As someone who works for a large charitable organization (we do capacity building for others, I struggle with this kind effort. 1. I applaud more giving. It gi

As someone who works for a large charitable organization (we do capacity building for others, I struggle with this kind effort. 1. I applaud more giving. It gives people agency in their communities, with their money, and it provides needed support. 2. I wish many of the things funded did not rely so heavily on individual giving. Some things should be taxed-based. It cannot be up to civil society to solve pernicious issues set aside by government and business. 3. Effective is hard. They acknowledge this but it is so values based. It can be a small project that builds trust so that a community can grow. So often effective can only be known by people deeply involved and over time. Some of the work the Colombian library system did after the paper-part of the peace process is a good example. 4. We have to have community led ways of defining effectiveness. This helps with local ownership and can mitigate philanthropic imperialism or any encoding of western and capitalist values that is so often present in giving of all kinds, not just individual. 5. Sports orgs are effective. They create networks for young people and improve health and related outcomes on every level. They create and infrastructure of connection, community activity, and health. And there is a fair amount of literature on this. They do not compare with a science-based NGO looking for a cure to a disease. I think the choice between them is less about effectiveness and more about the realm in which the giver wants to have an imapct. 6. Still. Please give. Find tools that help you.