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Alana Horowitz Friedman

Suriyaa Sundararuban

From growing up in poverty to pledging 10% of his income, Suriyaa Sundararuban shares how effective giving  and the 10% Pledge became part of his path to lasting impact.

Pledger Spotlight: Suriyaa Sundararuban

Meet Suriyaa Sundararuban, an entrepreneur and Oxford Cambridge Fellow living in Munich, Germany. 

We recently spoke about what effective giving, the 🔶 

, and Giving What We Can mean to him.

“I grew up in poverty,” Suriyaa told me. “My parents lost everything during the Sri Lankan civil war and came to Germany with nothing.”

Despite these struggles, Suriyaa has always valued giving back. As a child, he admired the legacies of philanthropists like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gates, and other public figures. But it was the classic 2007 Tamil film 

 that really hit home. The film had a profound influence on Suriyaa, shaping many of his core beliefs:

“Some of the values that led me to take the Pledge are actually lessons from that movie: 

Take action because others won’t. Lead by example. And be a role model – even if you have to overcome obstacles to do so."

Suriyaa took the Pledge In January 2023. Since then, his giving streak has remained uninterrupted.“The realisation that effective giving doesn’t require extraordinary wealth was liberating,” he told me. 

“I’ve always wanted to give back, but traditional charities often proved less impactful than I hoped. When I discovered that there are more effective options, everything changed.”

Here's more about Suriyaa and his approach to giving.

1. Tell us about yourself. What keeps you busy and what makes you tick?

I would call myself a tech enthusiast. I’m constantly exploring innovations that shape the present and the long-term future. Professionally and personally, I enjoy diving into new technologies, collaborating with builders, and creating solutions that move society forward. I’m passionate about using my income and wealth to help others and create better systems for social mobility, and I’m fueled by creative problem-solving and ambitious goals.

2. What are the issues in the world that you care most deeply about?

Poverty reduction and health improvement are my top priorities, as they lay the foundation for human flourishing and opportunity.

3. Which organizations do you give to (and why)?

. These organizations embody rigorous evidence-based approaches and deliver measurable impact for those most in need.

4. Do you ever find it difficult to give?

At the start, allocating 10% of income was challenging. But it becomes second nature, especially after setting up systems and habits that make regular giving seamless.

5. Do you try to effect change in any other way?

In addition to financial giving, I contribute through volunteering, Open Source projects to make technology more accessible, and other initiatives that empower others — like teaching coding on StackOverflow before the AI era, investing in high-impact startups, and mentorship.

6. What effective giving tips would you like to share?

Start small! Donate just 1% of your monthly income and gradually increase. Set up automatic transfers to savings accounts dedicated to giving; this makes budgeting easier and giving regular.

7. What suggestions do you have for other people considering the 

Don’t just promise, take action. Be a doer! The real impact comes from follow-through, not intentions.

My vision is to lead and build transformative organizations that positively impact billions, creating enduring prosperity for humanity across generations. Some of my startups and innovation projects include an initiative to make Open Source the new primary industry standard, projects to empower the “unbanked” (those who lack access to financial services), and healthcare to address chronic diseases.

9. Have you found anything to be helpful in talking to people about effective giving?

Absolutely. Sharing personal experiences and insights has inspired others to explore effective giving themselves. The ripple effect is real!

The Pledge connected me with some of the smartest, most principled people globally. I felt so inspired to join this global community where integrity and impact come first. I’m really interested in getting to know other pledgers and driven people who want to make the world a better place, and think the 

 helps us connect and empower each other. This community has enriched my perspective and strengthened my commitment – it’s been a real privilege.

James Rayton

Crises like Gaza and Ukraine tug at our hearts, but everyday tragedies are underfunded. Here’s one way to give with head and heart.

 Balancing crisis relief and effective giving: how to think about donations

Hello, and welcome to our September newsletter!

A big thank you to everyone who wrote in after our July edition! I loved hearing your ideas and thoughtful questions — please keep them coming.

how should we think about crises like Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine when we want our donations to do the most good?

 These conflicts are heartbreaking and dominate the news. It’s natural to want to respond.

Humanitarian aid in these contexts is vital, but it’s also 

 When I was in Somalia managing the UN’s response to El Niño flooding in 2023-2024, we operated 14 helicopters for months, each flight costing over $10,000. We flew several missions per helicopter each day, delivering supplies. It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked, but when I reflected, I knew that in other areas, the funds we were using could go much further.

For example, around 15,000 children die every day from preventable diseases like malaria. We can save a child’s life for 

 doing just this! But sadly, these interventions remain seriously underfunded – because they aren’t hitting the headlines.So what’s the solution? I think it’s complex, and value-dependent. Some may feel the most compassionate choice is to give where impact is clear and outsized, especially when it’s uncertain how much emergency aid will reach those in need. Others may feel it’s worth trying anyway, given the dire circumstances and the very real injustices.

If you find these decisions hard, you’re not alone. I certainly do too.

Personally, I use three “buckets” for my spending (an idea from 

 by Prof. Paul Smeets): one for myself and loved ones, one for causes I care about even if impact is uncertain, and one — 

 — for the most effective charities I know.

I find that this balance helps me give with head and heart. 

(By the way, if the 3-bucket approach resonates, you might also be interested in using 

 for bucket 2 – it’ll match donations to your personal “favorite” charity with something more impact-driven.)

 shares what your donations have made possible:

A thank you to GWWC donors: from The Humane League

When we asked for your feedback on our newsletter last month, many of you responded that you’d like to hear more about the impact we’re driving as a community. We hear you and in short, it’s epic!

Watch out for future editions of this newsletter where we’ll share even more about our impact as a community.

For now, we wanted to share the short video above from one of the organisations you can support through our donation platform: 

, showing what Giving What We Can donors have achieved together.

Here are some of our favourite responses from people who took a 🔸

Because I want to effectively contribute to reducing the suffering that non-human animals endure in their lives.

 Because there is enormous suffering, yet so many opportunities to make the world better! 

 I consider it the very least I can do to give back to the community. I feel privileged to be in a good place economically and socially, and I want to share it with others, especially those who are in need.

Suffering is real and avoidable, and well-being is real and attainable!

 blogs, announcements, & news from Giving What We Can

 of Will MacAskill’s famous “100x multiplier”, explaining the logic & limitations behind the claim that your money goes 100x further overseas

 on Lewis Bollard’s TED talk: How to end factory farming, highlighting the reforms and strategies already moving the needle, and what we can do to help

We’re looking for partners to help make effective giving the norm! This past year, GWWC has teamed up with organisations to create new ways for people to learn about and take giving pledges – directing more funds to highly impactful opportunities. Most collaborations begin with small, low-effort experiments and grow from there. Are you/do you know an organisation who might be a good fit? 

 to connect with our Partnerships Manager, 

Highlights from our community & the wider effective giving ecosystem

, where athletes can easily raise funds for effective charities by racing for impact, not just time. Race for Impact is already live in 8+ cities globally, with 3000+ fundraisers signed up in the first full month. 

David Edmonds, the bestselling coauthor of 

, published a book on Peter Singer’s famous thought experiment! See: 

Death in a Shallow Pond: A Philosopher, a Drowning Child, and Strangers in Need

. If you’re in Oxford, you can also attend the

 with a finding that has particular relevance for our work at Giving What We Can: 

making a giving pledge boosts donations to cost-effective charities by simplifying the decision process

Pledge First, Think Later! Breaking Down the Complexity of Donations Through Pledges

 (We had nothing to do with this study, by the way!)

Oct 7th, Oxford Martin School (University of Oxford), 6-6:45 PM BST, 34 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BD

 by David Edmonds (Distinguished Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Institute) in Oxford. David will be in conversation with Professor Roger Crisp. This event is followed by a drinks reception. 

Upcoming EAGx conferences: Berlin, Singapore, & Australasia!

EAGx conferences are great opportunities to learn from and connect with others interested in having a positive impact on the world. Read more about each conference via the links below.

 to help shape grants and support day-to-day operations within their 

Program Associates and Senior Program Associates

 to help allocate tens of millions annually to reduce catastrophic biological risks by generating project ideas, recruiting grantees and collaborators, overseeing performance, and streamlining grantmaking processes. Apply by 

Applications are open for the Impactful Philanthropy Round of 

Ambitious Impact’s Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program

! The Impactful Philanthropy Round is a special edition of the Incubation Program dedicated to improving the effectiveness of the philanthropic sector. Like the other rounds, it’s a fully cost-covered, 8-week program that supports talented people to launch new high-impact nonprofits, and will take place in June-July 2026. Applications will go through the standard application form, which means you’ll also be considered for the other two 2026 program rounds, which focus on farmed animals and global health. 

Highlights from the high-impact programmes we list on our platform along with evaluators & grantmakers in the effective giving space 

, showcasing huge steps towards building a kinder world for animals

 released a video thanking Giving What We Can donors for sparing hundreds of thousands of hens from cages

Is growing its global university chapter program, 

, which helps students advance alternative protein education, research, and innovation at universities. Kicking off the 2025-2026 school year with 13 new chapters, the now 76-campus program includes a rigorous application process, a six-week training course, KPI reporting, and more.

, a bimonthly roundup by the science team on the latest in global alternative proteins research, funding opportunities, jobs, and resources; if you’re not currently a subscriber and would like to change that, you can do so 

. The 15 research projects awarded grants this year cover a range of animal groups, from spiders to fish to badgers, and confront a range of wild animal welfare issues, from drought to disease to forestry disturbance.

 directed $397 million through 55 grants, which they estimate will reach around 34 million people and save 74,000 lives. You can access GiveWell’s full, recently-published 2024 Metrics Report via this 

—the first to feature an external guest—CEO and co-founder Elie Hassenfeld speaks with Dr. Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). They dive into the real-world impact of the foreign aid cuts: how these cuts are affecting vital programs, what it takes to build a strategic response, and how this pivotal moment could shape the future of global health. Check out previous episodes 

The sudden suspension of funding from USAID meant that Niger’s huge progress in tackling parasitic worm disease had been threatened. 

, in partnership with The Life You Can Save, is proud to have been able to 

provide critical alternative support to the Ministry of Health to deliver urgent treatment to over one million people

 in support of using AI to strengthen compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), and emphasized that technology should be part of a broader strategy to support the BWC.

 of key organisational changes, decisions, and milestones from 2023 to mid-2025, including the decision to focus primarily on helping people work on safely navigating the transition to a world with AGI.

(News from evaluators, grantmakers, and incubators that relates to global health, animal welfare, or global catastrophic risk reduction is now included in the “Cause Area News” section above!)

 and stay connected with us for more news and updates.

Do you have any feedback on our newsletter or communications? 

 with Giving What We Can and effective giving.

Do you have questions about the pledge, Giving What We Can, or effective giving in general? Check out our 

GWWC Team

How to end factory farming — and what you can do today

How to End Factory Farming - and what you can do today

Lewis Bollard’s TED Talk highlights the urgency of ending factory farming, and serves as a powerful reminder that progress for animals is not only possible — it’s already happening. Watching it, we were struck by a few lessons for effective change.

 Small, tractable wins (like cage-free and crate-free commitments) can improve the lives of billions of animals.

 Evidence-driven advocacy and corporate engagement deliver outsized impact per dollar.

 Policy, markets, and technology (including alt proteins) can shift entire industries, not just individual choices.

If, like us, you’re inspired by Lewis’s message and want your giving to help animals as much as possible, explore 

Giving What We Can’s top recommendations on animal welfare

: independent, research-driven options for high-impact donations. Your support can translate directly into fewer animals suffering in factory farms.

Watch the talk above and consider sharing it with a friend. Small actions compound — especially for those who can’t speak for themselves.

How to end factory farming - and what you can do today

Discover how donations from wealthier countries can go exponentially further in low-income regions. Explore the 100x multiplier, cost-effective global health interventions, and why strategic giving can save more lives worldwide.

Can money go 100x further overseas?

Most people don’t think about it often, but those in lower and higher income countries live dramatically different lives. One of the key differences? The amount you earn. Even after adjusting for cost of living differences, those in higher-income countries 

typically fall in at least the top 5% of income earners worldwide

The scale of global income inequality is staggering — and it’s something we hope to reduce through initiatives like the 🔸

. But there is one silver lining to the deeply unjust inequality we face: 

This means that donations from those with more can have an outsized impact in places where resources are scarce, especially when it comes to global health and wellbeing.

The happy hour metaphor & the 100x multiplier

, Will MacAskill offers a useful thought experiment: 

Imagine a happy hour where you could either buy yourself a beer for five dollars or buy someone else a beer for five cents. If that were the case, we’d probably be pretty generous—next round’s on me!

Will calls this idea the “100x Multiplier” — explaining that the average person in a rich country can likely do at least 100x as much to benefit those in lower-income countries than if they were to spend that dollar on themselves.

The “100x Multiplier” is a memorable way of illustrating the massive disparity in what money can do across borders. And when it comes to saving lives in the medical context, it may even understate the impact boost. 

Think about this: it costs about $5 to buy and distribute a bed net that protects a child from malaria for years. When implemented at scale by an organisation like the Against Malaria Foundation, it costs on average around $5,500 to avert a death.

In contrast, preventing a single death in the US health system might cost 

hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars

In the case above, the cost-effective intervention in sub-Saharan Africa is 1000x cheaper.

Above: Net Assessment - Nigeria, Akwa Ibom state PDM18 (implemented by Society for Family Health). Image from 

That said, there are a few caveats to keep in mind when considering how much further your dollar can go when you donate it to programs in low-income countries. Before we get to those, let me explain one more piece of the underlying logic behind the 100x multiplier.

It’s a mouthful, yes. But the premise is actually pretty simple.

doubling someone’s income leads to the same increase in subjective wellbeing 

To make this concrete, imagine someone in Kenya is earning $500 per year. Another person in the U.S. is earning $50,000 per year. In one case, just $500 

 someone’s income; in the other, doubling someone’s income would cost $50,000.

That’s already impressive. But it gets more so. Log income utility suggests that a doubling of income produces the same wellbeing boost — whether you paid $500 or $50,000 to do it. 

So effectively, this means you can achieve the same wellbeing gain in Kenya for 100x less than what it would cost in the US.

It’s pretty striking, but it also makes intuitive sense. Money matters more the less you have of it. So by extension, an increase in money also matters more.

While the 100x multiplier is a useful heuristic for showing just how much power money can have in lower-income countries, it shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that giving overseas is 

100x better. It also isn’t meant to be a literal estimate of the exact impact boost that giving overseas might produce. This is because:

Not all dollars translate directly into income gains.

 Effective charities often provide health interventions, not cash. Bed nets, deworming, and vitamin A don’t “double income” directly, so log income utility doesn’t 

Blog

Pledger Spotlight: Suriyaa Sundararuban

Balancing crisis relief and effective giving: how to think about donations

How to end factory farming - and what you can do today

Can money go 100x further overseas?

10,000 pledgers and the impact of strategic giving

Give more, live...better?

A radically unfair world, and how we’re responding

What I learned about effective giving in Nigeria

A spotlight on Against Malaria Foundation's Post-Distribution Survey (PDM) process

What we achieved together — $80M donated in 2024 + 6x giving multiplier