Why I donate

Four years ago, I decided to donate at least 10% of my income going forward. Here are four reasons why.

Any single reason below would probably be enough on its own. Together, they make this one of the clearest positive and rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.

1. I think it’s the right thing to do

I follow Peter Singer’s arguments. From any consistent moral framework I can support, I end up in the same place: given the coincidence of being born in a rich country, I should be helping others significantly. I’d have to do serious logical and moral gymnastics to avoid this conclusion, and I’m not interested in that kind of self-deception.

2. I actually care

Straightforward: when I read about someone’s specific situation, their health, their opportunities, their constraints, I naturally want to help. It takes active effort not to care.

There’s a moving post on the EA Forum that captures this: “Somehow, a single paragraph of explanation can transform someone from nameless and faceless to someone that I deeply care about. When I hear this person’s story, I feel willing to give up a nice vacation or two to help them.”

I don’t need to convince myself to care. I need to remind myself of the reality of suffering out there, and that I can actually do something about it.

3. It grounds my everyday work

I’m early career and work in a large corporation. I enjoy my job: it’s challenging, I’m learning constantly, and I work with great people. But I’m not under any illusion that my daily tasks maximize impact on the world’s most pressing problems.

Some days, work feels meaningful. Other days, I’m drowning in corporate busywork. Knowing I donate significant parts of my earnings can change the frustrating parts. In those moments, I can think: this tedious work funds something that genuinely matters. It lifts the pressure to find cosmic meaning in every boring meeting.

I’ll likely look for a more impactful role at a later career stage. But knowing that I’m funding real impact even now makes this “upskilling phase” of my career way easier to live with. I don’t view the pledge as a temporary substitute for impact, but as a constant that I’ll keep even when my daily work is more direct.

4. I thought it was radical (and now I don’t)

I get personal satisfaction from following through on ideas, especially when they’re uncommon or feel a little radical. I thought committing to donate 10-20% would feel like this big, countercultural decision.

It actually doesn’t.

When I do my monthly/yearly budget, there’s rent, there are groceries, there’s my donation block. It’s just part of the structure. I’m happy about it, but it doesn’t feel spectacular or demanding in my daily life. It’s simply what I do.

Of course, I’m aware this is part of privilege (even though I earn pretty close to the average university graduate in my peer group). I don’t want to make any claim whether 3, 5, 10 or 20% is the right amount for someone to donate. I do want to make a claim that donating a significant chunk of your income is a thing one can actually do, in the same way you already budget for other major expenses.

It ended up feeling quite normal to me, much faster than I expected. And I love it.

A broader lesson here: just do things that seem uncommon. Give it a try and if they feel right, you might be surprised how easily they become part of your normal. :)