PHILADELPHIA — Each holiday season, people are moved by the spirit of giving to make a difference in the lives of others.  The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice has developed an online guide that lists high-impact, low-cost charitable-giving opportunities for donors interested in making a difference with “High Impact Holiday Giving.”

Each opportunity described in the online guide is an evidence-based successful approach to philanthropic giving in the key areas that the Center has focused on for the last five years: global public health and international development, domestic education and vulnerable populations in the U.S.

For example, one model that aims to end hunger provides emergency food for a family of four for less than $40 a week.  Another approach works with global health partners and prevents a child’s death for less than $1,200.

”High Impact Holiday Giving” addresses ways to give to provide emergency food for hungry families, give children a strong start in life with nurse home-visitation programs, keep families healthy, redesign schools for better learning, help new teachers succeed and support literacy.  Others deliver life-saving interventions, help people move from poverty to self-sufficiency, fund sustainable agriculture and support community-based primary healthcare systems.

“No matter if you have $10 or a million dollars to donate, our guide is designed to help donors get more bang for their charitable bucks by highlighting models that have proven to be highly successful at a reasonable cost,” Katherina Rosqueta, the Center’s executive director, said.  “High-impact philanthropy is not about how much you give; it’s about how well you give to create a positive change.”

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy, a non-profit resource that provides independent analysis and decision-making tools to ensure philanthropic funds have the greatest possible social impact, was created in 2006 through a collaboration between the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Wharton School.