Update for 2023-02-13:
I no longer believe in effective altruism since it works within the current system of capitalism (making lots of money at your job then donating it to charities). Capitalism is a system of exploitation of both labor and the environment, so I no longer want to use it as a means of helping people.
I believe mutual aid is a better way to help each other moving forward so that’s what I’m doing instead of effective altruism.
Original Post:
When I started to look more seriously into giving back in 2019, I stumbled across these three big ideas (these ideas are better described in the book, The Life You Can Save):
- I’m relatively wealthy compared to the rest of the world. (Here’s a visualization.)
- Money goes a lot further overseas.
- There’s an opportunity to change people’s lives even if I’m not a millionaire.
I was excited about these ideas because it changed my whole perspective on philanthropy. The realization that I’m actually very fortunate and that I could have a real impact on people is empowering. It turns out that I don’t need to go into medicine or become a teacher to make a difference. While I’m not planning on giving 50% of my income (article), I’m very much into the concept of earning to give.
I wrote more about it here.
| Year | Organization | Date | Amount |
| 2019 | GiveWell | — | $1,398.50 |
| GiveWell (Employer Match) | — | $1,000.00 | |
| 2020 | GiveWell | — | $13,420.39 |
| GiveDirectly | — | $920.18 | |
| GiveDirectly (COVID-19) | — | $600 | |
| GiveWell (Employer Match) | — | $1,000 | |
| 2021 | GiveWell | 01-01-2021 | $1,000 |
| GiveWell | 01-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 02-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 03-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 04-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 05-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 06-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 07-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 08-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 08-28-2021 | $6,589.51 | |
| GiveWell | 09-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 10-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 11-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveWell | 12-01-2021 | $300 | |
| GiveDirectly | 12-04-2021 | $4,029.23 | |
| GiveDirectly (Employer Match) | 12-06-2021 | $1,000 | |
| GiveDirectly | 12-11-2021 | $4,043.56 | |
| 2022 | GiveWell | 03-22-2022 | $2,500 |
| GiveWell | 03-31-2022 | $2,500 | |
| GiveWell (Employer Match) | 05-17-2022 | $1,000 | |
| Total | $44,601.37 |