(Not-so) radical giving, day 3: Fort York Food Bank

So far in this experiment I’ve guided my giving according to the principles of effective altruism, which insists, above all, that all lives have equal value, and thus we should allocate our money to where it can make the biggest difference. For true-blue effective altruists, this means giving exclusively to low-income countries, where people live in extreme poverty and can lack access to fundamentals like food, clean water, and life-saving medicines or vaccinations. It means setting aside the cause we may have a more emotional connection to (saving kittens!) and supporting those that are rationally more necessary (deworming children).
I think this is an incredibly important giving philosophy, and it has had a big effect on me. Roughly half of my recommended donations this month will be to non-profits that get an effective altruism gold star. That said, the goal of this project isn’t just to be an effective altruist: if that were the case, I would have given $600 to Against Malaria and gotten back to earning more money to give away. Instead, I want to showcase the good work that is being done at home and abroad, and I want to research various non-profits to see who I might like to give more money or time to in the future. Plus, I’m still strengthening my giving muscles, and giving to lots of different causes, some with a personal connection, makes for maximum warm fuzzies.
I am, however, still doing as much research as possible to make sure my recommended domestic causes make good use of my (and hopefully your) hard-earned dollars. Charity Intelligence is a good resource for understanding the financials of an agency, and I’ve purchased a subscription so that I can see the full ratings information. Looking at the snapshots there, I’ll look at how much money goes to programming, and also how much money they have in reserve (those in need of funds make more sense to support). Of course, CI is not GiveWell, and they’re generally looking at the bottom line, rather than scientifically verifiable outcomes. Some non-profits on the site do have notes about efficacy, and I’ve paid close attention to those. I’m also reading a lot of annual reports, though of course these are created by the charities themselves. You’ll still find me guided a bit by emotional giving, but know that I’m tempering it with as much rational analysis as possible.
TL;DR: This is all quite carefully considered if not rationality of the highest order. Also it’s my project and I’ll do what I want.
As I mentioned in my post about organizations I already give to, I’m a big proponent of the good work of the Stop Community Food Centre, which takes a multi-pronged approach to tackling hunger and restoring dignity to those who need assistance. Much of the Stop’s work falls in the harder-to-quantify category: how to you measure the impact of a community cooking class, a prenatal health program, or pairing seniors with teens to grow culturally specific foods?
But more traditional food banks are easier to measure, and of those the Fort York Food Bank seems to be the leader in the Toronto area. Their operating costs are lean and mean, with an amazing 95 cents of every dollar going to programming. They get an “A” in donor accountability, and a four-star rating from CI. And it should be noted they’re not just giving away food: they also offer an information and support program (access to professional advice from lawyers, accountants, etc.), internet/computer access, and access to programming like health/nutrition and computer classes, plus (be still, my heart) a community garden. In 2015, they assisted 13,200 clients and distributed 21,000 three-day food baskets and served over 33,000 meals.
I’ve donated through Canada Helps. Donations to the FYFB are tax-deductible. And if you can’t donate money now, next time you’re at the grocery store, throw in a little extra food to donate on your way out of the store (maybe even one of those loss-leader sale items: it doesn’t need to break the bank). FYFB also accepts donations of personal care products, books, magazines, and diapers, so if you’re Marie Kondo–ing your way through your house, consider dropping off some of these items, or check your local food bank’s website to see how they feel about in-kind donations. I tend to hoard hotel toiletries for this reason, although note not all organizations want these smaller-sized items.
If you’re giving along, or thinking about it, let me know: how does it feel to give close to home, rather than to organizations abroad, as on days 1 and 2? How much will logic guide your giving?
