Charitable giving for animals varies enormously in cost-effectiveness. Understanding which organisations and interventions provide the most welfare per pound donated enables donors to have far greater impact.
Effective altruism applied to animals suggests that most charitable giving could have far greater impact by focusing on farmed animal welfare rather than companion animal welfare - not because companion animals matter less, but because the scale of factory farming suffering is vastly larger and interventions are often highly cost-effective. A donation to an organisation running corporate cage-free campaigns might spare hundreds of hens from battery cage suffering per pound donated, while the same donation to a companion animal rescue might help one or two animals. This does not mean companion animal charities do not deserve support, but that donors who want to maximise welfare impact should investigate cost-effectiveness carefully. ACE's top charities list is an excellent starting point.