At the Happier Lives Institute, we focus on effective giving. Using the WELLBY to compare different interventions, we produce charity recommendations aimed at maximising the effect of donations. Our research has shown that choosing the right charity to donate to can enormously increase impact, up to 1,000 times.
Donors who support us and our recommended charities make a meaningful contribution to the mission of building a happier world. In the video below you can watch the interview with one of them, Barry Grimes.
As someone on an average salary in the United Kingdom, Barry decided to start investing 10% of his salary years ago with the goal of eventually donating the money to life-improving charities. In January 2026, he made a five-figure donation to the Happier Lives Fund. As we explain in the interview, we estimate that his donation prevented a thousand years of depression (or impact equivalent).
What can we learn from Barry’s story? Here are a few lessons and tips for people who want to donate (more) effectively.
Be clear about what you value
Knowing what you want to achieve with your donation is a crucial starting point. Some donors choose to direct their donations to charities that reduce mortality. We believe that improving quality of life and reducing suffering is the most important goal.
Trust the work of charity evaluators
Charity evaluators like the Happier Lives Institute exist to produce rigorous research on the most cost-effective interventions. As a donor, you want to make sure that there is strong evidence backing up your choice. We have produced several publications, charity evaluations, and even a chapter in the 2025 World Happiness Report.
Donate wisely, no matter the amount
Where a donation goes matters more than how large it is. Whatever sum you’re able to give, it can meaningfully reduce suffering and improve wellbeing if it goes to the right place. Choose donation options that aim to maximise the impact of each donation, like our Happier Lives Fund.
Think about your wealth differently
As we just said, allocation is more important than size when it comes to donations. However, for people living in developed countries it is pretty common not to see how wealthy they are compared to the rest of the planet. The truth, as Barry puts it in the interview, is that “if you’re on an average salary in a rich country, you are super rich”. That context can make giving a larger share feel less like sacrifice and more like redistributing genuine abundance.
Feel good about your decision
Taking a moment to see how a donation translates into real impact can also be genuinely rewarding. You can use tools like the Happiness Calculator on our website to see how much wellbeing your donation creates. If you give to the Happier Lives Fund, you will receive quarterly updates about each round of disbursements and their impact (which are also published on our blog).
Barry’s donation shows what’s possible when giving is grounded in evidence. We are extremely grateful for his generous support and for that of every single one of our donors over the years.
If you also share our belief that wellbeing matters, consider donating and subscribing to our newsletter to keep in touch with everything we do at the Happier Lives Institute.