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Peter Jensen 

Member Profile: Peter Jensen


We recently spoke with Peter Jensen, a retired U.S. Army officer living in Richmond, Virginia. He shared with us his effective giving story, what motivates him to give, and some books/articles/stories that he found particularly impactful. 

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

I am a former U.S. Army officer and recently retired after 22 years of military service.  I am now a few years into a second career in corporate leadership training where I focus on program development and project management.

While in the Army, I earned my PhD and was faculty at the U.S. Military Academy, which fostered a passion for research. I’ve continued to research and publish, and I also mentor graduate students — especially those interested in working with military populations.

My other job is being husband to the love of my life and father to our wonderful young son!

Tell us about your effective giving journey.

I heard a podcast with Toby Ord a couple years ago and was immediately inspired by the values and process of Giving What We Can. For a year, I donated each month with the goal of 10% of my income going to Giving What We Can’s top charities. When I saw that I could reliably sustain donating 10% of my income each month, I took the lifetime pledge.

Why do you give? (What motivated you to give originally and what keeps you motivated now?)

The concept of helping those who are tackling the world’s toughest problems and suffering the most resonates deeply for me. In my travels with the U.S. military, I visited many locations and saw people struggling terribly with poverty and conflict. Working alongside so many people from these areas of the world affected me greatly: I wanted to help but did not know how. Donating through Giving What We Can gave me the most confidence that I was helping others in the world and making a difference in the lives of those in the most difficult situations.

While serving in the U.S. military, I once had a commander who asked me how effective I thought my unit had been in accomplishing their several-month combat mission. I offered him some broad metrics that I thought indicated success but he continued to press me for details: how did I come up with my metrics and what difference did I think my actions had truly made on the security, welfare and prosperity of the people within my area of operations?

I didn’t have any answers for him at the time, but the idea of measuring success and impact stuck with me. Throughout the rest of my military career, I continued trying to find ways to measure the effectiveness of military actions and the broader impact on the people where these military actions occurred.

Much later, coming across Giving What We Can and the ways they directed donations to causes with the most impact was both exciting and a relief. Here was a way that I could help make a difference and have confidence that real good was being accomplished!

Why did you take the Giving What We Can pledge?

I was attracted to and impressed with the idea of lifetime commitment and openly communicating about giving. The Giving What We Can pledge requires a person to “lead by example” and embody their values through action. That stirs my memories of military service and the ideals I tried to exhibit. The pledge also gives a chance to inspire others through your actions.

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

Poverty is the issue I find most heartbreaking, as well as frustrating, because there is so much that could be done to address this terrible problem. I am also inspired by 

 in that we in the present have a moral obligation to take actions that consider the vast numbers of people who will live after us.

Which organizations do you give to (and why)?

I split my donations equally among the four main cause areas highlighted on 

: global health and development, improving animal welfare, safeguarding the long-term future, and advocating for effective altruism.

Although organizations focusing on extreme poverty and longtermism resonate the most with me, I recognize that one of the strong points of Giving What We Can is that the recommended causes have been rigorously vetted as areas where donations are most needed and most impactful. This has inspired me to give equally to each 

No, I’m very lucky to have the resources to give without difficulty. Also, because I make the donations an automatic billing feature and part of my personal budget, I don’t have to put my decision-making, willpower, and budgeting skills into use every month. I’ve made giving just a regular part of my life, like any other expense in my budget.

Do you try to effect change in any other way? (e.g. volunteering, advocacy)

Indirectly, I post my pledge status on social media. I haven’t done any direct work on effective altruism causes yet, but I’d like to connect with more people in the community to more actively participate.

What effective giving tips would you like to share with the GWWC community?

Build a spreadsheet to track your budget and you might be surprised where you are spending your money and how much you can save to donate! My favorite example of budget tracking is seeing where money spent on small things — like fancy coffee drinks each day or some other minor luxury — adds up to far more than you initially realize. This can be a great way to start budgeting your way towards making your 10% pledge.

Any other suggestions for people considering the pledge?

Start slow and small to build a habit of giving. Tell others that you give. Build it into your identity.

I want to expand my efforts to the broader Effective Altruism (EA) community and see where I can do more work in this space. The more I learn about EA, the more I see a group of people with values that I share.

Have any books, documentaries, articles or studies significantly changed the way you see giving?

We are in triage every second of every day

” by Holly Elmore is such an inspirational and gripping article.

Peter Singer’s “drowning child” thought experiment and story is also very moving.

Toby Ord’s “The Precipice'' was startling and brought the concepts of longtermism to the forefront of my thinking and values.

Will MacAskill’s “Doing Good Better” is excellent, as well as any podcast where he is interviewed about EA.


" series, which profiles a selection of the Giving What We Can community. The Giving What We Can community is comprised of people from all walks of life, with different perspectives and motivations for giving – all united by their desire to make a significant commitment to use their income to effectively help others. 

-Read more 

 to help inspire others to give more, and more effectively.

For more information about Giving What We Can, we recommend you check out our 

Peter Jensen, a retired U.S. Army officer, shares his journey with effective giving.  

Rupal Ismin

Member Profile: Rupal Ismin 


We recently spoke with Rupal Ismin from Sydney, Australia. Her motivation for taking the GWWC pledge comes in part from her grandfather, who "had the best excuse to never give, but always did." Below, Rupal shares a bit more about her grandfather's story, her approach to giving, and other ways she effects change in the world. 

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

I am a 40-year-old Chicagoan who has lived in Sydney for most of the last 15 years (2 years in Berkeley CA, 1 year in Auckland). As the director of a research commercialisation centre at the University of Sydney, I get to be constantly surrounded by some of the smartest people in the world, working on creating world-positive impact.

I have a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old. We re-planted back in Sydney just before the pandemic and are working hard to be active in our community and grow solid roots. My husband (also a GWWC pledge member) and I are very physically active, love the outdoors, and live by the beach, as one typically does in Australia.

Since marriage, my husband Josh and I hadn’t been giving on a consistent basis, and it seems we were waiting for the “perfect cause” — a combination of an organisation we could be involved with that was also super efficient. This led to indecision paralysis.

Josh wanted to take the GWWC pledge together, as we make and execute all of our big financial decisions together, but I knew that this would lead to too much umm’ing and ahh’ing when deciding which charities to give to. We decided that taking the pledge as individuals would be better for us, and I have loved being able to make these decisions independently — it gives me a platform to investigate things that "come across my desk" and act quickly on them.

My journey with effective donating has been productive in helping me find a charitable cause to give my 

 to as well. I’ve now started both volunteering more and giving consistently at the same time.

When my husband stepped one foot in this direction (after the Sam Harris Christmas podcast), we both had motivation and enthusiasm to quickly take the pledge with little discussion. I took it to keep myself accountable and to keep my husband accountable.

I’m a little shy to say this out loud, but I feel incredibly good for having taken (and truly committed) to the pledge. I want to maximise the amount of good I feel out of my life, and boy has this pledge helped! For me, it’s clearly the right thing to do. Helping make the world a better place is a good goal to have, and one of the best ways to achieve it (for most of us) is through financial support.

I was also motivated by my grandfather’s commitment to giving. He grew up so poor in India that he often was shoeless, but still always gave 10% of his income to charity. It was his commitment from a place of much lower means (and the self-imposed pressure I felt as a result) that made me finally take the plunge and pledge.

Which organisations do you give to and why?

I took the pledge earlier this year, so I’m still working on assembling my group of nonprofits. So far, I donate to a couple of climate-oriented organisations — Climeworks, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia, and Farmers for Climate Action, for example.

I have found that for me, choosing causes and charities is akin to angel investing in that you can scout, find a cause that you think is cool, and be involved — perhaps through learning about a particular approach or technology. Then you can contribute with the aim to maximise your ROI — the amount of good your money will do.

I recently came across Climate 200, a nonprofit helping independents get elected in Australia with three overarching tenets: climate action, integrity, and diversity. I was convinced to give when they started the pitch by stating how hacking at the limbs of a problem is much less effective than hacking at the roots — politicians that represent the will of the people (rather than representing corporate interests) are the antidote. That organisation led to many independents committed to climate change being elected in Australia in our past election.

Do you try to effect change in any other way?

My work has always been socially-minded, but after turning 40 this year, I also want to be active in a nonprofit outside of work.

Recently, I became an industry coach for Global Sisters, an awesome nonprofit in Australia that helps disenfranchised women gain financial independence through micro-businesses. I helped set up this nonprofit a few years ago, and now I’m leading a multi-week mentor group on collaboration and networking. I am also part of a group that is focused on community support for refugees arriving in Australia; as part of its pilot program, this group will be offering year-long support to a newly-arriving family.

What effective giving tips would you like to share?

Waiting to find the “perfect” nonprofit to give to leads to paralysis, which has zero impact. When I started researching “most effective nonprofits,” I came across many interesting, groundbreaking organisations. My public pledge also led to a friend reaching out about a nonprofit that she is influenced by (Climate 200, getting independents committed to climate action elected), which I have since supported. Giving What We Can has some great 

Sam Harris’s podcast and talks on the Giving Pledge.

We recently spoke with Rupal Ismin from Sydney, Australia. Her motivation for taking the GWWC pledge comes in part from her grandfather, who "had the best excuse to never give, but always did."

Grace Adams

July Newsletter 2022

Hello and welcome to our July Newsletter!

Earlier this month, we sent an announcement to our Giving What We Can Pledge members about our new pledge pin. This pin will be given to all Giving What We Can Pledge members who have been pledgers for over a year and are on track with their donations.

It’s an honour to be a part of a community that cares deeply about giving and improving the world, and this is a small way for us to thank our members for displaying an ongoing commitment to their pledge.

full pledge pin announcement along with some FAQs.

We’ve launched our yearly Giving Review and have been collecting data about the donations our community made in 2021.

If you could spend 5 minutes reporting your donations before the 31st July, please do so.

 It helps us measure our impact and hopefully provide better experiences for our members in the future.

announcement about upping the spending of the Gates Foundation

, some of us may feel that our relatively small, individual donations don’t matter.

We’d like to remind you that although your contribution may 

 like a drop in the bucket, it means quite a lot to the people, animals and planet it benefits.

By giving effectively, you are part of a community of donors who — together — are drastically increasing the size of that drop, making 

a meaningful, concrete difference to the lives of others

 and helping to normalise giving to those who need it. That’s incredibly important, because even with generous donations from large philanthropists, there's much more to be done.

-Luke Freeman & the rest of the Giving What We Can team

July Newsletter Summary

Member Daryl D'Souza started a new job and shared a donation publicly with his network!

Congratulate Daryl on his new job and his advocacy

The meetups team is hosting an EA Forum “Show and Tell.” Come and tell us about a forum post that you found interesting, didn’t agree with, didn’t understand, want to learn more about, etc., and we’ll discuss it together! Feel free to choose any post (old or new) on any topic or cause. Just come along and we can spend some time learning something new or debating something fun!

 (New York: Sat, Aug. 6, 6:00 pm; Sydney: Sun, Aug. 7, 8:00 am)

Tony Senanayake from IDInsight will join this session to answer some Q&A about his work with multiple organisations in the global health and development sector. Tony is a goldmine of knowledge and this is sure to be a fascinating discussion.

 (London: 10:30 am, Munich: 11:30 am, Mumbai: 3:00 pm, Singapore: 5:30 pm)

Our open forum is an event where you can come along with questions about effective giving and/or to meet others interested in effective giving. This event alternates between different timezones each month.


 (London 8:00 pm, Berlin 9:00 pm, New York 3:00 pm, Los Angeles 12:00 pm)

Why plant based meat is a scalable solution to feed the world

: Interview with Bruce Friedrich, ​​founder and CEO of the Good Food Institute (GFI) - Giving What We Can YouTube

 share their giving stories - Giving What We Can YouTube, 

Find audio-only versions of our new YouTube content on the 

 performed a meta-review of what works and doesn’t work to promote charitable donations. Read Peter Slattery’s 

Magnify Mentoring has opened up applications for their next round of mentoring

. If you are a woman, non-binary person, or trans person of any gender with enthusiasm to pursue a high-impact career path, consider applying before the deadline on 5th August

Peter McIntyre (formerly of 80,000 Hours) has launched a free online learning platform called 

, which introduces some foundational EA concepts aimed to help young adults (particularly teenagers) increase their impact on the world. Peter encourages the EA community to share the first course, 

A community member is developing a course on forecasting. If you’re interested, you can 

 to participate in this new online class.

 on its funding projections for 2022, stating that it doesn’t expect to have enough funding this year to fill all the cost-effective grant opportunities it has been able to identify. As a result, it is raising its cost-effectiveness bar for funding and increasing its fundraising efforts.

GiveWell has published several new research materials, including a 

 on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of programs that train health workers to deliver maternal and neonatal health interventions, a 

 about two recent grants (totaling $562,000) supporting IRD Global’s tuberculosis team in Karachi, Pakistan, and 

 from a conversation with Drs. Edward Miguel and Michael Walker about a possible follow-up to a randomised controlled trial of GiveDirectly's unconditional cash transfer program in Kenya.

GiveWell is hiring for several positions, including 

in which donations to its Movement Grants program will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $300,000.

 with information about the grants they made between September-December 2021

James Snowden, a GWWC pledger and former team member, has joined Open Philanthropy as 

Program Officer for Effective Altruism Community Building

 An exploration of the topic from Bob Holmes at Knowable magazine

Faunalytics has released the 2022 update of their 

Global Animal Slaughter Statistics & Charts

New data shows 10M fewer hens confined in cages in 2021 in Europe, as per 

by 2026, the Gates Foundation aims to spend $9 billion a year

“Is it really useful to ‘teach a person to fish’ or should you just give them the damn fish already?” asks Sigal Samuel 

 discussing the evidence behind ‘ultra-poor graduation programs,’ which are aimed at lifting the ultra-poor out of poverty through a combination of training and cash/assets. Samuel explores how these combo programs compare to simple cash transfer initiatives, and how the gap between “teach a man to fish” and “give a man to fish” is narrowing.

Evidence Action is hiring for some communications roles including a 

, a DC-based role working across a variety of communications workstreams with a heavy focus on digital, and an 

Kelsey Piper, Vox journalist and GWWC member, writes about 

 and how the controversy over the value of deworming interventions shows the need for effective altruists to reason under uncertainty.

The 4 greatest threats to the survival of humanity 

 on how we could be living in the most important century and explores the development of advanced AI.

Four lessons from effective altruism that we can apply to climate change

Centre for the Governance of AI has opened submissions for their 

, and are seeking promising pieces of research with relevance to AI governance. Eligible submissions include undergraduate and master’s theses, journal articles, and essays. Winners will be awarded monetary prizes and be eligible for mentoring.


Why plant based meat is a scalable solution to feed the world | Bruce Friedrich

You can now support Giving What We Can’s operations using our donation platform

This funding helps us to inspire donations to high impact charitie

 to help grow our community and multiply your impact.

 with Giving What We Can and effective altruism.

Discuss effective giving and effective altruism on the 

 for more news and articles.
Do you have questions about the pledge, Giving What We Can, or effective altruism in general? Check out our 

Caroline Wood

Do many charities fail to help people?

Whether their mission is combating malaria, improving global literacy, researching cancer cures, or fighting climate change, we naturally assume that charitable organisations have noble intentions. Indeed, the very word ‘charity’ 

, describing affectionate love towards fellow human beings. So it can feel incredibly mean-spirited to stop and ask whether charities 

 benefit the people they intend to help. If their motives are altruistic and their methods are plausible, shouldn’t we just trust them to put our donations to good use?

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case: despite their worthy motives, many charities don’t help people as effectively as they could, and some even cause harm. Acknowledging this doesn’t mean we are being cynical and judgemental; rather, it allows us to make the biggest possible difference to alleviate the suffering of others by supporting causes using methods that have been proven to work.

For a perfect illustration of a charity that is ineffective at best and harmful at worst, look no further than 

. The idea is simple: children play on a specially-designed roundabout, water is drawn up through a connected borehole to the surface, and the result is a new playground

system for providing safe water. On the surface, it seems a brilliantly creative solution. Within a few years of launching, 

Blog

Member Profile: Peter Jensen

Member Profile: Rupal Ismin

July Newsletter 2022

Do many charities fail to help people?

Pledge Pin Announcement

Bruce Friedrich: Why plant based meat is a scalable solution to feed the world

June Newsletter 2022

How flawed judgments limit the impact of charitable donations

Member Profile: Vasco Grilo

May 2022 Newsletter