Giving What We Can (GWWC) is an organisation dedicated to inspiring and supporting people to give more, and give more effectively.
Giving What We Can promotes three donation pledges, the most prominent of which is the 10% Pledge, a commitment to donate at least 10% of one’s income each year in the way one thinks will achieve the most good. As of December 2024, this pledge has been signed by over 9,000 people.
Giving What We Can also aims to support its members, to help them connect with and support each other, and to build effective altruism, effective giving, and various related cause areas.
History
Giving What We Can was conceived of by Toby Ord (who was inspired by the ideas of ethicists such as Peter Singer) to commit to donating a large proportion of his income to effective charities.
In November 2009, Ord and Will MacAskill launched Giving What We Can as an international community of people who were committed to giving more, and giving more effectively. The Centre for Effective Altruism was incorporated in 2011 as registered charity and an umbrella organisation for Giving What We Can and the then newly founded 80,000 Hours. Giving What We Can has since spun out and, as of late August 2024, is its own independent legal entity.
Giving What We Can was one of the first in a growing network of like-minded organisations focused on effective altruism, the project of using evidence and reason to figure out how to best contribute to helping others, and taking action on that basis.
Members
Notable Giving What We Can members include Nick Beckstead, Liv Boeree, Rachel Glennerster, Jim Greenbaum, Michael Kremer, William MacAskill, Dylan Matthews, Derek Parfit, Kelsey Piper, Janet Radcliffe Richards, Peter Singer, and Eva Vivalt.[1]
Funding
Giving What We Can is funded by a combination of direct donations from members and individuals, as well as grants. As of 2024, Giving What We Can’s largest funder is Open Philanthropy. Read more on their transparency page.
Further reading
Righetti, Luca & Fin Moorhouse (2020) Luke Freeman on Giving What We Can and community building, Hear This Idea, November 29.
External links
Giving What We Can. Official website.
Take the Giving What We Can pledge.
Related entries
Centre for Effective Altruism | donation pledge | effective giving | Giving What We Can Newsletter | Toby Ord
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Giving What We Can (2022) Our members, Giving What We Can.