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Grace Adams

Explore your global income rank & the power of charity in our eye-opening video. Discover impactful giving & redefine wealth on a worldwide scale. 

Discover How "Rich" You Really Are: A Glimpse into Global Income and Charity

Recently, I hit the bustling streets of London to engage with everyday people about their views on charity, giving back, and where they thought they stood on the global income scale. The results were ... surprising! And the reactions? Even better. 

You're richer than you realise

The experience was eye-opening, not just for the participants, but for me as well.  It was an opportunity to explore an often overlooked aspect of our lives — our income in relation to the rest of the world.  

Many of us live within our own bubbles, rarely pausing to consider our financial standing on a global scale. Yet when we begin to peel back the layers of our perceived economic positions, comparing them to the reality of global income distribution, perspectives shift and casual conversations turn profound. 

One particularly striking moment was when passersby found out what percentile of income earners they actually fell into (after first being asked to guess!) When people realised that someone with a seemingly modest income in London could be in the top 1.5% of income earners worldwide, they were nothing short of amazed — with some even thinking the calculator was malfunctioning! 

And this journey wasn't just about numbers or statistics. It was about understanding that even everyday people have the capacity to contribute to global well-being — a realisation that many found both incredible and empowering. 


As part of this pop doc, I also interviewed experts like Julian Jamison, a health economist, who helped us navigate the complexities of income distribution and its implications for charitable giving, and individuals like Habiba Banu, who has committed a significant part of her income to charity, based in part on similar realisations. 

Our discussions revealed a common thread: the misconception that our individual contributions are too small to make a difference.  Indeed, the video sheds light on how even modest donations can have a profound effect in low and middle-income countries, challenging us to rethink the way we view our ability to help.

As I reflect on the conversations and the lessons learned, it's clear that understanding our place in the global income scale isn't just an exercise in humility — it's a call to action. It's about recognising our shared responsibility to support those less fortunate and making informed decisions about how and where to donate.

This video is an invitation to join me in this ongoing conversation about income, charity, and the role each of us can play in making the world a better place. It's not about feeling guilty for what we have but about feeling empowered to use our resources wisely. 

Thank you for taking the time to engage with these ideas. I hope you'll watch "You're richer than you realise" and share your thoughts and experiences with us. Together, we can begin to bridge the gap between our perceptions and the reality of global income distribution, one informed decision at a time.

Transcript for "You're richer than you realise"

(Due to the vox pop style of this video, we'd recommend watching it rather than reading the transcript. Captions are available on YouTube.)

Do you think that people who are well off should be giving to charity?

Everyone could. I probably could more than I do, which is not very much

Is. So the top 30% should be giving to charity. Do you have a sense of how well off you might be compared to the rest of the world?

Yeah the whole world. No, don't Google it. Just give me a guess. And then, because we're about to look it up.

Okay, well let's find out. We want to check your income there.

And then just press calculate. All right. Tilly,

Today we are on the streets of London trying to interview some people about their giving, about charity and about how rich they really are compared to the rest of the world. Do you give to charity?

People had a lot of different reasons for giving.

I'm Muslim, so we do believe that is one of our moral obligations that we do have to give back

I tend to do a lot of my giving in my local community,

Build something that I can actually take back over to where I'm from.

Most people agreed that the well off should give.

But exactly what proportion of people should give was debated.

I would like to say the top like 30%. I mean, I'm a primary school teacher. I'm a fairly low earner, but I am giving to charity every month.

I don't think there's any one standard to say, okay, you come here, this is when you have to do

It. And people were pretty unsure about where they stacked up.

What percentage I've fallen into. Yeah, the majority, which is not rich.

Do we think maybe top 20%, something like that?

But here's the counterintuitive thing. On a global scale, most of us are much richer than we think

You are in the richest 1.5% of the global population.

And that's mental. You're in the top richest 1%. You're still in the top 20%. At least the top 20%. You're in the richest. I'm

Top 15% richest people in the world. You're in the top richest 1.5% of the world. How do you feel about that?

Giving What We Can

In our February 2024 newsletter, we share the history behind the pledge and how we're leveraging the power of community to continue building a global movement of effective givers.

February 2024 Newsletter

Hello and welcome to our February newsletter!

I’ve got an ask for you today, but first some context…

In the spirit of Infectious Generosity, (yes, that’s a reference to Head of TED Chris Anderson’s 

!) our team at GWWC has been thinking about how we can make effective giving more infectious, especially using the power of our community.

 (an oldie but a goodie!) you know we created the Giving What We Can pledge to help change the norms around charitable giving — making it much more common for people in high-income countries to give what they can to help others so that together, we can better tackle some of the severe inequality and suffering in the world. And if you’ve taken the pledge yourself, maybe you’ve seen firsthand how your action has inspired friends and family in their own giving choices.



How does change happen? The power of social proof in behaviour change & successful movement growth

We often say it, but I find it incredible to reflect on just how powerful your voice and actions can be: inspiring just one other friend or family member to donate effectively, or pledge, could double the positive impact that you have. Imagine if you sparked 10 people to pledge – that is more than I could ever afford to give!

: I’d love to hear from you about any way you feel you could contribute to spreading the word, what might be blocking you from doing so, and how we can empower you to continue helping us on our mission of making giving effectively and significantly a cultural norm. Feel free to 

And for anyone who wants to share their story…

We’d also love to feature more stories from our community on our blog and on our social media! We often hear from people that personal stories helped them feel confident in taking a public giving pledge and/or finding a standard of giving that felt right to them, and we’d love to celebrate our community across the globe by sharing your story. 

Tell us a bit about why you took the GWWC Pledge, and your journey with effective giving

We are grateful and excited to have you co-creating a better world with us – for all of its inhabitants, now and in the future.


With gratitude,
– Grace Adams & the Giving What We Can team

P.S. Thank you to our community members who spoke about their pledge or donations in the last month, we've featured a few of you at the end of this email - check them out for inspiration on how you can talk about donating yourself!

Here are some of our favourite responses from people who took a pledge last month: 

What motivated you to take a pledge with Giving What We Can?

“I'm in a position of great privilege relative to most others in the world, and feel an obligation to help others and donate in a way that does the most good possible.”

“I believe I should share what I have because it's sheer luck that I have privilege and nothing else. I want my children to know that sharing with others is important.”

“Weil ich durch den „Verzicht“ auf einen Teil meines Gehaltes das Leben von vielen Menschen verbessern kann, und das ohne, dass ich merkbar schlechter gestellt bin. Ein klassisches Win-Win.” 

 “Because by “foregoing” part of my salary, I can improve the lives of many people without being noticeably worse off. A classic win-win.”

All the events that we list are open to anyone interested in effective giving!

Cohen Quadrangle B&B, Exeter College, Walton Street, Oxford, UK

Raise Oxford and EA Oxford are hosting a talk 

 and will be joined virtually by Rob Mather, CEO of the Against Malaria Foundation, and Grace Adams, Head of Marketing at Giving What We Can. 

Our GWWC volunteers Imaan and Tjeerd are hosting a global social meet-up! The aim is to connect like-minded individuals worldwide to make a positive impact together. The event will focus on the theme “Doing More Good Together,” exploring the power of collective action and how donations can amplify their impact. You will have the opportunity to share insights, learn from others, and discover effective strategies for supporting charities and creating meaningful change on a global scale. Join to ignite your passion for philanthropy and connect with a diverse community of changemakers. 

Fri 8 March from 7 – 10 pm CET at Teamwork, Müllerstraße 138D, 13353 Berlin, Germany

For International Women’s Day in Berlin, individuals of all genders are invited to join a conversation about diversity, equality, and inclusion in the EA community. The event schedule includes a presentation and Q&A session, speed meetings and structured discussions. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Additionally, there will be a march for Women’s Day earlier in the day, starting at 11:30 at Oranienplatz, with a meeting spot to be announced. 

 in the “front porch” area of the building (just inside the front doors)

There is a new local GWWC group starting in Toronto, which is having their first event in March! This is an informal social for donors, pledgers and adjacent communities interested in GWWC. This first GWWC Toronto event will provide an opportunity to mingle and ask questions, as well as provide input for what kind of events Alex, the GWWC Toronto group organiser will run later this year. 

Join the GWWC Melbourne community for a social coffee at MPavilion next the to NGV on Saturday 23rd March at 10am. We'll connect with other people who are passionate about effective giving, and discuss what other events you'd like to see GWWC Melbourne host in 2024. At MPavilion there's a coffee cart, quilts to sit down on and mystery grey scale ice cream to try! 

our operational funding match is fully funded

! Thank you so much to each of you who donated and to 

 for generously providing funding for this match. Reaching our US$ 200K goal has unlocked the matching funds, and we are more motivated than ever to keep working to inspire people to give more and give more effectively.

 page which discusses five principles you can follow to 100x your impact. This resource reflects an updated approach to charity comparisons.

 to help us identify the most effective donation opportunities for a variety of world views, and recommend these to our donors! We decided to extend the deadline and now applications close on March 2nd. 

 has a whole chapter encouraging readers to take the GWWC Pledge! 

He has also taken the Pledge with the new wealth option

 to give the greater of 10% of income or 2.5% of wealth each year.

 is an 8-week virtual program you can do alongside school or work that explores the core ideas of effective altruism and their relationship to Jewish tradition, texts, culture, and history. Learn more and apply by March 10th here. 

GWWC pledger Dustin Moskovitz shared his reflections on ‘

’ – philanthropy, decision-making in the face of uncertainty, his approach to strategic cause selection, and the need for ongoing reflection and adaptation in the pursuit of doing good.

Marcus Abramovitch shared a breakdown of exactly how much he donated in 2023, to which organisations and why. Take a look for an insight of his donation rationale, his approach to diversifying donations, and expresses his encouragement to contribute meaningfully to causes you believe in. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/EkKYqeAy3ArupKuYn/my-donations-2023-marcus-abramovitch

: GWWC pledger Jack Lewars is stepping down as Executive Director to launch a consultancy offering bespoke donation advice for large donors. Emma Cameron is taking on the role of interim Managing Director, and One for the World is accepting applications for the next Executive Director 

creative explainer of diminishing returns

 that suggests it is more than an economic principle, but also an opportunity for creating more happiness for everyone involved. By sharing resources with those who have less, individuals can optimise overall joy, as happiness is non-zero-sum and can be contagious.

 is pleased to share that UK supermarket Morrisons has committed to giving all of its own-brand fresh chickens 20% more space by November 2024, reducing the suffering of an estimated 50 million chickens annually. Additionally, The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) recently met to discuss legislation for farmed fish slaughter, aiming to introduce new legal protections for up to 77 million fish slaughtered annually in the UK.

, which includes scaling their farmer program to

, finishing construction on experimental ponds to be used in future research with their local university partnership, and improving the lives of an

, a new platform aimed at increasing discussion and enhancing collaboration within the animal advocacy movement.

 reached more than 35 million children across 13 countries in Africa with lifesaving vitamin A in 2023. They are also officially bringing their services to Madagascar, which now marks 14 countries where they will ensure children under five receive critical vitamin A supplementation. They have released their 

 in 2024. As the organisation continues to increase demand for routine immunisations, it also works closely with government partners to 

You can catch up on GiveWell’s recent events online: CEO Elie Hassenfeld’s discussion with Neil Buddy Shah, CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) about the 

) and Elie’s conversation with journalist Matthew Yglesias, co-founder of Vox and creator of Slow Boring, about GiveWell’s top charities and latest research 

GiveWell’s Director of Research Teryn Mattox wrote a guest essay about the 

effectiveness of kangaroo mother care (KMC)

GiveWell has also recently updated its reports on two of its top charities: the 

 reflecting on the progress in their programs this past year, and detailing ambitious plans for the year ahead.

 is organizing a series of webinars for partners in government and other organizations to improve foundational learning skills across Africa. They will also participate in the 

 conference to share experiences scaling and adapting the TaRL model across contexts. On International Mother Language Day, TaRL Africa celebrated linguistic diversity in classrooms.

 in global health and wellbeing, on land reform, health, migration, education, science and metascience, and global development. Open Philanthropy has also added 

 emphasise their particular aptitude to contributing to global health and development – 

Greg Colbourn is starting a funding circle aimed at slowing down/stopping further AGI development, due to concerns about near-term x-risk. There are many funders focused on AI Safety, but none so far focused on slowing / pausing / stopping AGI. Individuals willing to commit significant funding are 

 to join to discuss and coordinate donations towards this cause (funds won’t be pooled).

 (AIM, formerly Charity Entrepreneurship) has rebranded to encompass its classic CE program along with new programs focusing on grantmaking, research, and effective giving. The organisation believes that creating pathways for other career paths, similar to what they have done for nonprofit entrepreneurship, is the most effective way to double their impact. They have opened applications for their upcoming 

 will hold its spring round in April, with applications due March 31st and decisions expected in early May. Grantee applicants can follow the instructions 

" in response to the surge of interest in defending democracy sparked by CORRECTIV's report on a secret far-right meeting in Germany on January 10. They have also helped launch Power for Democracies, a charity evaluator focused on democracy promotion.

 recently had an in-person event in London with 11 climate funders, advisors and partners. The goal was to highlight their approach to high-impact philanthropy, while opening up the discussion to allow funders to share their own values, approaches and constraints. Catch up on the presentation deck 

 is now accepting applications for their 2024

. Please visit their website to view the 

 by March 17! You can also read about what they achieved through grants previously 

Founders Pledge Climate is currently recruiting for a Climate Communications Manager to increase our reach and communicate our work (apply 

) and an Applied Researcher to contribute to our 

 and grantmaking (no job ad yet, reach out here).

As promised, here are some wonderful examples of our members talking about their donations and pledges!



In the spirit of Infectious Generosity, (yes, that’s a reference to Head of TED, Chris Anderson’s new book featuring a call to take the Giving What We Can Pledge!) our team at GWWC has been thinking about how we can make effective giving more infectious, especially using the power of our community.

February Newsletter 2024

January 2024 Newsletter

Hello and welcome to our January newsletter!

As we settle into the new year, we are thrilled to share the release of a new book from Chris Anderson, Head of TED, called 

, which has a whole chapter that encourages readers to take the 

!

This inspiring book is a guide to making Infectious Generosity become a global movement to build a hopeful future. Chris offers a playbook for how to embark on our own generous acts and to use the Internet to give them self-replicating, potentially world-changing, impact.



Here’s a quick excerpt from the book:

“The more I’ve thought about generosity, the impact it can have, and the joy it can bring, the more determined I’ve become that it be an absolute core part of my identity.

Jacqueline’s work as a pioneering social entrepreneur has definitely inspired me, and together we’re now ready to sign that combination pledge, effectively committing to giving the higher of 10% of our income or 2.5% of our net worth in any given year for the rest of our lives.”

We are really excited about this opportunity to share the Giving What We Can Pledge with many more people and hope that this book will be successful so we can make our message even more infectious!If you’d like to purchase a copy for yourself or a friend, you can find relevant links here.

I also wanted to call out that there is 

! You can read more about why we think you should consider donating to us, how we’ll use the funding, and details of the match in our blog post. Our team is working hard on bringing the power of effective giving to many more people around the world – so collectively we can have an even bigger impact, this year and in the years to come. 


With gratitude,
– Grace Adams & the Giving What We Can team

PS: You can apply for 

 until the end of January – read more about all of this below!

 some of his donation data on Twitter from 

Here are some of our favourite responses from people who took a pledge last month:



Doing so publicly provides support to a philosophy I believe in and strengthens my resolve to do the most good I can throughout my life.

I'm in a position of great privilege relative to most others in the world, and feel an obligation to take the pledge, as well as donate in a way that does the most good possible.

I've long thought about and have written about it. It's an important tool to shift giving from impulse to strategic, and an additional motivator to give when times feel tougher or I'm distracted.

Because I have been given much, I too must give. We're all in this together and we're all better off when we remember that. I want to actively contribute to making a better world, so here I am.



San Francisco (and online) – TED's Chris Anderson: Infectious Generosity

Monday, February 5th at 5 pm PST
The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, CA 94105

Bestselling author, media pioneer and TED curator Chris Anderson returns to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to explore one of humankind’s defining but overlooked impulses, and how we can super-charge its potential to build a hopeful future. All in-person tickets include a complimentary copy of Infectious Generosity.

 Gipsstraße 11, 10119 Berlin

This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet others who are passionate about effective giving. Our aim is to foster a sense of in-person community among GWWC members here in Berlin, and this event is the perfect place to start! We are looking forward to having a relaxed after-work drink together and engaging in some good conversations. No matter if you are very experienced or a newcomer in the field of effective giving, you are very welcome to join us. :)



GWWC London – Earning to Give and Going Beyond 10%


Saturday, February 3rd at 2.15 – 5 pm
Newspeak House, Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG London

Join us for our February Giving What We Can London event. The theme is Earning to Give and Going Beyond 10%. We will have a brief talk by Alex Gordon-Brown who recently wrote 

.

We will open doors from 2.15 pm. At 3 pm we will have the 10 minute talk with Q&A and a little poll. Free form discussion from 3.30 pm. Show up whenever suits you best!




Tuesday, February 20th at 5.30 pm
Hermann Freiburg

This kick-off event is for all the GWWC community members and pledgers in the Freiburg area. We will meet on 20 February at 5.30 pm CET in the Hermann Freiburg for a casual get-together.

The Restaurant Hermann offers a variety of (vegetarian and vegan) dishes and drinks and provides a good environment for a cozy exchange. This event is a chance to meet people from the local GWWC community and discuss ideas and activities for our new local Freiburg group.



GWWC is seeking dedicated individuals to join our governance and advisory boards across our current projects, as well as leadership roles in multiple newly formed or soon-to-be-formed entities in different countries. 

Double your donation to help keep us running

GWWC is running a donation match for our operations - for every dollar donated to our operations, funders will match it up to $200,000. Supporting us now to fill the match will help us get close to filling the gap for our baseline operations in 2024. 

 including an executive assistant and country directors for the US, UK and Canada. We are also seeking dedicated individuals to join our governance and advisory boards across our current projects, as well as multiple newly formed or soon-to-be-formed entities in different countries. 

Blog

Discover How "Rich" You Really Are: A Glimpse into Global Income and Charity

February Newsletter 2024

January 2024 Newsletter

Head of TED Chris Anderson signs new “Wealth Pledge” to give 2.5% of wealth to high-impact charities each year

Where are the GWWC team donating in 2023?

Giving What We Can is spinning out of the Effective Ventures Foundations

GWWC Operational Funding Match 2023

GWWC Newsletter: November 2024

How I feel about my GWWC Pledge

GWWC's new recommendations and cause area funds