Mission:  To change the culture of philanthropy by making effective giving a societal expectation and key component of a moral and just life.

Background: Philosopher Peter Singer, the intellectual leader of the Effective Altruism movement, founded the Life You Can Save site after the publication, in 2009, of his book of the same title. In the book, Singer asks, How far does our obligation to the poor go? How much does it cost to save a life? Which charities do it best? And how much of the world's bounty is my "fair" share? His answer to the last was that most people in the developed world could give 5 percent of their income to eradicate extreme poverty in the developing world and still live comfortably. At the same time, the very well off — the top 5 percent of households and individuals in terms of income — could, Singer argued, give substantially more — as much as a third of their income — and still be very, very comfortable compared to the rest of the world's population. To that end, the Life You Can Save site serves to raise awareness of the more than one billion men, women, and children who live in extreme poverty and, through data, research, and independent verification, helps donors identify charities that are the most effective in fighting the effects of extreme poverty while making it easier for them to find high-impact giving opportunities.

Outstanding Web Features: A standout feature of the site is the Impact Calculator, which is designed to help answer the first question on a donor's mind: Where does my money go? The calculator highlights the work of sixteen of the world's most effective charities (according to the organization's own research and metrics), allowing visitors to compare each one – and the evidence supporting each intervention – side by side. To assist visitors in their decision, writeups are provided for each of the cause areas (Children, Health & Wellness, Hunger & Nutrition, Water & Sanitation, Women & Girls, etc.) featured on the site. Each writeup gives a nice overview of the cause in question and a list of charities working in that area that have been identified as doing the most good. Not surprisingly, the organization revisits its list of charities on a regular basis. (At the end of 2015, for instance, the organization added the One Acre Fund based on reader requests for additional recommendations in the hunger/nutrition and agriculture areas.)

Another popular offering is Giving Games, a rapidly growing learning module that makes it easy to learn about, or teach others about, effective giving. Visitors to the site also are invited to pledge a percentage of their income on an annual basis and have the option to use a handy calculator provided for that purpose to determine an appropriate amount based on income.