card and foreign exchange fees. Ripple reduces transaction costs and delays to quickly get as much of the donation as possible into recipients’ hands.”

GiveDirectly holds the #2 overall rating for non-profit effectiveness by GiveWell and received the inaugural Google Global Impact Award. The organization’s unorthodox approach – allowing the poor, and not the donor, to choose where they invest — has prompted extensive debate with headlines ranging from “The Best and Simplest Way to Fight Global Poverty” to “Can Four Economists Build the Most Economically Efficient Charity Ever?” and “Is it Nuts to Give to the Poor Without Strings Attached?”.

This unorthodox approach is working: just last week, GiveDirectly released the results of an independent impact evaluation that found their transfers resulted in significant increases in assets and business income and reductions in hunger, domestic violence and stress.

What happens once I send money to GiveDirectly’s Ripple Wallet?

GiveDirectly will withdraw donations through a USD Gateway and transfer the funds on to recipients in Kenya just like any other donation received via check or the website. Please note that donations made via Ripple are not tax-deductible.

Related stories

Subscribe to the Ripple Newsletter