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Impactful Giving

A Global Movement

The 10% Pledge

A simple idea that started a global movement: commit to donating at least 10% of your income to improve the lives of others in the most effective way possible.

You can now sign the pledge at Impactful Giving. You will become part of the global Giving What We Can community.

10,649+

people have pledged

118+

countries represented

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10% Pledge Certificate — Giving What We Can

The Story

How the Pledge Began

In 2006, a young philosopher at the University of Oxford named Toby Ord decided to commit a significant portion of his income to alleviating poverty around the world.

After seeing interest from others, in 2009 he conceived a public pledge: signatories would commit to donating at least 10% of their income to highly effective charitable organisations, joining an international community of people determined to have a significant impact on the world.

This was the start of Giving What We Can, which today coordinates a global community of over 10,000 pledgers across 118 countries. Impactful Giving is proud to be a partner in promoting the pledge in India.

Why Take the Pledge?

A lot of reasons, but many simply realised:

1

You’re richer than you think.

If you earn at least ₹39,50,000 (≈$47,000 USD) post-tax per year, you are in the richest 2% globally. Ten percent seems like a lot until you realise that in most cases, you’ll still be in the top richest income percentile even after donating it!

2

100x more impact. Seriously.

You can have 100x more impact by donating to the most effective charities (seriously, 100x!). Ten per cent seems like a lot until you realise just how much it can help others in the right hands.

3

You’re not alone.

If everyone stepped up in this way, we could legitimately reshape the world. Ten per cent seems like a lot until you realise you’re not alone, and together – we can do incredible things.

What if the top 1% all donated 10%?
What could we accomplish?

In just two years, we could use the 3.6 trillion dollars to:

Read the full report
$3.6T₹290.2 lakh CrTOTAL

Moorhouse, F., Harris, R., John, T. M., Harris, K., & Cargill, N. What if the 1% gave 10%?
Longview Philanthropy

Reminder

Anyone earning ₹54.6 lakh a year post-tax is in that top 1%!

Ready to Take the Step?

Choose the commitment that works best for you.

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The 10% Pledge

Donate at least 10% of your income for your working life (or until retirement).

You commit publicly to donate a minimum of 10% of your income to the organizations you believe can do the most good.

Take the 10% Pledge
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Trial Pledge

Donate a custom percentage of your income for a set period (6 months to 5 years).

Not sure about 10%? Start with a smaller commitment. Choose your own percentage and time frame to try effective giving.

Start a Trial Pledge

Frequently Asked Questions

10% is a significant percentage, recognizing the importance of global problems and the need to take action, while still being feasible for most people with a regular income. It strikes a balance between meaningful impact and sustainability.

The simplest approach is to donate 10% of your take-home pay (net income after taxes). If you are self-employed or have investment income, calculate 10% of your net income. The pledge is a minimum of 10%, so some people choose to give more.

No, the pledge is not a contract and is not legally binding. It is a public declaration of a lasting commitment. A pledge is a promise made seriously and with the expectation that it will be kept. However, if you decide you can no longer keep your pledge, you can withdraw it by contacting us.

The social custom of donating anonymously can limit our impact. We can achieve much more by donating publicly. After all, we are social creatures who look to others for guidance on what to do. Your public commitment can inspire others to give.

If publishing your name is an obstacle to signing the pledge, contact us and we will help keep your name anonymous while still registering your commitment.

Giving What We Can (GWWC) is the organization that launched the 10% Pledge and continues to manage the global community of signatories. Impactful Giving collaborates with GWWC to promote the pledge in India. When you sign a pledge on our website, you also become part of the global community.

The pledge does not require you to donate while you have no income. However, many pledge members choose to donate at least 1% of any funds they receive during unemployment, in keeping with the spirit of the commitment.

Research shows that some ways of helping are hundreds of times more effective than others. By choosing the most effective programs, your donation can save and improve far more lives. The pledge encourages donating to organizations you believe are highly effective.

Join the Movement

Join the 9,000 people out of 100 countries that have already signed the commitment.

Take the Pledge Today