On Giving Tuesday we launched the Giving What We Can pledge campaign for 2019. This is a chance for people from around the world to come together and commit to improving the world by donating 10% of their (future) income to charities and organisations that they believe are the most effective.
Times like Giving Tuesday and the holiday season are an opportunity to help out some of the best causes, but we believe that there are things we can do to have an amazing impact on the world all year round. That is why members of the Giving What We Can community commit to donating 10% of their income to the most effective organisations they can find. Not only do we give more, but we also achieve more by looking into which interventions achieve the most with our money.
If you'd like to join more than 4,000 people trying to make a difference and end this year on a positive, compassionate, and reasoned note, here’s how you can participate in the campaign:
If you’re new to the idea of the Pledge:
- Try an effective donation this year: see our giving recommendations for some of the best options.
- Take the Try Giving pledge and plan your giving. Will it be 10% for a year? 5% for next semester? You decide!
If you’ve been considering the full Pledge:
- Consider starting with Try Giving if you’re not yet sure.
- Comment on that event or write to Julia at community@givingwhatwecan.org if you’d like to talk more with someone about the pros and cons of the Pledge.
- If you’re ready to make the full Pledge, congratulations! Join us here.
If you’ve already pledged:
- Keep your donations effective! As new charity evaluations come out, this is a perfect time to update where you give. Check out our recommendations.
- Track your donations! We love data around here, and recording your donations means we can get an accurate picture of what the community is achieving. By recording your donations, you help us know what the community's impact has been.
- If you donate to the Effective Altruism Funds (where you can direct your donations not just to the four cause-area funds, but to many of the charities most commonly donated to in EA), your donation is automatically tracked in your Pledge Dashboard so you don’t need to record it separately. Donations to the EA Funds are tax-deductible in the US and UK, and you’ll get a single convenient tax receipt each year instead of tracking receipts from multiple organisations.
- Tell your friends about the pledge campaign and invite them to the Facebook event! See ideas below.
Talking to your friends about giving
You can find more resources on our How to approach the conversation page.
Ideas for conversations:
- Start conversations by talking about your own experience rather than pressuring others.
- New Year's resolutions can be another way to bring up the topic.