What It Means to Take a Giving Pledge with Giving What We Can

Updated

Taking a giving pledge with Giving What We Can (GWWC) means making a personal commitment to donate a set share of your income to charities that the organization's research identifies as highly effective. The site describes three pledge levels: the 10% Pledge (give 10% of your income), the Trial Pledge (start with 1% for a year), and the student pledge (give 1% while studying). The pledge is a personal, public commitment, and joining connects you to a community and to giving resources. GWWC reports that more than 11,000 people have pledged and that its community has donated hundreds of millions of dollars.

The three pledge options

Pledge What you commit Best fit
10% Pledge Give 10% of your income to effective charities People ready for a lasting, meaningful commitment
Trial Pledge Give 1% of your income for one year People who want to test effective giving before scaling up
Student pledge Give 1% while studying Students with limited income who want to start early

The Trial Pledge is explicitly framed as a starting point: you commit to a smaller share for a fixed period, then decide whether to move to the 10% Pledge. The student option applies the same logic to people in study, where income is typically low.

What "pledge" actually means

A pledge here is a statement of intent about your own giving, not a contract that transfers money automatically. You choose the charities and make the donations yourself; the pledge records the share of income you have committed to give. Because the commitment is public, it also functions as a signal that ordinary people can direct a meaningful part of their income to high-impact causes.

The site frames the underlying idea directly: "Ordinary people can do extraordinary good," and members "have more power than you think." The pledge is the mechanism that turns that idea into a standing habit.

What you get after joining

  • Community access. Members can see who else has pledged, read why members give, and hear stories from people who decided to give more effectively. The site lists "Find your community" as a member benefit.
  • Giving guidance. GWWC publishes charity recommendations from its research team, organized by cause area: global health and wellbeing, animal welfare, and global catastrophic risks.
  • Practical tools. The site offers resources on effective giving, in-depth guides, a "How Rich Am I?" income comparison tool, and information on tax deductibility and bequests.

How to decide which pledge fits

Choose the 10% Pledge if you have stable income and want a long-term commitment that matches GWWC's core model. Choose the Trial Pledge if you are new to effective giving and want a low-commitment way to build the habit over a year. Choose the student pledge if you are studying and your income is small but you want to start now.

A practical check before pledging: confirm that 1% or 10% of your income is an amount you can sustain without strain, and look at the charity recommendations for the cause area you care about most. The pledge sets the amount; the research pages help you decide where it goes.