Hello, and welcome to the final email in our “learn about pledging” series!

Giving What We Can started as two philosophers in a room talking about how to make the world better. It’s now almost 10,000 people worldwide.

How did we get here?

Aside from being a tangible way to make a concrete impact in the lives of others, the 10% Pledge is part of a broader mission: to change the norms around charity so that it’s typical and universal for those who can afford it to give a portion of their resources to those who need them most – making things a little more equal.

While nearly 10,000 pledgers isn’t exactly cultural norm territory yet…it’s definitely a big jump. And we think a large part of what’s enabled us to grow from 2 to almost 10,000 is the people who have stepped up to lead by example.

Whenever I wonder whether 10% is just a “drop in the bucket” compared to the scale of the world’s problems, I remember that it’s not just my 10% – it’s the 10% of everyone who has taken the Pledge so far and of everyone who might be inspired to take it in the future.

In fact, creating a social norm and/or inspiring others is frequently cited when we ask people why they’ve pledged:

“Donating money allows me to have a massive positive impact on the world, and the social technology of the pledge helps inspire myself and others to do so.”

-Matthew Margo, 10% Pledge, USA

“I believe donating to the right causes can truly make a difference. I also believe that pledging to do so publicly signals that belief is sincere, and might inspire others to do the same.”

-Brendan Hadden, Trial Pledge, The Netherlands

“Because it is the right thing to do and I hope it will inspire others to do the same.”

-Ben Chaney, 10% Pledge with 2% wealth, Australia

This video we made in 2021 covers some other key reasons we think a public giving pledge leads to more impact than just donating:

We hope this short email series has given you more context about the reasons people take the 10% Pledge, the incredible impact you can have by donating to highly-impactful charities – especially over the full course of your career – and how to practically fit the Pledge into your life.

We’ll leave you with this:

During the Pledge sign-up process, we have a section where people can write their motivation for signing. (These are what we’ve been quoting throughout the email series, btw.)

Often, people share that they’ve been on board with the principles behind the Pledge for a while but haven’t gotten around to taking it until now — “life” got in the way.

This is exactly the kind of thing the Pledge is meant to help with.

Most of us lead very busy lives. We might care deeply about the suffering of others and the problems in the world, plan to get involved and do something about them, but never really get around to figuring out what to do. And even if we do have a habit of donating or giving back in a different way, often we need to decide whether or not (and how much) to give every time we hear of an opportunity  — this is draining and often leads to little action.

With the Pledge, you get to make one big decision about how to live your life instead of many little ones.

Yes, there’s a bit of initial set-up – figuring out if the 10% or Trial Pledge will work best for you right now, deciding where to donate, and then setting up your donations accordingly – but once you do, you’ll be in a set it and forget it situation.

Your money will be automatically working to create a better world so that when “life” gets in the way, your values don’t suffer. For the “optimisers” among us – it’s a pretty fantastic life hack.

So…what are you waiting for? Be one of the first to help create a culture where giving effectively and significantly is seen as a normal, expected part of life for those who can afford it. Take action on your values!

If our experience and what we’ve heard from many of the nearly 10,000 people who have signed the 10% Pledge is any indication, you’ll not only be making an extraordinary difference in the lives of others, but you’ll be making your own life better too.

Are you ready to take the Pledge?

Let us know below, so we can better measure our impact!

All our Best,