GiveDirectly
New York, NY · EIN 271661997 · FY2023 is the latest filing on record · pre-cached
GiveDirectly's 22% compensation share is a sign of strength, not a red flag.
GiveDirectly ended its latest fiscal year with a 7% operating margin, contributing to an average operating margin of 22% over 13 years. The organization has 11.4 months of operating reserves, placing it in the 92nd percentile among its peers. Donations make up 89% of its revenue.
Myth
A good charity spends very little on staff.
Reality
GiveDirectly spends 22% of its budget on compensation, which is higher than 62% of its peers. This investment in talent likely contributes to its strong operational capacity and impact.
Myth
High fundraising costs mean less money for programs.
Reality
GiveDirectly spends less than 1 cent in professional fundraising fees for every dollar contributed, demonstrating efficient fundraising.
Multi-year trend
Operating reserve months
Net assets ÷ monthly expenses — how long the org could run on savings alone.
Operating margin
(Revenue − expenses) ÷ revenue, per fiscal year.
How it compares to peers
Percentile rank among 73 Human Services organizations. Higher is framed as better on every bar here — including reserves and staff investment, which conventional overhead-ratio scoring would penalize.
Dashed line = peer median (50th percentile)
Ask about GiveDirectly
Answers are grounded only in this org's filed financial data above -- it won't guess at their programs, leadership, or anything not shown on this page.
Source: latest Form 990 PDF via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.