Why I donate

In 2020, during Covid, I learned about Effective Altruism and was quickly hooked by the mix of science, ethics and action. One of the first things I heard about was just how extreme wealth inequality actually was in the world. Until then, I hadn’t considered it to be that bad. (In hindsight, I was just ill-informed.)

I always assumed that the poverty of living on “1 dollar a day” was comparable to poverty I encountered in my daily life as an EU citizen. Not enough to be able to invest in the future, too little to access a lot of social spaces, but enough to live. I assumed that terrible famines or outbreaks of diseases came from wars or mismanagement by governments. Through engaging with Effective Altruism, I learned that this was far from the truth.

It was eye-opening for me to understand that there were people in the world who had to get by on next to nothing, while working themselves to the bone, mostly due to the societal inequality that’s built into our global society, and the “bad luck” of not being born in a rich country. Giving What We Can’s “How Rich Am I Calculator” really brought this stark reality to life for me.

So I wanted to make sure I’d give some of my “unfairly earned” money to people who, for having been born into completely different circumstances, were not having their basic needs met.

Back then, I had just been terminated from two minimum-wage jobs I was juggling to get by, and it was unclear how long I’d be without work. I held off on taking a giving pledge. I vowed to myself that once I got my first “real job” that allowed me to do more than pay for rent and food, I’d take the pledge.

Whatever my next job would be, I expected to earn a lot more than I’d ever earned before, so it should feel easy to donate 10% of that, and not like a sacrifice. It was a very rational argument for me: a way to ensure I’d choose a lifestyle and habit that I’ll (hopefully) be proud of at the end of my working life. I also wanted to be able to sustain that habit, and I reasoned to myself that donating 10% of my future salary would feel easy. 

When I did get my first job a few months later, my salary was more than double of what I’d earned before working two jobs. I spent some of it on fun stuff for myself (a mountain bike I’d been eyeing for 2 years). And I took the pledge. It wasn’t a super emotional moment for me. No public ceremony or cheering friends, just a promise to myself and an anonymous organization (GWWC).

That was around 4 years ago. I’ve built myself a “set it and forget it” system with automated donations, so I don’t fall into the habit of spending my “donation” money on other things. Once a year, I check which charities I donate to, and sometimes reallocate money, or increase the total amount if I’m earning more than before.

It’s a part of my life now, just like my hobbies, or having breakfast in the morning. A routine, a ritual, something I don’t think about a lot. But when I do think about it, I feel a little bit proud. It’s not the whole answer to the systemic injustices and inequalities I care about, but it’s certainly one part of the answer for me. And maybe for you?

This post was written as private person. I work for Effective Altruism Germany (Effektiver Altruismus Deutschland). The opinions and perspectives I share here are not intended to represent these of my organization, or the German EA community. Thanks to Alana and James for proofreading the text!