The archive
Articles
Long reads on the small acts and big levers that actually move the needle. Filed by pillar so you can read by what you care about.
- The Receipts
The overhead myth
Low overhead doesn't mean high impact. The obsession with admin costs has damaged the charity sector for decades. Here's what actually predicts whether your donation does good.
30 April 2026 · 7 min read
- The Receipts
The impact washing problem
Impact washing is the charity sector's version of greenwashing. Charities overstate their impact using metrics that sound impressive but measure nothing useful.
26 April 2026 · 7 min read
- The Receipts
The disaster giving trap
After a hurricane or earthquake, giving spikes and then collapses. The money goes where the cameras are, not where the need is. Here's how to fix it.
20 April 2026 · 5 min read
- The Receipts
The signal-to-noise problem in ESG
ESG ratings are supposed to tell you which companies are good. They don't agree with each other. Here's why that's a much bigger problem than it sounds.
19 April 2026 · 6 min read
- The Receipts
When the evidence is thin
Most interventions have no randomised controlled trial behind them. Here's how to think about impact when the data you want doesn't exist.
18 April 2026 · 6 min read
- The Receipts
How to actually offset carbon
Most of what you buy in the voluntary carbon market doesn't remove carbon. Here is how to find the roughly five percent that does.
17 April 2026 · 7 min read
- The Receipts
Small acts that aren't
Three of the most popular green habits barely move the needle. Here's the data, and what to do instead.
17 April 2026 · 6 min read
- The Receipts
Your favourite charity has three numbers you should know
Every UK charity files accounts with the Charity Commission. Most donors never open them. Three numbers tell you more than the glossy PDF ever will, and one of them might worry you.
17 April 2026 · 6 min read