Our recommended charities are a thoroughly vetted, evidence-backed list of highly effective organizations working across the multiple dimensions of poverty.
Learn about the critical issues they tackle and the measurable results they achieve in making a real impact on poverty.
Our Cause Funds support multiple proven solutions through a single donation. Each fund supports a portfolio of highly effective charities tackling related issues across the multiple dimensions of poverty.
After earning a PhD in Social and Clinical Psychology, Charlie Bresler became director of behavioral medicine for The California School of Professional Psychology, Fresno (CSPP-F), where he was a full-time professor and founder of a teaching clinic for anxiety & stress disorders. In 1993, he was recruited by The Men’s Wearhouse, where he went on to be head of human resources, stores, marketing, and, ultimately, president. He stepped down in 2008 to fulfill his long-standing desire to work directly on social and economic issues, not too long after he read Peter Singer’s book, The Life You Can Save.
Catalyzed by the concept, Charlie reached out to Peter and proposed combining Peter’s theory with the formation of a nonprofit to advance Peter’s ideas and to raise money for high-impact, cost-effective organizations. Together, they founded The Life You Can Save, where Charlie took on all organizational operations as executive director until 2024. He was supported in this work and in his financial support for the organization by his wife Diana, a family physician, and executed the role pro bono.
Neela Saldanha is executive director of the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE) at Yale University, which advances research on the effects of scaling policy interventions. Previously, Neela was the founding director of the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC) at Ashoka University, which is supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her research has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Nature Human Behaviour, and The Lancet Regional Health, among others. She has also led teams in marketing, strategy, and sales at Nestlé, Unilever, Accenture, and PepsiCo. In 2020, a Forbes magazine article identified Neela as one of ‘Ten Behavioral Scientists You Should Know.’
In addition to being a proud board member of The Life You Can Save, Neela is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and a board member at Her Move Next.
Deirdre J. Lyell, MD is the Dunlevie Endowed Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Stanford Medicine where she serves as director of Perinatal Epidemiology and Population Health. She is director of the Program in Placental Disorders and associate director of the division of maternal-fetal medicine and obstetrics. Shebrings more than 25 years of clinical, research, leadership and teaching experience in maternal-fetal medicine.
Dr. Lyell’s award-winning research has focused on understanding and reducing severe maternal morbidity; quality improvement; placenta accreta prediction, metabolomics and improved care; anemia prevention; and clinical obstetrics.
Peter Singer is a globally recognized philosopher, most known for his work on the ethics of our treatment of animals, effective altruism, and bioethics. Peter is currently an Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University. He will move to Emeritus status from July 1st, 2024. In 2013, Peter's book The Life You Can Save led to the co-founding of this organization with Charlie Bresler. Previously, Peter co-founded the Australian Federation of Animal Societies, now known as Animals Australia, and he is also a founding co-editor of the Journal of Controversial Ideas. Peter was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2012. In 2021, he was awarded the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture. In accordance with the ethical views he advocates, he donated the $1 million prize money to The Life You Can Save and other effective charities. Peter has written, co-authored, edited, or co-edited more than 50 books, and his writings have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Barbara joins us after six months of consulting with our team, bringing over two decades of experience driving growth and transformation across global corporations and high-growth tech companies. Her track record includes strategic roles at Microsoft, Target, ABInBev, Wallbox, and Cabify, where she built and led powerful marketing and communications initiatives.
Barbara’s dedication to advancing The Life You Can Save’s mission reflects her own values-driven approach, emphasizing impact and innovation. We’re excited for her to apply her expertise in strategic marketing and communication, product development, and brand building to expand our reach and deepen our impact.
Miriam Broeks is passionate about leveraging evidence to tackle poverty and social inequalities. Before joining TLYCS she was a member of the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge, where she quantitatively analysed the factors driving educational inequalities among Indigenous children in Peru. As Senior Analyst at RAND Europe, she managed a variety of research projects for philanthropic foundations, the European Commission, the OECD, and other public and private organizations. She has vast experience conducting impact evaluations using RCTs and quasi-experimental designs, pilot studies, mixed-methods research, and developing international surveys. She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Comparative Social Policy from the University of Oxford.
Michelle joined The Life You Can Save after seven years in financial services as Creative Lead and later Head of Marketing for a medical insurance firm. Prior to that, she split her time between Marketing Strategy and Creative Direction after studying Digital Design and Multimedia. She discovered her aptitude for digital product growth while completing an Associate in Management at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, after which she focused her career on optimisation of the digital eco-system that underpins the customer journey from acquisition to conversion.
Her desire to do meaningful work that contributes toward improving lives and ultimately transforming societies, led Michelle to complete Acumen Academy's Social Entrepreneurship course in 2016, after which she began working exclusively on projects for impact-led organisations outside of her corporate role. In 2021 she completed a course called 'Transforming Society: A framework for fixing a broken world'.
Her role at The Life You Can Save enables her to live out one of her core beliefs: "no one can do everything, but everyone can do something, and it's when we each do our 'something', that the world begins to change". Michelle is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and loves travelling, new experiences and a good Bordeaux.
Charbel Ghattas is a dedicated Australian humanitarian with over 14 years of experience in international development and relationship building. He excels in stakeholder management, fundraising, and resource mobilization, honed through impactful roles with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) across Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East and North Africa, as well as with World Vision Australia. Prior to his humanitarian career, he built a strong foundation in finance. Charbel holds a Master's in Professional Accounting from Charles Sturt University and a Bachelor's in International Business Management from Notre Dame University. His academic pursuits also include studies in Psychology, reflecting his deep interest in understanding human behavior and supporting others. Passionate about raising awareness for humanitarian causes, Charbel actively engages in advocacy initiatives. When not working, he enjoys hiking, exploring new cultures, savoring excellent coffee, and cherishing quality time with his family – his wife, son, and their beloved rescue dog.
Chantal’s background is in education and social media marketing. Training individuals within underprivileged communities for over 10 years taught her how to communicate creatively. Her desire to empower others, sparked a flame in her heart to tell the untold stories of the marginalized. Her role at The Life you Can Save, allows her to live out her passion for empowering and educating people through stories that inspire action. Chantal is based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Leslie is a native Californian, who graduated from Dominican University with a degree in Business Administration. She has a variety of marketing and technology experience in the retail and non-profit sector, including positions at Men’s Wearhouse and consulting with Lions Clubs. Her focus is on data-driven strategies which lead to positive outcomes. Being customer centric is her priority, so doing something that ultimately helps others in such need is an opportunity she had been looking for. She joins The Life You Can Save with enthusiasm to use her experience to ultimately help alleviate extreme poverty and suffering. She enjoys traveling with her husband and daughter in order to learn more about different cultures and meet new people. She lives near San Francisco with her husband and two dogs.
Iskandar Mammadov is a seasoned software engineer with over 23 years in information technology and 14 years specializing in web development. His expertise lies at the intersection of web technologies, artificial intelligence, and business process automation, where he helps organizations transform complex challenges into practical, scalable solutions.
Throughout his career, Iskandar has contributed to projects across e-commerce, SaaS, medical clinics, and startups, consistently aligning technology decisions with real business needs. Known for his ability to adapt to the unique goals and constraints of each organization, he focuses on building systems that are not only technically sound but also strategically valuable.
Iskandar’s skill set spans full-stack web development, AI-driven process optimization, and automation frameworks. He has a track record of designing and deploying solutions that streamline operations, improve customer experience, and support growth. His pragmatic approach allows him to bridge the gap between emerging technologies and the day-to-day realities of running a business.
With a passion for both technical innovation and business impact, Iskandar is committed to helping organizations leverage web technologies and AI to achieve sustainable success.
Louise is a proud South Australian who was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology major) in the 1990s from the University of Adelaide. On graduating, she furthered her career in the highly competitive financial services sector for 17 years in Sydney and Melbourne, completing a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and a Master of Business Administration through Melbourne Business School during that time. She acquired extensive experience in account management and business development across retail banking, institutional stockbroking, funds management and superannuation, and consulted to some of Australia’s largest financial institutions. After returning to Adelaide, Louise ran her own financial planning business, while volunteering for a political party to influence legislative change to further animal rights. Louise joins The Life You Can Save after being influenced by Peter Singer’s work while at university, where she minored in philosophy and ethics, and again after reading TLYCS after its first release in 2009. Driven to alleviate unnecessary suffering in the world, she joins The Life You Can Save eager to apply her business skills through a role that will have a huge positive impact on the lives of others. Louise loves cooking, bridge and golf, and lives in the Adelaide Hills with her partner, two children and rescue animals.
Llamil is an industrial engineer with a range of technology expertise on top of a decade of experience in food manufacturing. In addition to opening and operating four successful restaurants, Llamil has used his skills to manage a tech company and founded his own web design and hosting company in his native Costa Rica. Besides his wife and children, he is passionate about advertising, marketing and information systems. Llamil finds working at The Life You Can Save to be integrated with his outlook: although one is not necessarily responsible for the misfortunes of others, we do have a moral responsibility to help and it is our duty, as it is to pay our debts or educate our children.
After attending University of Oregon and graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Emily worked for The Men's Wearhouse for over 20 years in a variety of capacities (Store Operations, Assistant to the CEO, and Travel & Events). She took a brief step back to focus on her family but quickly discovered she missed contributing to the outside world. Emily was fortunate enough to find The Life You Can Save via a close friend and be able to put her administrative talents to good use for such an important cause.
Prince Adu-Appiah is a graduate of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, with over a decade of experience in development practice. He is passionate about poverty eradication through innovative approaches rooted in research and evidence.
Previously, Prince served as Team Lead for the youth-led nonprofit, 1Billion Africa, which engages in community-level problem-solving, and as Field Coordinator for Solidaridad West Africa, where he led quantitative and qualitative field research across 350+ communities in the region. His expertise spans program management, development communications, monitoring and evaluation, and youth engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Prince is committed to initiatives that address multidimensional poverty and supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially for low-income and vulnerable populations. At The Life You Can Save, he leverages his research and grassroots expertise to support evidence-based projects that fight extreme poverty and maximize the impact of donations.
Ilona Arih is a medical doctor with an interest in women’s health and health policy. Currently working in internal medicine in the United Kingdom, she has a passion for global health and policy solutions to drive systems-level improvements in health outcomes.
Akhil Bansal is a medical doctor who also works in global health, conducting research and grantmaking on violence against women and girls and antimicrobial resistance.
Jeffrey R. Harris, MD MPH MBA is Professor of Health Systems and Population Health and former chair of that department in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington (UW).
A board-certified internist and preventive medicine specialist, Dr. Harris’ career combines public health practice and a population health approach within clinical systems. He served for 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), beginning as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in both Atlanta and with the Washington State health department.
He was the first AIDS Coordinator at the U.S. Agency for International Development, leading that program as it grew globally to span more than 70 countries. While at CDC, he also served for 6 years on the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s committee that develops HEDIS quality-of-care measures, shepherding through several prevention measures still in use.
His leadership positions at CDC included 2 years as Associate Director for Policy, Program, and Evaluation under Dr. David Satcher and 4 years as director of the division that produced the Guide to Community Preventive Services. Before becoming chair, he worked in and directed the UW Health Promotion Research Center for 14 years.
Dr. Harris is an active researcher who focuses on dissemination and implementation of evidence-based approaches to chronic disease prevention and healthy aging. Much of his research focuses on health promotion in workplaces.
Marty Fleisher attended Swarthmore College where he studied philosophy and then NYU law school. He has practised tax and employee benefits law for more than 35 years, but for the last 15 years has focused more on finance and investments with a particular emphasis on third party ownership of life insurance policies.
Marty has played bridge since he was 8 and has won many national titles. In 2017, his team won the world championship in Lyon France.
For some time he has been interested in effective altruism and charitable giving (heavily influenced by his friendship with Peter Singer), and now plans to devote a substantial amount of time to these efforts.
Kalle Marsal is a senior business executive with over 25 years of experience in building and leading global, high-performance teams across a wide range of high-tech, life-science, and clean-tech industries. Originally from Sweden, he is based in San Diego, and serves as a board member, investor, and advisor to startup ventures and non-profit organizations. Kalle has been a long-time supporter of The Life You Can Save and is especially passionate about addressing global poverty and climate impact.
Bill Reichert is a corporate lawyer with over 20 years of experience. Originally from the US, he has practiced his entire career abroad, having lived in France, Belgium, Russia and now Dubai, where he currently leads the Middle East corporate team for the international law firm Charles Russell Speechlys. He is passionate about trying to make the world a better place, doing so through effective altruism, and was particularly inspired by the book The Life You Can Save.
In his free time, Bill enjoys tennis, fitness, reading, and foreign languages.
Every dollar The Life You Can Save invests in operations enables us to generate an estimated $9.19 for our recommended charities. Help us to raise more for our charities.
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