TL;DR: I took the šø10% Pledge in 2016 and havenāt kept to it consistently. Iāve decided not to pay the backlog donations, and instead to recommit fresh from today, with simple systems to keep me on track. Sharing this for transparency and in the hope it may be helpful to others
In 2016, as a university student, I took the Giving What We Can 10% Pledge. I made my pledge publicly, and my social media profiles show the šø10% Pledge badge. For integrityās sake, I want to be equally public that I fell shortāand explain how Iām handling that going forward.
What happened
Over time I lost track of my giving while navigating some challenges in my health, personal and work life, and I stopped donating. I also didnāt keep to the ā1% while unemployedā principle. In total, Iāve given about half of what I pledged since 2016.
Looking back, I think giving annually rather than monthly played a part in my falling short ā a few times I reached December and realised Iād already spent what Iād meant to donate. So I was accumulating āpledged donation debtā, which made it harder to keep up.
There were also moments when I told myself that using funds to sustain myself (e.g., trying mission-aligned work with lower pay or no pay; dealing with health challenges) might be āindirectly effective.ā That may have been partly true, and partly motivated reasoning. Either way, the result is that I didnāt meet the commitment I publicly made.
Iām sorry for displaying the šø10% Pledge badge while not living up to it.
Going forward
Iāve decided to wipe the slate clean on the backlog rather than trying to repay historic shortfalls, and to recommit from today. For me, this best balances two aims:
Keeping the spirit of the pledge (giving regularly and meaningfully from what I have), and
Avoiding shame/āpunishment that could make me disengage further.
I recognise reasonable people may disagree or do this differently. If you think Iām being too lenient on myself, I understand that view. Iām sharing this because I value transparency, not because I think this is the correct approach.
Iām recommitting, with systems I hope will help me keep up this time. What will this look like, concretely?
Restart today. Iām officially ārecommittingā to giving 10% of my income until I retire (1% of spending money while not earning).
Automate. Iāll set up a recurring donation or use payroll giving (if available), so I wonāt forget.
Monthly donations. No more end-of-year lump sums (to reduce the chance that I already spent the money!)
Plan better. Iāll pay more attention to financial planning, budgeting for my post-donation salary.
Claim Gift Aid*. Carefully understand when Gift Aid is applicable and claim when appropriate. (Gift Aid counts towards the pledge.)
If youāve been in a similar situation, I hope this post helps you to know youāre not the only one! And if your conclusion differs from mine, thatās okay.
Thanks for reading.
*Gift Aid is a UK scheme that lets charities claim an extra 25% on donations from taxpayers, at no extra cost to the donor.
Recommitting to Giving: A Personal Update
TL;DR: I took the šø10% Pledge in 2016 and havenāt kept to it consistently. Iāve decided not to pay the backlog donations, and instead to recommit fresh from today, with simple systems to keep me on track. Sharing this for transparency and in the hope it may be helpful to others
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Why Iām posting
In 2016, as a university student, I took the Giving What We Can 10% Pledge. I made my pledge publicly, and my social media profiles show the šø10% Pledge badge. For integrityās sake, I want to be equally public that I fell shortāand explain how Iām handling that going forward.
What happened
Over time I lost track of my giving while navigating some challenges in my health, personal and work life, and I stopped donating. I also didnāt keep to the ā1% while unemployedā principle. In total, Iāve given about half of what I pledged since 2016.
Looking back, I think giving annually rather than monthly played a part in my falling short ā a few times I reached December and realised Iād already spent what Iād meant to donate. So I was accumulating āpledged donation debtā, which made it harder to keep up.
There were also moments when I told myself that using funds to sustain myself (e.g., trying mission-aligned work with lower pay or no pay; dealing with health challenges) might be āindirectly effective.ā That may have been partly true, and partly motivated reasoning. Either way, the result is that I didnāt meet the commitment I publicly made.
Iām sorry for displaying the šø10% Pledge badge while not living up to it.
Going forward
Iāve decided to wipe the slate clean on the backlog rather than trying to repay historic shortfalls, and to recommit from today. For me, this best balances two aims:
Keeping the spirit of the pledge (giving regularly and meaningfully from what I have), and
Avoiding shame/āpunishment that could make me disengage further.
I recognise reasonable people may disagree or do this differently. If you think Iām being too lenient on myself, I understand that view. Iām sharing this because I value transparency, not because I think this is the correct approach.
Iām recommitting, with systems I hope will help me keep up this time. What will this look like, concretely?
Restart today. Iām officially ārecommittingā to giving 10% of my income until I retire (1% of spending money while not earning).
Automate. Iāll set up a recurring donation or use payroll giving (if available), so I wonāt forget.
Monthly donations. No more end-of-year lump sums (to reduce the chance that I already spent the money!)
Plan better. Iāll pay more attention to financial planning, budgeting for my post-donation salary.
Claim Gift Aid*. Carefully understand when Gift Aid is applicable and claim when appropriate. (Gift Aid counts towards the pledge.)
If youāve been in a similar situation, I hope this post helps you to know youāre not the only one! And if your conclusion differs from mine, thatās okay.
Thanks for reading.
*Gift Aid is a UK scheme that lets charities claim an extra 25% on donations from taxpayers, at no extra cost to the donor.