Your career is one path to impact.
Your giving is another.
Decades of progress in global health are now at risk.
After three decades of historic progress, the fight against extreme poverty is losing momentum. The number of people in extreme poverty is forecast to rise after 2030, but international aid budgets are being cut.
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Nearly 1.5 billion people have escaped extreme poverty in recent decades — but unless the poorest economies start growing, that era of progress is ending. The number of people in extreme poverty is projected to fall only until 2030, from 831 million to 793 million, before rising again.
Sources: Our World in Data
That reversal is being accelerated by collapsing aid. Development Assistance for Health peaked at $80.3 billion during the pandemic and is projected to fall to $36.2 billion by 2030. Development assistance for health to Sub-Saharan Africa — where there are some of the highest rates of preventable disease — dropped 25% in a single year.
Without additional support, more than 4.5 million children under five could die by 2030 because of aid cuts. As governments step back, private giving has never mattered more.
The number of people in extreme poverty — including projections to 2030. Source: Our World in Data
The best charities do far more good per dollar than average ones.
Most charitable giving is driven by good intentions rather than strong evidence. Yet, just as medicine relies on clinical trials to identify the most effective treatments, we can use research to identify the most effective ways to help others.
Experts agree that not all charities achieve the same impact. Some interventions improve—or even save—many more lives for the same cost.
Effective giving asks a simple question: where can each dollar help the most?
A useful way to answer that question is the SOS framework, which evaluates causes based on how sizeable, overlooked, and solvable they are.
Not all causes are equally impactful. The Sizeable, Overlooked, Solvable (SOS) framework helps prioritize where time and money can do the most good by considering three factors.
01Sizeable
How many lives does the problem affect, and how severely are they affected?
02Overlooked
How much attention and funding is there already? When a cause area is overlooked, funding is likely to be more impactful compared to a cause area that is well-funded.
03Solvable
How easy is it to make a difference? If a problem has no workable interventions, extra funding won’t help.
Doing the most good
A few examples of charities that have been rigorously evaluated by independent third-party researchers and recommended for their exceptional cost-effectiveness.
Malaria kills ~600,000 people per year. Most are children under 5. AMF's bednet programs protect people from malaria by distributing and ensuring the use of long-lasting insecticidal bednets in regions with the highest burden of malaria cases.
$6 buys a net for 2 people for 2 years.
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Vaccines save millions of lives each year, including a large share of deaths in children under 5. New Incentives improves childhood immunization rates in Nigeria by providing cash incentives to caregivers.
$146 provides a child with all routine vaccinations.
Read more →
Helen Keller Intl's Vitamin A Supplementation program improves child health and survival rates by partnering with governments across Africa to deliver lifesaving vitamin A supplements and complementary activities to millions of children annually.
$2 provides a year's worth of Vitamin A.
Read more →
Malaria kills ~600,000 people per year. Most are children under 5. The Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention program protects children from malaria by distributing preventative medication at times of high transmission.
$7 protects a child through the malaria season.
Read more →
Support GiveWell's highest-priority funding opportunities across global health.
Support high-priority funding needs in global health.
Read more →Dozens more top-rated organizations span cause areas including global health and wellbeing, animal welfare, and existential risk.
Could you live on 99% of your income?
If that 1% could transform someone else's life, many people find the answer is yes.
Wherever you are in your career, effective giving can be a powerful way to create impact. As a doctor or medical student, you may already be among the world's highest earners—or on your way there, depending on where you live.
than you think.
See how your income compares worldwide, adjusted for the cost of living where you live.
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“I see health inequities every day. Pledging part of my income is one concrete way I can help change that."
You don't have to choose between your career and giving.
Building a high-impact career can take months or even years. Effective giving lets you create impact today, while you work toward your longer-term goals. Your career and your giving don't have to compete, they can work together to create more impact.
Join a growing movement of 20,000+ effective givers. Start where you're comfortable with the 🔸 10% Pledge or the 🔹 Trial Pledge beginning at 1%.
In their own words.
Join a global community of effective givers.
Commit to donating at least 10% of your income to highly effective charities.
Start with a percentage that feels right — from 1% upwards, for a period you choose. Nothing to lose: you set the terms and can stop anytime.
The Pledge FAQs
What is a pledge?
Is the 10% a yearly requirement?
What is the Trial Pledge?
What if I'm a student or not yet earning?
Is it legally binding?
How do you know a charity is actually effective?
I'm worried about my finances.
Better to give later, once I've built wealth?
Can I choose which charity?
Full details & FAQs: givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
About the community
A better way to make a better world. Giving What We Can is a community of effective givers. We inspire people to give more, and give more effectively.
Whether you're ready to take a pledge or just exploring what effective giving looks like, you're welcome here.
Pledge to give → 🔸 10% Pledge · 🔹 Trial Pledge — start where you're comfortable. Join a growing movement of +20,000 effective givers.Book a free 1:1 advisory call about effective giving — no pressure, no commitment.
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