Not all animal welfare charities are equally effective, and rigorous evaluation of welfare impact per pound donated can help supporters direct their giving toward interventions that help the most animals most cost-effectively.
Effective animal welfare giving requires understanding both the scale of impact and the rigour of evidence for different interventions. Farm animal welfare campaigns that change corporate supply chain policies affect hundreds of millions of animals at very low cost per animal. Companion animal shelters help far fewer animals at much higher per-animal cost, though the direct welfare impact per animal may be greater. Wild animal welfare is neglected relative to its potential scale of impact. The most effective giving strategy combines analysis of scale, tractability, and neglectedness with values about which animals and which types of welfare harm to prioritise.