What Giving Tools and Donation Options Does Giving What We Can Provide?

Updated

Giving What We Can (GWWC) offers four main giving tools — Major Gift support, Fundraisers, Tax Deductibility guidance, and Bequests — plus a direct Donate entry point to its recommended charities and several pledge tiers. If you simply want to give to a vetted charity, use Donate. If you want structure, tax relief, or a legacy plan, the tool pages below are the right starting points.

Direct donation to recommended charities

The site's Donate page is the fastest route: it states that your donation goes to "the world's most impactful charities" and can "save lives and reduce suffering." The charity recommendations come from GWWC's research team, which publishes top recommendations (currently labeled for 2026 under "Best Charities"). Cause areas listed are Global Health & Wellbeing, Animal Welfare, and Global Catastrophic Risks.

Use this option when you have no preference among charities and want the research team's shortlist. If you already know which cause area matters to you, browse Best Charities first, then donate.

The four giving tools

Tool What it is for Choose it when
Major Gift Support for large donations You are giving a significant sum and want guidance on where it goes
Fundraisers Multiply your impact with others You want to raise money from friends, colleagues, or an event
Tax Deductibility Claim tax relief on donations You want to know whether and how your donation reduces your tax bill
Bequests Leave a lasting legacy You are planning your estate and want to include charitable giving

Each tool has its own page under the Giving Tools menu. The site does not publish fee schedules or eligibility rules for these tools in the material available, so check the individual pages for country-specific tax rules and any requirements before committing.

Pledges: a commitment option rather than a donation

GWWC's pledge program is separate from one-off giving. The site reports 11,377 members and lists three pledge types:

  • 10% Pledge — commit 10% of your income to effective charities.
  • Trial Pledge — start with 1% for a year before deciding on a larger commitment.
  • Student Pledge — give 1% while studying.

The Trial Pledge is the lowest-commitment entry point if you are unsure about sustaining a percentage of income. Pledging is a personal commitment; it does not itself transfer money, so you still donate separately through the Donate page or directly to charities.

Community and research resources that support giving decisions

Before choosing a tool, two resources help calibrate your giving:

  • How Rich Am I? compares your income globally, which is useful for deciding what percentage is meaningful for you.
  • Effective Giving 101 and the Research & Approach pages explain how charities are evaluated, so you can judge whether the recommended list matches your priorities.

The site also shows aggregate community figures — $396 million donated and $603 million moved — as context for the scale of the network, not as a benchmark for individual giving.

Practical sequence

  1. Read Effective Giving 101 or browse Best Charities to pick a cause area.
  2. If giving now, go to Donate; if giving a large amount, open Major Gift first.
  3. If you want others involved, set up a Fundraiser.
  4. If tax relief matters, check the Tax Deductibility page for your situation.
  5. If planning an estate, review Bequests.
  6. If you want an ongoing commitment, compare the 10%, Trial, and Student pledges and pick the one you can sustain.

The main pitfall is treating a pledge as a donation — they are separate steps. The second is assuming tax relief applies universally; the site frames it as a tool to "claim tax relief on donations," so confirm the rules for your country on that page.