I have not taken the Giving What We Can pledge, but I do think it’s useful for individuals to publicly disclose their charitable giving, if only because it seems to provoke other people to give, maybe through some kind of mimetic desire.
Personally, when I was doing my taxes for last year I found that I had given significantly less than I thought I had, so I thought it would be useful to make a record of my giving here, if only to keep myself honest.
The strategy I’m currently trying is to give away appx. 10% of my net income (that is, income received after tax withholding etc.). I take a two-tiered approach: occasional giving throughout the quarter, and then “top off” my donations at the end of the quarter so it equals roughly 10% of my net income.
For the last quarter (1/1 to 3/31 of 2022), my donations were as follows:
• 80% to the Malaria Consortium Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (via Givewell)
• 20% to Knights of Columbus, Ukraine Solidarity Fund
These donations were in an amount totaling 9.45% of my net income from that period.
