The Giving What We Can Pledge

A simple idea that started a global movement

TAKE THE PLEDGE DETAILS

Why would 8,799 people from 99 countries pledge to donate 10% of their income to effective charities?

A lot of reasons, but many simply realised:

1

If you earn at least 47,000 USD (post tax) per year, you are in the richest 2% globally.

Ten percent seems like a lot until you realise that in most cases, you’ll still be in the top richest income percentile even after donating it!

2

You can have 100x more impact by donating to the most effective charities (seriously, 100x!)

Ten percent seems like a lot until you realise just how much it can help others in the right hands.

3

If everyone stepped up in this way, we could legitimately reshape the world.

Ten percent seems like a lot until you realise you’re not alone, and together – we can do incredible things.

hear Akhil's story
hear Catherine's story

What if the top 1% all donated 10%?

What could we accomplish?

Graph of Cause Area funding opportunities

In just two years, we could use the 3.6 trillion dollars to:

$258 B

End extreme poverty for at least a year

$297 B

Build the systems we need to prevent pandemics

$662 B

2x all clean energy R&D funding

$6 B

4x philanthropic funding for nuclear security

$1.5 B

Dramatically increase funding for AI safety

$1.22 T

Clean water & sanitation for all

$341 B

End hunger & malnutrition

$175 B

Dramatically expand access to reproductive care

$219 B

Massively suppress malaria, tuberculosis and HIV

$53 B

Massively suppress or eradicate most NTDs

$222 B

Halve factory farming

REMINDER

Anyone earning US$62k a year post-tax is in that top 1%!

If you live in a wealthy country, you might not realize just how wealthy you are. Most people living in wealthy countries (US, UK, AUS, etc.) are in the top 5% of income earners worldwide even after accounting for increased purchasing power in lower-income countries. Learn more

How does the GWWC pledge work?

The Giving What We Can Pledge is a public commitment to give a percentage of your income or wealth to organisations that can most effectively help others.

  • You choose the charities and report and track your giving on your personal pledge dashboard.
  • We show you your giving history, connect you with other pledgers, and report on our impact as a global community of people committed to creating a better world.

TAKE THE PLEDGE REMIND ME LATER

Not ready for 10%?

If you’re not ready to fully commit, you can try our trial pledge which allows you to trying giving any percentage for a custom duration — you decide!

TRY A TRIAL PLEDGE

Why 10% of income?

What do we mean by “effective”?

How do I decide which pledge to take?

What if I’m a student? What if I’m not earning income?

What is “wealth” and how can I include it in my pledge?

Is a giving pledge legally binding?

Why give publicly?

What do we mean by pledging to donate to “effective” charities?

Not all charities are equal. Your choice of where to donate can lead to significant differences in impact.

The best charities can easily do 100 times more good with your dollar than a typical charity, and often this multiplier is even greater.

We don’t police where you donate, but when you take the pledge, you’re committing to give to organisations that you believe are highly effective.


TOP-RATED CHARITIES EFFECTIVE GIVING 101

Figure

Pledge options

Unsure what to pick? Check out our pledge recommendation tool.

10%

of income

8,799

The GWWC Pledge
Give a minimum of 10% of your income, until you retire.
Give 10% of your income each year. You can also pledge a % of wealth (suggested at 2.5%), if that makes sense for you.

__%

of income

746

The Trial Pledge
Give a minimum of __% of your income for __ years.
You choose what % of income or what % of wealth you want to pledge and for how long (6 months - 5 years).

10%

of profits

50

The Company Pledge
Give 10% or more of your company's profits.
Donate at least 10% of company profits to highly-effective charities.

Pledge FAQs

What is The Pledge?
Why is The Giving What We Can Pledge 10%?
How can I resign or unpledge for my pledge?
Is a giving pledge legally binding?
What is “wealth” and how can I include it in my pledge?
How permanent is a giving pledge?
What should I think about before taking a pledge?
Does volunteering count towards my giving pledge?
How does debt change my giving pledge?
I'm not sure about becoming a member yet, but would like to help. What can I do?
Do I count employer donation matching towards my giving pledge?
How do I calculate my pledge if I’m unemployed?
How do you keep track of whether I follow through on my commitment?
What organisations or charities ‘count’ towards a giving pledge?
How do pledge members calculate income?
How do I calculate my pledge if I’m a student?
How do I use the pledge recommendation tool if I'm retired, a student, or unemployed?
Should everyone take a giving pledge?
What if I want to give more than 10% of my income?
What if I can't afford to give 10% of my income?
Could I become a member and not have my name published?
How do I upgrade my existing pledge to include wealth?
Is a Giving What We Can Pledge with wealth a lifetime commitment?
What are the different giving pledge options?
Why are the names of pledged members made public?
How often should members donate?
Can I pledge with my partner as a couple?
How do I calculate my pledge if I’m retired?
How does working at a nonprofit or charity change my pledge?
Is there a pledge for students?
Does Gift Aid count toward my pledge?
How do I calculate my pledge if I’m a full-time parent or carer?
Can I report donations to any charity using the Pledge Dashboard?
Pre Footer

Stay in touch

Join our monthly newsletter to get the latest effective giving news. No spam—just news.

Support us directly

Our site is free to use but not free to operate.
Help us keep GWWC up and running.