Giving What We Can

Giving What We Can

Giving What We Can is an international philanthropic pledge movement founded by philosophers and activists that encourages individuals to commit to donating a significant portion of their income to effective charities. The organisation is associated with the effective altruism community and promotes evidence-driven giving to interventions addressing global poverty, neglected tropical diseases, and public health. It operates alongside organisations and figures in the contemporary philanthropic landscape, advocating long-term, cost-effective approaches to charitable impact.

Overview

Giving What We Can promotes a charitable pledge whereby members commit to donating at least 10% of their income to charities judged to be highly effective by evaluations such as those produced by GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, and other evaluative institutions. The organisation is rooted in the work of public intellectuals and philosophers associated with Oxford University and the Centre for Effective Altruism, and it aligns with principles discussed by authors such as Peter Singer, Toby Ord, and William MacAskill. The movement interacts with philanthropists and funders across networks that include Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, MacArthur Fellows Program recipients, and board members from foundations like the Open Philanthropy Project and Ford Foundation.

History

Giving What We Can was founded in 2009 by a group of students and scholars connected to Magdalen College, Oxford and discussions at forums influenced by writings like Singer's Famine, Affluence, and Morality and the utilitarian tradition of John Stuart Mill. Early supporters included figures from Oxford University's philosophy faculty and alumni active in movements that intersect with Effective altruism and organizational efforts like the Centre for Effective Altruism and 80,000 Hours. The pledge gained visibility through endorsements and mentions in media outlets covering philanthropy involving personalities associated with The Times, The Guardian, and international commentators such as Paul Graham and Yuval Noah Harari. Over time, the organisation expanded operations beyond the UK into networks in United States, Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe, collaborating with evaluators including GiveWell and coordinating with funders like Open Philanthropy Project.

Membership and Commitments

Members publicly take a pledge to allocate at least 10% of their income to charities rated highly by evaluators such as GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, ImpactMatters, and projects highlighted by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiatives. Signatories have included academics from institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, and Stanford University, professionals from firms like McKinsey & Company and Goldman Sachs, and figures in technology communities with ties to Y Combinator and TechCrunch-covered startups. The organisation maintains commitment tracking, community-building events, and outreach activities in partnership with groups such as Effective Ventures, Animal Charity Evaluators, and university societies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and University of Cambridge.

Impact and Evaluation

Giving What We Can measures impact by reported donation totals and member outcomes, often referencing cost-effectiveness analyses from organisations like GiveWell and The Life You Can Save to estimate lives saved or improved through support for programs such as deworming campaigns, malaria prevention with insecticide-treated nets, and vitamin A supplementation initiatives. Evaluations of the pledge movement cite collaborations with research funders including Wellcome Trust and policy discussions involving World Health Organization recommendations. External assessments have compared the organisation's influence to philanthropic movements led by entities such as The Gates Foundation and analyzed its role in changing donor behavior akin to trends observed around major gifts by Warren Buffett and Chuck Feeney.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have raised issues similar to debates within the broader effective altruism and philanthropic evaluation communities, including questions about reliance on utilitarian ethics associated with thinkers like Jeremy Bentham and Henry Sidgwick, uncertainties in long-term impact forecasting discussed by scholars engaging with risk assessment and institutions such as the Global Priorities Institute, and potential neglect of systemic advocacy exemplified in debates around charitable tax policy and reform efforts in United Kingdom and United States contexts. Controversies have also intersected with debates about organisational transparency and governance seen in public discussions around groups like OpenAI and philanthropic scrutiny that followed large donations by figures such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

Category:Philanthropy organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United Kingdom