I think that Givedirectly, where it has free hands, will try to direct cash to where it can do the most good. If many of the world’s poorest are being served by the Zakat program, this will probably affect choices to some extent at a macro or micro level.
For instance, perhaps counterfactually to the Zakat-funded Bangladeshi program, such a program would have been funded with unrestricted funds (such unrestricted funds then being able to go elsewhere).
But I have no special insight into Givedirectly, just the general observation that if you earmark funds for anything that would otherwise be covered by unrestricted funds, that simply frees up those funds for the org’s marginal priorities.
Re Zakat-donors: if they have no issue with their donations functionally benefiting non-Muslims too, that’s great. I too would rather it all go under Givedirectly given its strengths.
I think that Givedirectly, where it has free hands, will try to direct cash to where it can do the most good. If many of the world’s poorest are being served by the Zakat program, this will probably affect choices to some extent at a macro or micro level.
For instance, perhaps counterfactually to the Zakat-funded Bangladeshi program, such a program would have been funded with unrestricted funds (such unrestricted funds then being able to go elsewhere).
But I have no special insight into Givedirectly, just the general observation that if you earmark funds for anything that would otherwise be covered by unrestricted funds, that simply frees up those funds for the org’s marginal priorities.
Re Zakat-donors: if they have no issue with their donations functionally benefiting non-Muslims too, that’s great. I too would rather it all go under Givedirectly given its strengths.