For years, law school buddies Jeb Butler and Naveen Ramachandrappa have been mulling the ways in which to utilize their good fortune as attorneys who’ve made careers out of representing plaintiffs in multimillion-dollar cases.
Inspired by the global philosophy and social movement known as effective altruism, Butler and Ramachandrappa aimed to donate to charitable programs in which their contributions would make the most impact. Their desire to do something meaningful was shared by fellow plaintiff attorney Jay Sadd, whose personal injury and wrongful death firm has secured tens of millions of dollars in damages.
The trio’s plan to put their money where their mouth is crystalized during an informal meeting at an Atlanta steakhouse and bar. And in late 2023, the attorneys launched Smart Giving, a platform to encourage high-impact charitable donations in poor and developing countries where common and preventable deaths can be avoided for as little as $2,000.
“The fact is that every day we have an opportunity to save people’s lives for about that amount of money, if the money is given correctly and wisely,” Butler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If we have the opportunity to do that then we should.”
To get the ball rolling on Smart Giving, the three attorneys have collectively pledged $350,000 to charity through the end of 2024. And they’ve already convinced another local lawyer, Caplan Cobb founding partner Mike Caplan, to commit $25,000.
“I’m excited to team up with a group of exceptional lawyers to pursue maximum positive impact,” Caplan told the AJC.
Butler, Ramachandrappa and Sadd aim to leverage their connections in Georgia’s legal community and the competitive nature of lawyers to encourage as many charitable donations as they can. Ultimately, they hope to reach a wider group of professionals who “have the privilege of making much more money than they need,” Ramachandrappa said.
“Each one of us on our own probably can’t do as much as if we can do it together,” he told the AJC. “What we are trying to do is to raise awareness among lawyers and others, but starting with lawyers, that this is something you should be thinking about and doing.”
In 2023, Butler’s law firm, Butler Kahn, gave $100,000 to charity as part of Smart Giving. Ramachandrappa, a partner at Bondurant Mixson & Elmore, personally donated $50,000. And Sadd, of Slappey & Sadd, personally contributed $25,000. Those donations are being repeated this year.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Smart Giving doesn’t collect or distribute any money. The donations pledged under Smart Giving are sent to a select few charities via GiveWell, a nonprofit organization that since 2007 has been analyzing and ranking the effectiveness of charities around the world.
GiveWell’s top-ranked charities are those that save or improve lives the most per dollar, according to its research. They include programs to prevent deaths in Africa and Asia from malaria and vitamin A deficiency.
Ramachandrappa said GiveWell does “a really good job” of identifying ways around the world in which charitable donations can be most impactful. He said it can be difficult for Americans to understand the value of a dollar in far away countries.
The purpose of Smart Giving is to “bring home” the concept of effective altruism and contribute to the movement, Sadd told the AJC.
“It endeavors to use our sphere of influence,” he said. “Anytime I can support people like Jeb and Naveen, who are looking to do well with the good fortune they’ve been blessed with, I want to be a part of it.”
Julie Faller, the senior program officer at GiveWell, said the organization estimated that the lives of more than 5,500 people would be saved as a result of $15.6 million donated between March and September of 2023, which went to malaria prevention and childhood vaccination programs.
She said GiveWell also estimated that a child’s death from dehydration due to diarrhea can be prevented for around $2,000 through a charitable program that delivers electrolyte solution and zinc to households in need of that treatment, which is recommended by the World Health Organization.
“There’s a lot of potential for donors to do good in the world, but it takes pretty rigorous research and deep understanding to find those opportunities that let you have really high impact and to understand the impact that you’re having through your donations,” Faller told the AJC. “That’s where GiveWell comes in.”
Many charitable programs have “nice-sounding stories that don’t quite hold up when you look a little bit closer,” Faller said. She said Americans “can have a massive impact in the lives of people who live further away in poor countries because the dollar can accomplish so much there.”
Butler said effective altruism is “such an evidently good idea that it hit me like a ton of bricks.”
“At this point we just want to spread the word, and I think we can do that well,” he said. “We all know a lot of folks and some of them even listen to us.”
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