Reflections On Giving 10% Of My Income To Effective Charities

As part of the Effective Giving Spotlight for the giving season campaign on the forum, I've written a blog post about my experiences of donating 10% of my income to effective charities for the last 3 years through Giving What We Can. 

https://medium.com/a-smiling-world/reflections-on-giving-10-of-my-income-to-effective-charities-95d1ae7f8ef9?source=friends_link&sk=33542072edbbef6c83c38833e544b5c6

The 1-minute summary is:

1. Sometimes it takes one podcast or article to give you the clarity you need to donate
2. The most enjoyable part for me was selecting a portfolio of charities that complement my day-to-day work and reflect my preferences for near-term vs long-term impact
3. The hardest part was ending donations to less effective charities that I was already giving to (not in the post but I think a matching campaign by pairing effective and less effective charities could help people move from one to the other. For example, if I give to homeless charities in the UK, I may be more likely to donate to similar, more effective charities such as GiveDirectly if given a matching incentive)
4. Impact through donations compounds over time much like savings and investments, leading to quite unbelievable results
5. Putting in place foundational financial planning actions can help overcome nervousness about donating large sums, particularly with the current cost of living crisis. As an accredited money coach, I share 5 actions that I support my clients with

I hope the article is interesting and possibly useful!