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EA Forum - Rethinking the 10% Giving Pledge
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satelliteprocess
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3/5
Good(3)Good quality. Reputable source with community review or editorial standards, but less rigorous than peer-reviewed venues.
Rating inherited from publication venue: EA Forum
A personal EA Forum post exploring whether the GWWC 10% pledge is appropriate for early-career individuals; relevant to discussions of EA community norms and giving strategies, but not directly related to AI safety.
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9
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8
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eaforum
Forum Tags
Career choiceEffective giving10% PledgeCareer advisingDonation pledge
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Importance: 22/100blog postcommentary
Summary
A personal reflection by a recent graduate questioning the appropriateness and sustainability of the 10% giving pledge promoted by Effective Altruism, exploring whether it is the right commitment for people early in their careers. The post examines financial constraints, opportunity costs, and whether career capital or direct giving may be more impactful for young professionals.
Key Points
- •Questions whether the 10% pledge is optimal for recent graduates with student debt, low incomes, or high cost-of-living situations
- •Explores the tension between donating now versus investing in career capital that could enable greater future giving
- •Considers psychological and social pressures around the pledge and whether rigid commitments help or hinder long-term altruistic behavior
- •Raises whether alternative forms of contribution (volunteering, career pivots) should count toward the pledge spirit
- •Reflects on how the EA community frames giving norms and whether one-size-fits-all pledges serve diverse life circumstances
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Giving Pledge | Organization | 68.0 |
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Rethinking the 10% Giving Pledge: Questions from a Recent Grad — EA Forum
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by satelliteprocess Apr 19 2025 2 min read 8 9
Career choice Effective giving 10% Pledge Career advising Donation pledge Frontpage Rethinking the 10% Giving Pledge: Questions from a Recent Grad Hi, 8 comments Hi,
I've been donating 10% of my biweekly paycheck recently, but I'm starting to reconsider. I graduated from college a few months ago and just began working at a job that pays $60.10 per hour.
I live in the Bay Area, which, as you know, is an expensive place. While I’m currently living with my parents and paying $700 per month in rent, I’ve been thinking seriously about saving more aggressively now that I'm just starting my career.
So here's my dilemma: does it really make sense to stick to the 10% pledge at this point in my life? Part of me wonders—why not wait until later in life, or even until after I die, and include a 10% donation in my will? Wouldn’t that have a similar impact, or maybe even a greater one if I invest wisely now? For example, long-term investments like certificates of deposit or other vehicles could grow significantly over time, allowing for potentially larger donations later.
I also have some concerns about the structure of the 10% pledge itself for pre-tax income. Depending on your tax bracket, you might end up with less money by earning more , which seems counterintuitive.
The pledge also doesn’t seem to adjust for cost of living or personal financial circumstances, like whether someone is trying to build up savings early in their career. Shouldn’t it be based on disposable income instead?
Since I live in the U.S., I’m also unclear about how tax deductions for donations work. I think tax laws changed under Trump’s administration, so I’m not even sure if my donations are deductible anymore.
On top of that, I'm skeptical about charity effectiveness. Some nonprofits have a reputation for inefficiency. For example, I’ve heard that only about 30% of donations to the Red Cross actually go to helping people, with the rest covering salaries and overhead. It's not that I don’t care—these are important causes—but I worry that even well-meaning organizations like effective altruism non profits might suffer from similar inefficiencies. How can I know for a fact that these charities are actually effective, rather than just reading random nonverifiable statistics that it costs X amount to save a life? How do I know the data isn't made up?
I've also read troubling stories about corruption, particularly involving aid in certain countries. In some cases, governments stage photos of aid being distributed, only to confiscate and resell the supplies for profit. How can I really be sure tha
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