Case Studies: People Who Pledge To Give

Wondering what it's like to pledge to give more, and give more effectively?
Read our member stories and quotes.

Stories about people who pledge to give

Member NameDate of StoryLocationPledgeShort Bio
Timeo WilliamsOctober 2022Mexico City, MexicoThe Pledge2022Software developer
Fernando Martin-GullansSeptember 2022Houston, Texas, USAThe Pledge2020Professional dancer
Peter JensenAugust 2022Richmond, Virginia, USAThe Pledge2022Veteran
Rupal IsminAugust 2022Sydney, AustraliaThe Pledge2022Director of Research Commercialisation
Vasco GriloJune 2022PortugalThe Pledge2021GWWC volunteer
Sonia AlbrechtMay 2022Davis, California, USAThe Pledge2020Disability advocate, student
Martin SkadalApril 2022NorwayThe Pledge 2021Social Entrepreneur
Henry HowardFebruary 2022Victoria, AustraliaThe Pledge 2021Medical Doctor
Adriana Saso-GravesFebruary 2022Saint Paul, Minnesota, USAThe Pledge 2022Data Science and Machine Learning
Chris CarpenterFebruary 2022Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCompany Pledge 2021Carpenter
Andrew LeekeOctober 2021London, England, UKThe Pledge 2016Operations associate
Rick HollandOctober 2021London, England, UKThe Pledge 2021Director of Confident Philanthropy
Oliver BaseSeptember 2021London, England, UKThe Pledge 2017Research analyst at Longview Philanthropy
Rickey FukazawaJuly 2021London, England, UKThe Pledge 2019Physical education teacher
Achim FischbachApril 2021Munich, GermanyThe Pledge 2020MBA student
Sonya and Carl ChristensenApril 2021New York, NY, USAThe Pledge 2017Retired librarian and social worker
Felix WerdermannApril 2021Berlin, GermanyThe Pledge 2016Consultant
Carlos TkaczMarch 2021Las Vegas, NV, USAThe Pledge 2020Teacher
Nick DudleyFebruary 2021San Luis Obispo, CA, USAThe Pledge 2021
John YanJanuary 2021Mountain View, CA, USAThe Pledge 2020Software engineer at Facebook
Nathan GoldenJanuary 2021Mars, PA, USAThe Pledge 2020Middle School Math Teacher and Research Associate at The UBI Center
Marcus DaniellJanuary 2021Wellington, New ZealandThe Pledge 2021Olympian tennis player with 5 ATP titles
Jesper CockxDecember 2020Delft, NetherlandsThe Pledge 2017Assistant professor at the programming languages group
Alexandra BerlinaDecember 2020Düsseldor, GermanyThe Pledge 2017Freelance translator & interpreter
Pippa GilbertDecember 2020The Hague, NetherlandsThe Pledge 2020Analyst for an international organisation
Michael AirdNovember 2020Perth, WA, AustraliaThe Pledge 2019Summer Research Fellow at Center on Long-Term Risk
Catherine ThomasOctober 2020Palo Alto, CA, USAThe Pledge 2015PhD student in social and cultural psychology from California who has worked in global health and international development for 11 years.
Pablo OllierSeptember 2020Billom, FranceThe Pledge 2020Philosophy teacher and competitive chess player
Heather McLaughlinJuly 2020Taree, NSW, AustraliaThe Pledge 2012Retired teacher who continues to give 10-14% of her retirement income to effective charities
Sophia ChengJuly 2020London, England, UKThe Pledge 2020
Andy TrattnerMay 2020San Francisco, CA, USAThe Pledge 2020Engineer and writer
Arvind RaghavanJanuary 2020London, England, UKThe Pledge 2016Product manager at Citi
Allan SaldanhaNovember 2019London, England, UKThe Pledge 2014Audit manager
Insa MännelOctober 2019Osnabrück, GermanyThe Pledge 2017Referendarin at the Landgericht Kleve
Jo DuyvestynAugust 2019Leiden, NetherlandsThe Pledge 2014Researcher and PhD candidate at Leiden University Medical Center
Mathias Kirk BondeMay 2019Frederiksberg, DenmarkThe Pledge 2018Mathias Kirk Bonde is a software developer at IBM Denmark
Catherine LowApril 2019Christchurch, New ZealandThe Pledge 2015Former physics teacher who now works in groups support at the Centre for Effective Altruism
Max GhenisJanuary 2019Oxnard, CA, USAThe Pledge 2019Founder and President of the UBI Center
Matthew AllcockJuly 2017Sheffield, England, UKThe Pledge 2017Natural hazards researcher at EDF Energy
Erwan AtchesonJanuary 2017Belfast, Northern Ireland, UKThe Pledge 2013Research Scientist at Queen's University Belfast
d'Arcy LunnJanuary 2016Blewitt Springs, SA, AustraliaThe Pledge 2015Group head of sustainability and global citizenship at Dulwich College International
Ali LadakDecember 2015Brighton and Hove, England, UKThe Pledge 2015
Julia WiseDecember 2015Somerville, MA, USAThe Pledge 2012Community health liaison and former social worker
Mark BarnesAugust 2015London, England, UKThe Pledge 2015Mark Barnes is a travel blogger at Anywhere We Roam
Elizabeth BarnesJuly 2015Devon, England, UKThe Pledge 2014Researcher at OpenAI
Toby OrdJuly 2015Oxford, England, UKFurther Pledge 2009Co-founder of Giving What We Can, philosopher, author of The Precipice, and a researcher at Future of Humanity Institute
Coralie OddyJune 2015London, England, UKThe Pledge 2015Speech and language therapist at ReminiSense
Katherine SteinerFebruary 2015Oxford, England, UKThe Pledge 2014Assistant librarian at the Bodleian Education Library
Sashika CoxheadJuly 2014London, England, UKThe Pledge 2013Doctor at Homerton University Hospital
Parmeet ShahJune 2014Mumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaThe Pledge 2014Director of marketing at Marathon Realty Ltd. and the Chief Executive Officer of NEXT School Mumbai
Lee BishopApril 2013Edinburgh, Scotland, UKThe Pledge 2010Senior program manager at Amazon
Boris YakubchikFebruary 2013Morganville, NJ, USAThe Pledge 2013Developer at Forbes in Jersey City, NJ.
Richard ChappellNovember 2010Miami, FL, USAThe Pledge 2010Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami

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Quotes from people who pledge to give

QuoteMemberLocationBioPledge
It’s felt extraordinary to be part of a growing movement to try to structurally address those problems with the resources we have available… Now at 10 years on, with Giving What We Can having now having 5,000 taking that pledge, and being part of a larger and flourishing effective altruism movement, it seems like we’re really succeeding… To pause in reflecting on this particular moment in 2020, it feels in some ways a stranger and darker time than the period in which we were setting up to create this movement. But I really think that we’re positioned as effective altruists to be a constructive force for change in the years ahead.Peter EckersleyExpert in law and computer science, who has worked with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Partnership on AIThe Pledge 2009
I had just been paid more money per hour than my friends and colleagues in Kyrgyzstan earned in a month, but here’s the thing - I didn’t work harder than my friends, I wasn’t smarter, I didn’t work longer hours. The only difference between us was where we were born.d'Arcy LunnBlewitt Springs, SA, AustraliaGroup head of sustainability and global citizenship at Dulwich College InternationalThe Pledge 2015
I date the start of the Effective Altruism movement from the founding of Giving What We Can. I'm delighted that it has now reached the significant milestone of 5000 members, because that means a very significant sum going to help the most effective charities. But let's not forget that GWWC has done so much more than that - it has been the spark for a movement that has inspired many more people to think about their charitable giving, and about the overall direction of their lives.Peter SingerMelbourne, VIC, AustraliaMoral philosopher and author of books including Animal Liberation and The Life You Can SaveThe Pledge 2009
It’s a simple idea, but it is inspiring large numbers of people, in dozens of countries, to live their lives differently, and it has already led to hundreds of millions of pounds being donated to more effective charities than would otherwise have been the case. The result is that those donations do much more good, saving the lives of many more people and reducing far more suffering than they otherwise would have done.Peter SingerMelbourne, VIC, AustraliaMoral philosopher and author of books including Animal Liberation and The Life You Can SaveThe Pledge 2009
I'm motivated to give because there really are some cost-effective ways to improve the lives of those people and animals, now and into the future... This ability to improve lives makes giving feel to me both like a responsibility (with great power comes great responsibility) and like an exciting opportunity (which helps me perk myself up).Michael AirdPerth, WA, AustraliaSummer Research Fellow at Center on Long-Term RiskThe Pledge 2019
I took The Pledge because I want to increase the chance that I actually follow-through on my beliefs. Making a public pledge seems like a good way to do that. I hope it might cause some other people to also consider giving effectively.Michael AirdPerth, WA, AustraliaSummer Research Fellow at Center on Long-Term RiskThe Pledge 2019
In September 2012, I took the Giving When We Can pledge and have been supporting some of GiveWell’s top recommended charities, such as Against Malaria Foundation, Evidence Action, and GiveDirectly.Heather McLaughlinTaree, NSW, AustraliaRetired teacher who continues to give 10-14% of her retirement income to effective charitiesThe Pledge 2012
I'm motivated to give because of the simple fact that purely by luck, I have had health, modest wealth, and opportunity, while many others don't.Heather McLaughlinTaree, NSW, AustraliaRetired teacher who continues to give 10-14% of her retirement income to effective charitiesThe Pledge 2012
I look forward to the 10,000th member! I've always thought that effective giving is one of the most valuable ideas in EA and something that's worth putting more focus on, which was part of my thinking behind the annual EA survey. This growth in pledgers is heartening, and I hope it encourages EAs to spread that core, practical concept.Tom AshVancouver, BC, CanadaFounder of Rethink CharityThe Pledge 2010
To my surprise I discovered there was an entire community of people who were keen on doing it seriously. I immediately felt at home.Mathias Kirk BondeFrederiksberg, DenmarkMathias Kirk Bonde is a software developer at IBM DenmarkThe Pledge 2018
No TV or other purchase could make up for the peace I gained through giving.Mathias Kirk BondeFrederiksberg, DenmarkMathias Kirk Bonde is a software developer at IBM DenmarkThe Pledge 2018
I think that people unfamiliar with giving not only miss out on the positive impact that we can have on the lives of others, but also the positive impact on ourselves. There is a strong satisfaction in doing what you think is good!Pablo OllierBillom, FrancePhilosophy teacher and competitive chess playerThe Pledge 2020
The Giving What We Can Pledge helps me in giving efficiently and regularly. Together with Effective Altruism Funds, it is easy to make donations and track the progress of my pledge.Pablo OllierBillom, FrancePhilosophy teacher and competitive chess playerThe Pledge 2020
Being born in Germany, I am in a very privileged situation and even if I donate one tenth of my income now, I am still part of the richest one percent in the world.Felix WerdermannBerlin, GermanyConsultantThe Pledge 2016
If spending... can improve my life only marginally, and someone else's life considerably... then it makes more sense to spend it on someone else. I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing.Alexandra BerlinaDüsseldor, GermanyFreelance translator & interpreterThe Pledge 2017
...it's crucial to give effectively, so that the money does the most good it can...Alexandra BerlinaDüsseldor, GermanyFreelance translator & interpreterThe Pledge 2017
I know that I am very lucky and well-situated […]. Because I am thankful, and because I know I did not earn my good fortune, I want to help others, too.Achim FischbachMunich, GermanyMBA studentThe Pledge 2020
Of course, I could have donated by myself, but I liked the idea of genuinely committing to it and doing it together with others who share the same ideals.Insa MännelOsnabrück, GermanyReferendarin at the Landgericht KleveThe Pledge 2017
I’d always wanted to work out what the point of life was, and how I could help the world, so these ideas naturally resonated with me.Parmeet ShahMumbai, Maharashtra, IndiaDirector of marketing at Marathon Realty Ltd. and the Chief Executive Officer of NEXT School MumbaiThe Pledge 2014
For me, when I first learned that I could save lives with just a small portion of my income, I felt really motivated, and I still do.Jesper CockxDelft, NetherlandsAssistant professor at the programming languages groupThe Pledge 2017
Now my parents and my grandfather donate instead of giving me money for gifts and are really accepting, and I think they see the happiness I get from this community.Jo DuyvestynLeiden, NetherlandsResearcher and PhD candidate at Leiden University Medical CenterThe Pledge 2014
I’ve found the community has helped me shape some of my thoughts that weren’t fully articulated: when you talk to people, you can understand more about your own values.Jo DuyvestynLeiden, NetherlandsResearcher and PhD candidate at Leiden University Medical CenterThe Pledge 2014
I'm fortunate by accident of birth that I'm born European and I've got a decent income, and all the rest of it that we get through living in Europe. Huge numbers of people haven't had this luck and it's just very unfair. There's huge inequality across the world between those people who suffer terrible conditions and those who don't. As long as there's that huge inequality, then I am motivated to keep donating a part of my income.Pippa GilbertThe Hague, NetherlandsAnalyst for an international organisationThe Pledge 2020
At first it seemed a little weird: who just gives away thousands of dollars? But then it became normal.Catherine LowChristchurch, New ZealandFormer physics teacher who now works in groups support at the Centre for Effective AltruismThe Pledge 2015
I feel emotionally attached to donating now, I get ‘warm fuzzies.’Catherine LowChristchurch, New ZealandFormer physics teacher who now works in groups support at the Centre for Effective AltruismThe Pledge 2015
The more I look into the charity world the more I realise that I won the birth lottery just by being born in a first world country. Compared to the global standard I have been extremely privileged my whole life. It makes sense that I should give a small portion of my own earnings to those who need it so much more than I do.Marcus DaniellWellington, New ZealandOlympian tennis player with 5 ATP titlesThe Pledge 2021
I want to set a positive example. I have a fervent hope that many others, both athletes and the general public, will join me in whichever way feels right for them.Marcus DaniellWellington, New ZealandOlympian tennis player with 5 ATP titlesThe Pledge 2021
Making a commitment public like this is a powerful way to hold oneself accountable. Now that I have told the world what I intend to do I expect to be called out if I don't do it.Marcus DaniellWellington, New ZealandOlympian tennis player with 5 ATP titlesThe Pledge 2021
Donating 10% of your income sounds scary, but it's really not scary at all. I don't need a fancy car or an expensive watch or even an extra barista-made coffee each day to be happy. Donating that 10% is not going to decrease my happiness, but it is going to make thousands of lives a whole lot better.Marcus DaniellWellington, New ZealandOlympian tennis player with 5 ATP titlesThe Pledge 2021
...it is the only New Year’s pledge I have ever kept… It is a beautiful thing, that all that quick-fix chasing of chocolate, whiskey and cigarettes can be transformed, caterpillar-to-butterfly-like, into freedom from disease and escape from extreme poverty for someone you will never even meet.Erwan AtchesonBelfast, Northern Ireland, UKResearch Scientist at Queen's University BelfastThe Pledge 2013
If I am normal — let’s assume I am — that means I drink one fewer pint per week, I buy rice that costs 90p instead of £1, I live in a house with 7.6 sq. m less space, my laptop is 2.5 months older than it might otherwise be, and I spend 84 pence less on my mobile phone bill per week. That’s not a comprehensive list, but it’s probably enough to give a sense of what the change in my lifestyle amounts to.Erwan AtchesonBelfast, Northern Ireland, UKResearch Scientist at Queen's University BelfastThe Pledge 2013
Donating a part of my income to effective charities prevents the needless suffering of many individuals.Ali LadakBrighton and Hove, England, UKThe Pledge 2015
For a long time I've felt that I wanted to do as much as I could to help others. I am incredibly lucky to have everything I need to have a fulfilling life, while so much of the world has so little. The ethos of effective altruism appealed to me immediately, but many of the things I learnt about how to actually do the most good surprised me.Elizabeth BarnesDevon, England, UKResearcher at OpenAIThe Pledge 2014
I’ve met a whole load of wonderful people who inspired me to do more of the things I knew I should do, including starting an effective altruism society at my college.Elizabeth BarnesDevon, England, UKResearcher at OpenAIThe Pledge 2014
There is nothing I could spend my pledge money on that would give me the satisfaction I experience through giving.Lee BishopEdinburgh, Scotland, UKSenior program manager at AmazonThe Pledge 2010
It is astonishing that in such a generous country, where so many people give so much money, that so few people feel they understand which charities are the most cost-effective or best to give their money to. People will always be driven to give to causes that are close to their hearts or have touched them personally, but there can be huge differences between even similar charities in terms of the good that you can achieve by donating.Lee BishopEdinburgh, Scotland, UKSenior program manager at AmazonThe Pledge 2010
By donating 10% of my income I can save lives with money that I don't need. There is nothing I could spend my pledge money on that would give me the sense of satisfaction or well being that I experience through giving. Supporting the most cost-effective charities has got me into work on Monday mornings when the prospect of stacking shelves, painting railings or calling customers didn't ignite me with passion.Lee BishopEdinburgh, Scotland, UKSenior program manager at AmazonThe Pledge 2010
By donating 10% of my income to the most cost-effective charities I’m able to do good on a daily basis, even on an uneventful midweek day when I might otherwise not necessarily have ‘achieved’ anything worthwhile that day.Lee BishopEdinburgh, Scotland, UKSenior program manager at AmazonThe Pledge 2010
The pledge comes out of my wages as soon as they are paid. Even when I first started working and I had a lower income than I do today, I was able to do everything my friends were doing (travel, buying a home, going out for dinner). Taking the pledge doesn't mean a monk-like life of sacrifice and it doesn't mean feeling guilty about every bit of indulgent spending. By having my pledge donation in place, I feel relaxed about indulging the rest of the time.Lee BishopEdinburgh, Scotland, UKSenior program manager at AmazonThe Pledge 2010
I first read about Giving What We Can in a newspaper article almost 10 years ago. At the time, I strongly felt that I needed to do more to help others, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Giving What We Can provided guidance and inspiration that I needed — an easy-to-follow recipe for doing some good. I can honestly say that it has changed my life. Congratulations on 5000 members!Derek BallFife, Scotland, UKLecturer in the philosophy departments at the University of St AndrewsThe Pledge 2010
I started off by donating 10% of my income but soon increased the amount after realising that I could easily give away more. The following year I gave away 20%, the next I increased it to a third, then to 50%. This year I intend to give away 75%.Allan SaldanhaLondon, England, UKAudit managerThe Pledge 2014
I realise I’m in a fortunate and privileged position financially to be able to do this. I earned good money for 15 years before taking the pledge and I have financial security including a significant sum in investments. I’m full of admiration for the many GWWC members who give away 10% when their incomes are at the national average or lower. Their dedication has motivated me to increase my own donations.Allan SaldanhaLondon, England, UKAudit managerThe Pledge 2014
In the last tax year, I donated £63,000 including Gift Aid to charities and non-profits such as Malaria Consortium and the SCI Foundation through an organisation called Effective Altruism Funds. Givewell, a leading independent charity evaluator, estimates the cost of saving a child’s life is just $2,000 by donating to the Malaria Consortium, a charity which distributes preventive anti-malarial drugs to children in Asia and Africa.Allan SaldanhaLondon, England, UKAudit managerThe Pledge 2014
As a father, I think the worst thing any parent can experience is to have to watch their child suffering or god forbid, dying. My children’s lives are priceless to me and so I find the opportunity to save someone else’s child’s life for less than £2,000 a compelling proposition.Allan SaldanhaLondon, England, UKAudit managerThe Pledge 2014
I think it's a very fulfilling, meaningful thing to do for oneself. Let alone for the consequences it has for others. Thousands of people have done it without regret, and you could be one of them.Andrew LeekeLondon, England, UKOperations associateThe Pledge 2016
I had to put my money where my mouth was.Andrew LeekeLondon, England, UKOperations associateThe Pledge 2016
You won't regret it, and you'll have something that you can always fall back on as some way that you are making a difference to others in the world. It's a lifelong commitment, so it's definitely not something you should do without consideration, but yeah, if anyone's on the fence, I would just advise them to get off the fence and take The Giving What We Can Pledge.Andrew LeekeLondon, England, UKOperations associateThe Pledge 2016
Ten percent of my income goes to the Against Malaria Foundation and The Humane League. It is immensely compelling that for just a couple of thousand dollars, we can save a life, Raghavan says. I give an additional 1.5% to mindfulness communities. I think Zen is very relevant today, when a lot of things can keep us busy but don’t necessarily translate to meaning or connection.Arvind RaghavanLondon, England, UKProduct manager at CitiThe Pledge 2016
Faced with a huge problem and no idea how to solve it, we either end up apathetic or cynical, or try our best without much impact. But here’s the thing – while poverty remains a huge problem, we are getting better and better at finding the best ways to solve it.Coralie OddyLondon, England, UKSpeech and language therapist at ReminiSenseThe Pledge 2015
Suddenly my hopes and doubts weren’t fighting against one another, but working together. By critically examining how charities spend their money, I could choose to give to only the most effective.Coralie OddyLondon, England, UKSpeech and language therapist at ReminiSenseThe Pledge 2015
I also decided I needed to give consistently, and hold myself accountable for doing what I’d always wanted – to make a difference, and to continue to make a difference throughout my life.Coralie OddyLondon, England, UKSpeech and language therapist at ReminiSenseThe Pledge 2015
After giving away 10% of my salary, I’m still earning more than 99% of people in the world (you can see where you fit in with Giving What We Can’s calculator).Coralie OddyLondon, England, UKSpeech and language therapist at ReminiSenseThe Pledge 2015
Now I know I am making a difference – most people could do the same.Coralie OddyLondon, England, UKSpeech and language therapist at ReminiSenseThe Pledge 2015
I have pledged to give 10% of my lifetime earnings to these effective charities. And I will endeavour to do better than that. The immense benefits that some of the money I have earned can bring to individuals in poorer countries far outweigh the cost of having less money myself. In fact, the decision to donate 10% of lifetime earnings to the poorest people on the planet has come at no cost at all, for it has made me happier and given my life greater meaning.Mark BarnesLondon, England, UKMark Barnes is a travel blogger at Anywhere We RoamThe Pledge 2015
There are so many pressing problems that it can often feel like it's insurmountable or we don't know how to get started. Giving What We Can is one of the best ways I've come across where you feel like you're making a difference. You can give to effective charities and feel like you're making progressOliver BaseLondon, England, UKResearch analyst at Longview PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2017
It's a rare community, a really special community of people dedicated to trying to make a difference, which is just hard to come across.Oliver BaseLondon, England, UKResearch analyst at Longview PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2017
Sometimes I set aside a set amount of money that I might otherwise spend on other things I like, and I do end up giving because of the pledge.Oliver BaseLondon, England, UKResearch analyst at Longview PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2017
I feel proud. I feel part of a really special community, and, most importantly, I feel like I'm helping make progress on the most pressing problems.Oliver BaseLondon, England, UKResearch analyst at Longview PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2017
It creates a goal for some people, or an aspiration: but it's normalising giving at this level.Rick HollandLondon, England, UKDirector of Confident PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2021
One of the things that really impressed me about Giving What We Can is that you're encouraging the conversations with supporters, with donors, with partners, not only to give but also to make that a commitment. I think that's something that we need to have more of.Rick HollandLondon, England, UKDirector of Confident PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2021
I haven't found it yet, but I'm trying to find the sweet spot between all of that data and all of the emotion and figuring out how we combine all that. Finding the middle where people are not only giving what they can but giving as much as they can, rather than as little as they can.Rick HollandLondon, England, UKDirector of Confident PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2021
And it's one of the clearest things you can do, the most impactful things you can do, an actionable thing: because thinking is one part, but the action is really important. So I thought, "What can I do right now?" And I thought to myself: "I can give, okay, I'll give". I took The Pledge because I think Giving What We Can makes sense. It's a good pledge to have.Rickey FukazawaLondon, England, UKPhysical education teacherThe Pledge 2019
A pledge keeps you accountable, keeps you motivated and it's about a community that's involved in it, so they inspired me as well.Rickey FukazawaLondon, England, UKPhysical education teacherThe Pledge 2019
I think at any point in my life, because of the luck I have, just the fortunes I have, just being born in a fortunate family, no matter where I am in my career pathway, I'll always be able to give.Rickey FukazawaLondon, England, UKPhysical education teacherThe Pledge 2019
There’s no escaping the fact that money can make a huge impact: buying 10 years of deworming treatment for the cost of a latte seems like an unrivalled opportunity to me.Sashika CoxheadLondon, England, UKDoctor at Homerton University HospitalThe Pledge 2013
I don’t believe that extra 10% will increase my happiness significantly, and I certainly don’t think I will spend it on anything as valuable as multiple years of healthy life for another person.Sashika CoxheadLondon, England, UKDoctor at Homerton University HospitalThe Pledge 2013
Being part of Giving What We Can is a really fun and exciting part of my life: I get to hang out with friendly, like-minded people who are continually questioning and improving on the knowledge we have about the best ways to help others.Sashika CoxheadLondon, England, UKDoctor at Homerton University HospitalThe Pledge 2013
I’d like to see a world where using significant amounts of our wealth to help others is a completely normal thing to do, and being part of this community takes us one step closer to that.Sashika CoxheadLondon, England, UKDoctor at Homerton University HospitalThe Pledge 2013
It's like a tax I am choosing to pay. This year I have been successful, it's my duty to redistribute some of that success.Sophia ChengLondon, England, UKThe Pledge 2020
I first came across Giving What We Can at a talk that I went to as an undergraduate at Oxford University. The talk was about 80,000 Hours and they mentioned The Pledge. So I’d already thought that I’d donate some proportion of my income to charity but hearing about Giving What We Can really helped me raise my ambitions to donate a significant portion of my income and also think really hard about the effectiveness of the charities that I was donating to. Both those ideas made a lot of sense to me and so I signed the Further Pledge while I was an undergraduate. Fast forward 10 years and now I really enjoy being part of the effective altruism community. Many of my close, best friends, and my colleagues are people that I’ve met through EA – and that all traces back to that first meeting about 80,000 Hours, and hearing about (and signing) the Further Pledge.Habiba IslamOxford, England, UKAdvisor at 80,000 HoursFurther Pledge 2011
I’d been topping up my donations each month to the 10% mark, when I’d got my paycheque and paid my rent, and I hadn’t had to change my behaviour or spending to accommodate it. All that I had was a deep satisfaction each month that my money was winging its way to charities that are making a real, personal difference to people’s lives.Katherine SteinerOxford, England, UKAssistant librarian at the Bodleian Education LibraryThe Pledge 2014
It’s been really incredible watching GWWC grow from a few members early on to a 5,000 strong community. It’s really incredible how much people in our community donate and how much they think about how to use those donations to help people as much as possible. I really feel it’s helped me to live up to my values and I hope it’ll make a better world for [my son] Leo to grow up in.Michelle HutchinsonOxford, England, UKHead of Advising at 80,000 HoursThe Pledge 2011
I’m so excited that Giving What We Can is over 200 times larger than when we launched 10 years ago. It’s overwhelming to be part of such a large and friendly community of people, all striving to make the world a much better place.Toby OrdOxford, England, UKCo-founder of Giving What We Can, philosopher, author of The Precipice, and a researcher at Future of Humanity InstituteFurther Pledge 2009
I discovered that by donating a portion of my future income to the most efficient charities, I could save around tens of thousands of years of healthy life. Since I already had most of the things I value in life on my student stipend, I realised that my money would do vastly more good for others than it could for me and decided to make a commitment to donating to the most effective charities I could find. Many people contacted me asking how they could do this as well, which is how I came to set up Giving What We Can.Toby OrdOxford, England, UKSenior Research Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford UniversityFurther Pledge 2009
I thought that I would make a relatively small sacrifice to help so many people, but it has turned out to be no real sacrifice at all: the sense of engagement in the project of making the world a better place is worth far more to me than some new gadgets or a slightly larger house.Toby OrdOxford, England, UKSenior Research Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford UniversityFurther Pledge 2009
Getting to 5,000 members absolutely blows my mind. That’s a full 217 times as many members as we had at launch 11 years ago. I remember when I first took the pledge, it felt really quite scary. I was a graduate student at the time and I had a scholarship for my accommodation paid for but I was living on about £4,500 per year and I was trying to give £900 of that away over the year. It was tough. I remember I refused to get a haircut because it seemed like an unnecessary expense... One of the things I worried about back then was whether I’d be a social outcast, always having to explain to people why I’ve chosen this weird life for myself. The answer turned out to be “no”, quite the opposite in fact. The pledge functioned like this bat signal, attracting people all around the world with a similar set of values and it’s been such a joy to see so many people come together and make a commitment to use a significant proportion of their income for the common good. So thank you, for taking the pledge and for showing what it means to take giving seriously.William MacAskillOxford, England, UKCo-founder of Giving What We Can, philosopher, author of Doing Good Better, and a researcher at Forethought FoundationFurther Pledge 2009
Regularly donating effectively is a natural consequence of aligning my actions with my philosophy.Matthew AllcockSheffield, England, UKNatural hazards researcher at EDF EnergyThe Pledge 2017
We are social creatures. By making this pledge publicly, I can add to a culture of giving effectively. If just one other person decides to take this pledge and donate considerably more and more effectively because of my influence then my positive impact on the world is effectively doubled.Matthew AllcockSheffield, England, UKNatural hazards researcher at EDF EnergyThe Pledge 2017
The crux is that there are vast numbers of people living in the world that only see a slither of the international pie that is disproportionately in the hands of those like myself living in a wealthy nation. Even after donating 10% of my income, I will be in the wealthiest 4.6% of the world.Matthew AllcockSheffield, England, UKNatural hazards researcher at EDF EnergyThe Pledge 2017
I spent the years since university reading and thinking more about effective giving and taking the pledge. I felt like I could contribute by earning money to give away.Simran DhaliwalSlough, England, UKManaging Director at Effective GivingThe Pledge 2014
Giving What We Can helped motivate me to think about what I wanted from life and my work. It was a contributing factor in giving me the confidence and impetus to apply for an internship in banking (through Teach First). When I got the offer from the bank, I signed the pledge online, which was a very important day for me!Simran DhaliwalSlough, England, UKManaging Director at Effective GivingThe Pledge 2014
I feel like the pledge will make sure I am always engaged with ideas about how to make a difference most effectively. Remembering just how lucky I am to have been born where I was, have the family that I do and the opportunities that I have had.Simran DhaliwalSlough, England, UKManaging Director at Effective GivingThe Pledge 2014
Nobody needs to have loads of money. I think I’ll be happier knowing that I´ve got a bit less but that will make a significant difference somewhere else. I’m not ashamed to say that I hope it enriches my life and increases my happiness, as well as those that it reaches!Simran DhaliwalSlough, England, UKManaging Director at Effective GivingThe Pledge 2014
It’s extraordinary to see the way this community has grown over the past decade and all of the good that it has accomplished. When Will MacAskill shared the idea of a giving pledge with me in 2009, I thought it was a great way for a handful of people committed to certain values to raise the cost of drifting away from them. But I don’t think anyone imagined that the community would grow as it has, or that it would help to spark a broader movement. I’m grateful for and inspired by all of the work that so many put into achieving a milestone like this.Ben EidelsonBoston, MA, USAAssistant professor of law at Harvard Law SchoolThe Pledge 2009
I give because I have seen enough suffering. I have many things I do not need, and I wish to share my luck with others if possible. I also understand — and this is something I learned at a young age through my family — that much of the good in my life was made possible by others. My parents raised me and so many others worked very hard so that I could have food, medical care, education, clothing, goods, etc. Given this reality, I find it impossible to reconcile the difference between (a) my quality of life and (b) the quality of life of others, whose labor I benefit from. I became a teacher to try to give back, and I give for the same reason.Carlos TkaczLas Vegas, NV, USATeacherThe Pledge 2020
I signed and completed the Pledge for the first time last year and it helped me feel completely whole. I never once felt void of purpose and when I checked my credit card and saw the monthly donations to GiveDirectly, an indescribable warmness would often come over me as I imagined the real tangible benefits my dollars were doing for real humans I would never meet. There are personal gains from giving.Nathan GoldenMars, PA, USAMiddle School Math Teacher and Research Associate at The UBI CenterThe Pledge 2020
...a major barrier for my past self was just that I thought of charitable giving as something cool that ‘other people’ did. I certainly couldn't have seen myself jumping right in by giving away 10% of my income.Richard ChappellMiami, FL, USAAssistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of MiamiThe Pledge 2010
Once you start to think of yourself as the kind of person who really wants to make the world a better place, you'll hopefully find the thought of signing on to GWWC's 10% pledge positively appealing.Richard ChappellMiami, FL, USAAssistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of MiamiThe Pledge 2010
The difficulties people said I would face have not materialized. It is astounding to me that I live better than most kings in history: I eat fresher and more varied food, I listen to the world's best music at a press of a button, I have heating, cooling, and internal plumbing in my apartment, and I don't need to worry about being assassinated.Boris YakubchikMorganville, NJ, USADeveloper at Forbes in Jersey City, NJ.The Pledge 2013
It brings me a great deal of satisfaction to know that a significant fraction of my time that I spend at work, I work not to better my life, but to tremendously help thousands of others.Boris YakubchikMorganville, NJ, USADeveloper at Forbes in Jersey City, NJ.The Pledge 2013
I was astounded to learn that by giving to the most cost-effective charities, instead of the regular ones, my $10 could do as much good as $10,000!Boris YakubchikMorganville, NJ, USADeveloper at Forbes in Jersey City, NJ.The Pledge 2013
In my experience, these conversations are friendly and welcome when you share your excitement about the opportunity most of us have to improve the lives of others. The feedback loop is long: conversations you have today might not result in actions until years down the line. Don’t be discouraged. I once gave a short talk in my office about charitable giving; it generated a few lively conversations that week. It’s been a year, and I still have coworkers occasionally approach me to talk about giving. It’s a topic that many people want to talk about, and finding someone who is eager to chat about it is just great.Boris YakubchikMorganville, NJ, USADeveloper at Forbes in Jersey City, NJ.The Pledge 2013
To me, the pledge is a gesture of commitment and accountability that manifests that. I hope to look back on this as one of the proudest things I’ve ever done.John YanMountain View, CA, USASoftware engineer at FacebookThe Pledge 2020
For more than a decade, this pledge has reminded me and inspired me to give. The incredible growth of the effective altruism movement in that time – exemplified by nearly 5000 people taking the GWWC pledge – makes me optimistic about what we can do, as individuals and as a collective. Each of us can make a meaningful difference to the lives of others. Together we can keep each other committed to giving more, and to doing so on the basis of good evidence.Joseph MillumNorthwest, Washington DC, USABioethicist at the National Institutes of HealthThe Pledge 2009
I’ve known of the Giving What We Can pledge for a few years, but finally pulled the trigger for a couple reasons. One, I’ve simply learned more about the horrific scale of global poverty, and the tractability of ending it.Max GhenisOxnard, CA, USAFounder and President of the UBI CenterThe Pledge 2019
I just think that I, as a middle-class white person in the US, have been given more advantages than 99% of the world. A lot of those advantages have been economic. I should be redistributing more of my wealth, which was not necessarily earned.Catherine ThomasPalo Alto, CA, USAPhD student in social and cultural psychology from California who has worked in global health and international development for 11 years.The Pledge 2015
I like the idea that people will give together. I hope the pledge will start to build that social norm toward redistribution, specifically for basic needs and effective charities.Catherine ThomasPalo Alto, CA, USAPhD student in social and cultural psychology from California who has worked in global health and international development for 11 years.The Pledge 2015
Giving What We Can is public and accountable, and I feel like I'm a small part of what is hopefully a growing movement. I especially hope it will grow among middle-class white people in the US to counter income inequality.Catherine ThomasPalo Alto, CA, USAPhD student in social and cultural psychology from California who has worked in global health and international development for 11 years.The Pledge 2015
April 2020 was perhaps the most impactful month of my life. I made a decision to act in a certain way, to realize certain values. To take the opportunity that fell into my lap four years ago, and instead of waiting any longer to magically become a rich philanthropist one day and think through the meaty questions all at once, to go ahead and decide I have enough right now. It looks like I’m number 4661 to do so. I’ve pledged to give at least 10% of my income to the organizations that I think can do the most good with.Andy TrattnerSan Francisco, CA, USAEngineer and writerThe Pledge 2020
I took the GWWC pledge because I believed my donations could do much more good for others than they could do for me; I had enough money to be happy and productive; and I wanted to encourage others to give for the same reasons. I think there's something powerful about putting our ideals into practice as a group with the core intention of doing the greatest expected good for others. It's been a great way to inspire myself and connect with people who have similar priorities. I'm delighted that our numbers have grown to 5,000, and I look forward to celebrating the 10,000 mark in the future!Nick BecksteadSan Francisco, CA, USAProgram Officer at Open PhilanthropyThe Pledge 2009
I know that suffering is purely detrimental for humanity. Anyone who has truly suffered knows that. I credit the minimization and then the end of my suffering to people who are much more altruistic than I ever was. I know that we can make a significant, effective change to uplift the lives of others. It isn’t my place to speak for anyone else but me, but I know that I am insanely lucky to live my life the way I do, and I feel a strong moral imperative to give what I can to improve the lives of others.Nick DudleySan Luis Obispo, CA, USAThe Pledge 2021
When I first learned about Giving What We Can, I remember feeling so relieved that there were all these other people out there who were not just thinking about what we can do for others, but were taking concrete action on that.Julia WiseSomerville, MA, USACommunity health liaison and former social workerThe Pledge 2012
I've felt good about making this commitment. I like having it as part of my routine, something that I know is part of my plan in the years to come. It's a confirmation of what I value—a safe and healthy life not just for me and mine, but for all families around the world.Julia WiseSomerville, MA, USACommunity health liaison and former social workerThe Pledge 2012

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