Annual Report 2020 THE LIFE YOU CAN SAVE 2020 ANNUAL REPORT YEAR IN REVIEW Helping donors and effective charities transform lives for the better, together. © Living Goods In a year that challenged so confident that my donations can make a many across the world, we were real difference. Thank you for all the hard 2020 In Numbers honored here at The Life You Can work you do!” – Anne, The Life You Can Save to help effective charities Save supporter Donations to Net Total books 3-year leverage and donors transform lives for effective charities impact distributed* ratio the better, together. “The new edition of The Life You Can Save has inspired over 200 people to take the US$18.2 US$17.5 ~40,000 17:1 million million What readers and 10% Giving What We Can Pledge, and I supporters are saying think it’s one of the best ways to introduce * Includes free downloads, giveaways and sales of the ebook, audiobook and paperback editions of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Life You Can Save; estimated number of book plays from the free podcast version of the new people to the core principles of book; and content based on the book (e.g. Blinkist’s 15-min version of the book) “The world’s problems overwhelmed Effective Altruism.” – Luke Freeman, me. This book empowered me.” - Kelsey Executive Director, Giving What We Can Breaking Down Your Impact Piper, Vox Impact examples based on The Life You Can Save’s Impact Calculator “Thank you for providing a clear case What our charities are for giving generously, a helpful guide saying Total Amount for targeting an amount to donate, and “The new free edition of The Life You Can Recommended Donated Through Possible Interventions These Donations valuable recommendations for effective Charity The Life You Can Could Fund Save has generated significant interest in Save (US$) charities to support. Before I found Peter Against Malaria Foundation and led to Against Malaria Purchase 1,126,934 anti-malarial nets. 1 Singer and his books, I was a bit lost in Foundation $2,253,868 net can protect 2 people for up to 3 years. an increase in donations” – Rob Mather, terms of how/what to give to charity, CEO, Against Malaria Foundation Sanku-Project 1-year supply of micronutrient food and as a result, I tended to be frozen. If Healthy Children $329,032 fortification for620,815 people I couldn’t choose where to give, I simply “The Life You Can Save is one of the The Fred Hollows Foundation $250,387 5,007 cataract surgeries didn’t. Now, I can simply trust the experts main ways new supporters find Fistula to do the research that I’m frankly Foundation” – Kate Grant, Executive Village Enterprise Seed capital for up to 2,044 small $306,650 businesses too busy (lazy) to do myself, and I am Director, Fistula Foundation 2 3 THE LIFE YOU CAN SAVE 2020 ANNUAL REPORT MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Message from the Message from the Board: 2020 year in Executive Director: review Looking ahead 2020 was nothing short of a watershed your generosity allowed our charities to “The world’s problems livelihoods. They do good that also makes year for The Life You Can Save. The continue to make life-saving interventions overwhelmed me. This book them feel good. COVID-19 pandemic brought unforeseen despite many obstacles. In short, in empowered me.” That’s how Every day, we hear from supporters who challenges and impacted our work at a year marked by many drastic and Vox journalist Kelsey Piper have been inspired by the principles of every level. Travel restrictions forced us to difficult changes, you helped our charities described our founder Peter effective giving presented in The Life You reimagine how we support our charities transform thousands of lives for the better. Singer’s book The Life You Can and connect with our donors. Global Can Save. Still, relatively few people have To be sure, not everything went as we Save in a recent article. shortages in medical supplies and other heard of or considered the idea of effective might have hoped. We had to put our Her statement perfectly encapsulates the logistical disruptions threatened the vital giving. In other words, we have work to do! plans to expand in India on hold. Our operations of many of our recommended profound impact The Life You Can Save marketing trial with Amazon intended to I’m honored to have the opportunity to charities. Above all, the risk of severe had on me when I first read it 10 years distribute the book to a wider audience lead our team at The Life You Can Save illness and death made life even more ago. And it’s a sentiment I hear repeated was not as fruitful as we hoped. But we precarious for those already suffering time and time again in conversations still have much to celebrate. We saw under extreme global poverty. with you, our supporters. Some have even a steady stream of downloads as we described the book as life-changing. I’ve Yet, through it all, you — our supporters continued to offer free versions of The Life heard more than one joke that it’s the — continued to give generously. This You Can Save across multiple formats “most expensive” book they’ve ever read year, you helped raise over US$18 million and platforms. We experimented with — referring, of course, to how much more for our recommended charities, and exciting new virtual fundraising formats, they were inspired to donate after they including two crowdfunding events and read it. a live-streamed concert featuring world- renowned musician and The Life You The true power of the argument in The Can Save supporter José González. And, Life You Can Save becomes even more finally, we celebrated the accomplishments evident when we consider the real-world of our co-founder and former Executive impact its readers go on to make. Simply Director Charlie Bresler as he “leaned put: by embracing effective giving and back” from his role at the Life You Can donating to effective charities, they help Save and welcomed our new Executive transform lives for the better. They help © Against Malaria© Foundation Against Director, Rickard Vikstrom. prevent needless suffering and improve © Evidence Action 4 5 THE LIFE YOU CAN SAVE 2020 ANNUAL REPORT SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE CHARITIES in 2021 and beyond as we redouble our You can help by: efforts to spread our message even wider Supporting Effective and inspire even more people to give • Sharing The Life You Can Save and effectively. To achieve these goals, we will other resources we create with friends and family Charities • Create exciting campaigns designed to reach new audiences • Donating to The Life You Can Save In this section, we take a closer look at the impact of your donations to our recommended charities in 2020 and the many ways your support enabled • Produce inspiring content in new itself so that we can expand our work those organizations to continue making life-saving interventions despite accessible formats including video and • Connecting us with organizations and the obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. short versions of the book companies interested in partnering • Establish fruitful partnerships with with us to help spread our message to 2020—The Year in Numbers like-minded organizations and more people in all corners of the world All $ amounts referenced below are in USD companies in the technology, media and book publishing space I am truly grateful for your support. It’s Compound annual what makes all this possible. 1 yr % growth rate • Translate The Life You Can Save into Metric 2020 2019 change since 2014 other languages (ex. our new Hindi Rickard Vikstrom Net Impact $17,503,713 $12,176,516 44% 76% translation) Executive Director Money Moved $18,177,826 $13,161,224 38% 68% Money Moved Excluding $1M+ Donations $12,077,826 $6,637,793 82% 57% Expenses $674,113 $984,708 -32% 21% Impact Over Time $20,000,000 30 © Helen Keller International © Helen Keller $18,000,000 25 $16,000,000 $14,000,000 20 $12,000,000 $10,000,000 15 $8,000,000 10 $6,000,000 $4,000,000 5 $2,000,000 $0 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Total Money Net Money Moved Excluding Leverage Rao Moved Impact $1M+ Donaons (Right Axis) 6 7 THE LIFE YOU CAN SAVE 2020 ANNUAL REPORT SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE CHARITIES Thank You Notes “Your support [for One Acre Fund] is special fund, with over US$240,000 of December 2020, we partnered with the fueling our impact and will enable us gifts coming in the first 3 months. Gifts to experts at The Funding Network Australia From a Few of Our to serve over 1 million farm families in the COVID-19 Fund were divided among (TFN) to host Live Virtual Crowdfunding Best Charities 2021. With the average farmer achieving ten of our recommended charities that Events featuring three of our effective a 40% increase in income on activities developed special projects to address charities: The Fred Hollows Foundation, “On behalf of our US Board of Directors supported by our program, your gift is an the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you so Sanku Project Healthy Children and and the beneficiaries of Malaria investment in a more prosperous future much for donating to this special fund GiveDirectly. At these two events, Consortium’s seasonal malaria for every community we serve. Thank you and helping our recommended charities supporters from across the world came sustain their vital operations and meet chemoprevention program, I want to for your generosity!” — Andrew Youn, together to hear these three pioneering One Acre Fund new, unforeseen needs in the communities extend our deepest gratitude to The charities share stories about their Life You Can Save and your donors.