Effective Charities

Are You Donating to the Right Charity?

Charitable giving in Singapore is on the rise, with individuals and corporations contributing millions annually to support various causes—from poverty alleviation to education, healthcare, and animal welfare. But are these donations truly making a difference?

Despite Singapore’s status as a global financial hub with a well-developed nonprofit sector, evaluating the actual impact of charities remains a significant challenge. Many donors contribute based on brand recognition, emotional appeals, or word of mouth rather than hard data. This raises a critical question:

Is the charity you’re donating to actually creating measurable improvements in its domain?

The Problem: Lack of Transparent and Comparable Data

A charity’s effectiveness is often buried deep within annual reports—assuming the data is reported. Even when charities publish their financials and key performance indicators, the information is often scattered, inconsistently reported, or framed in a way that makes accurate impact assessment difficult.

Consider this:

• A study by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) found that while 91% of Singaporeans believe charities should be transparent, only 36% actively review financial statements before donating.

• The Charity Transparency Scorecard, introduced by the Charity Council, highlights governance and financial transparency, but it doesn’t necessarily measure real-world impact on beneficiaries.

• A 2023 report by Giving.sg showed that while more than 90% of donations go toward operations and programs, many charities lack clear performance metrics to showcase how those funds translate into actual change.

Without clear, standardized ways to evaluate impact, well-intentioned donors may unknowingly support inefficient charities while high-impact organizations struggle for funding.

The Solution: Effective Charities and the Power of Report Cards

Effective Charities is an initiative designed to change how philanthropy works in Singapore. It empowers donors by providing clear, data-driven insights into a charity’s impact through report cards that measure effectiveness.

Charity report cards

How It Works:

• Charity Impact Assessment – Effective Charities evaluates organizations based on their stated mission and the actual outcomes achieved, not just activities performed.

• Financial Transparency – It compares annual expenditure against impact metrics, helping donors see whether funds are used efficiently.

• Standardized Report Cards – By distilling complex reports into easy-to-understand scorecards, Effective Charities allows donors to make informed decisions quickly.

This approach follows global best practices, similar to the GiveWell model in the U.S. and Giving What We Can in the UK—organizations that prioritize evidence-based giving.

The Benefits: Smarter Giving, Greater Impact

• For Donors: Make informed decisions and ensure that your hard-earned money supports organizations that truly create change.

• For Charities: Gain credibility and attract more donors by demonstrating measurable impact.

• For Singapore’s Social Sector: Encourage a culture of transparency, effectiveness, and data-driven philanthropy.

The Bottom Line: Donor Emptor!

In a world where resources are limited but generosity is abundant, ensuring donations go to the most effective charities is not just important—it’s essential. Effective Charities is here to help Singaporean donors navigate the nonprofit landscape with confidence.

Are you supporting a charity that truly makes a difference? Now, you can find out.

The team

Effective Charities was built by just two folks who strongly believe in supporting charities that affect great outcomes per dollar donation that goes to them.