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David Kozak

Matti Wilks

Nick Fitz

Seth Holoweiko

Announcing Sjir Hoeijmakers as the new CEO of Giving What We Can

We are writing to share exciting news: on Tuesday the 11th of November, the boards unanimously voted to appoint 

 as the new global CEO of Giving What We Can.

Sjir was appointed after a rigorous recruitment process. The search committee received applicants from a wide pool, ultimately interviewing five final-stage candidates. Sjir excelled in each stage of the process, showing remarkable character, competence, and humility throughout. He has a strong understanding of the effective giving community and has already excelled in temporary roles as Acting and Interim CEO this year. The committee also received feedback from a large number of stakeholders, including the boards, the GWWC team, funders, and partners. Throughout this process, it became clear that Sjir will be a highly capable leader for the organization and help guide GWWC and the team to reach their ambitious goals.

We’d like to congratulate Sjir on his new role, and we look forward to this next exciting phase for Giving What We Can under his leadership.

GWWC Team

Can money buy happiness? A study by two Nobel Laureates suggests it can – but only up to a point. 

Everyone knows the adage "money can't buy happiness" – does it hold up under scrutiny?

Can money buy happiness? A review of new data

This article is based on a 2021 blog post by 

. It was updated in November, 2024 to reflect new research and some takeaways for charitable giving.

e knows the adage "money can't buy happiness", although few of us seem to believe it. While we might chase fortune in the hopes of increasing wellbeing, it is clear that being wealthy does not guarantee happiness; at least anecdotally, there are many who are tremendously wealthy, yet entirely unhappy. But what does the data say on the relationship of money and happiness? Can we link increases in income to wellbeing, and if so, in what contexts? 

Here’s a summary of some often-cited data on the 

 in high-income countries. (Note that respondents surveyed in these studies were primarily from the U.S.)

Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton find that money can buy happiness, but only up to a point. This well-known study found that emotional wellbeing rises 

 with income. In layman’s terms, this means that as income increases, wellbeing increases too – but at a slower and slower rate. Khaneman and Deaton’s data also suggested that once income surpasses about $75,000 per year, wellbeing stops increasing altogether. However, more recent research has shown that the log-linear relationship persists well beyond 75K for most people — though there is likely a flattening effect around 100K for the least happy people (see study 3).

Matthew Killingsworth challenges Kahneman and Deaton’s finding in a paper entitled "Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year” Note that Killingworth also found a log-linear relationship, meaning that it takes a 

 increase in income to observe a relatively small happiness boost, especially at higher income levels. (For this reason, in our 

2021 video on Money and Happiness (below) 

we jokingly renamed Killingsworth’s paper to: “Money barely increases happiness above 75,000 per year – unless you really value money, and even then not by much.” However, we wish to clarify that:

 The 75K threshold identified in the 2010 Kahneman study does 

 hold up under new research (see Killingsworth & Kahneman, 2023)

The remapping of the Killingsworth data (at 3:13 in the video) that we suggested could show a plateauing in the happiness-income relationship at $200K USD per year was not meant to imply that this is good evidence against a continuing log-linear relationship, particularly considering the small sample sizes in the high income groups. 

That said, consistent with a log-linear relationship, the effect of extra income is certainly much smaller at high incomes. Additionally, the observed increases in happiness correlated with even significant extra income are quite small. 

Therefore, the key takeaways in the video below — that there are diminishing returns to income gains and that that spending on others with less income is generally a much better bargain —  do hold true, even given the new 2023 research, which for the most part, overturned the finding of any sort of "plateau" or "threshold" except for in a small (very unhappy) subset of the population.  

Can money buy happiness? A review of new data. (2021 Video)

Killingsworth and Kahneman team up in what’s known as an “adversarial collaboration” to try to get at the root of why their data showed different things. They found that one’s starting level of happiness affects what will happen to that happiness as income increases. For the least happy people, income does increase happiness up to a point (around 100K) but then ceases to have any effect. Conversely, for the most happy people, once income surpasses 100K, the happiness boosts also increase! For the majority of people, however, the log-linear relationship between income increases and happiness persists, meaning that the overall takeaway (more money does make you happier but not by very much) seems to persist across all three studies. To make this more concrete, a doubling of income (whether below or above 100K and no matter the starting level of happiness) was associated with a happiness increase of 

Okay, so what does this mean in terms of giving to charity? Should we be worried that giving to others might markedly decrease our wellbeing?

Based on the data above, the answer seems to be no – you’re unlikely to experience a decrease in wellbeing from giving to others, even if you give more than average. The effects are so small that – even if they happened to be causal – you’d have to give more than half your income away to feel even a 2 point decrease in happiness (and that’s on a 100 point scale!) Of course, if you give so much so as to not be able to meet your basic needs, that could very well affect your wellbeing, but as long as you can safely donate, it’s unlikely that sacrificing some income would lead to any noticeable decrease in happiness.On the contrary, it will probably make you happier.

 that prosocial spending (i.e., spending money to benefit others) improves the spender's happiness. In one experiment, participants were given money and then randomly told to spend it on themselves or others. As it turns out, those who spent it on others reported higher levels of happiness at the end of the study. And anecdotally, we hear often from Giving What We Can members who have taken the 

 that it’s actually made them happier to know that they are living up to their values and having a concrete impact in the lives of others.

So one reason to give is that it will probably make you happier than the other ways you could spend your money (cough, cough…hedonic treadmill).

Personal happiness aside, let’s talk about what these findings mean for the 

 of your charitable giving. All of the studies above supported a log linear relationship between income gains and happiness boosts (with the exception of a plateau for the least happy and a sharp increase for the most happy). This means that generally, doubling someone’s income is associated with around the same increase in happiness, 

In other words, according to these observed trends, doubling Jane's income from $500 to $1,000 increases Jane's happiness by the same amount as doubling John's income from $100,000 to $200,000 increases John's happiness. So that $100,000 increase for John could instead be used to increase the happiness of 200 others like Jane by the same amount.

With a few caveats (the data is correlational, the studies looked specifically at high-income countries), this means that our money goes a 

 further when we send it to high-impact interventions overseas…or even just to organisations like GiveDirectly who use it to increase the income of the world’s poorest! (And it seems plausible that increases in wellbeing may also be much larger if that increase in income makes up the difference between being able to afford basic needs and 

How can you use your money to increase happiness?

Given the very small increases in happiness we can expect to experience even with substantial increases in our income in richer countries, it seems that chasing ever-increasing amounts of money is an ineffective way to find happiness for ourselves. On the other hand, giving to highly effective charities could be a great way to increase happiness all around, especially if this money provides basic needs and security that would otherwise be lacking. And if the experiences of 10% Pledgers are any indication, making a commitment to increase the wellbeing of others will probably make you happier too. 

Note: Some of the research/analysis in these readings may now be out of date, given the new adversarial collaboration described above. 

Elizabeth W. Dunn, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Timothy D. Wilson, "

If money doesn't make you happy then you probably aren't spending it right

Everything you need to know about whether money makes you happy

Everyone knows the adage “money can’t buy happiness,” — but does it hold up under scrutiny? Here's what the data says. 

James Rayton

Nina Friedrich

On October 23rd, we kicked off our joint webinar series “Effective Giving and Your High Impact Career Path”. Our first session focused on addressing two of the most common concerns people have about effective giving. Building on these insights, we're excited to announce our next webinar: "Leveraging Your Career Beyond Effective Giving" on November 29th at 5pm GMT.

Effective Giving & Impactful Careers: A Webinar Series

This is a joint post by James Rayton🔸 from 


On October 23rd, we kicked off our joint webinar series “Effective Giving and Your High Impact Career Path”. Our 

 focused on addressing two of the most common concerns people have about effective giving. The discussion offered practical insights and evidence-based responses to these widespread hesitations. Here's what we covered:

This concern often stems from misconceptions about how much one needs to give to make a difference. Our discussion highlighted that:

Many people in high-income countries are 

Giving can start small - even 1% of income through a 

, from giving what you won't miss to setting aside a fixed percentage

 and life satisfaction, especially when done thoughtfully and within one's means.

We explored how this concern often arises from past experiences with charity or media coverage of ineffective aid. We discussed how:

 can identify those that are exceptionally effective

 can help ensure donations are directed effectively

Join Our Next Webinar: “Leveraging Your Career Beyond Effective Giving”

Building on these insights, we're excited to announce our next webinar: 

"Leveraging Your Career Beyond Effective Giving"

We'll explore practical strategies for expanding the impact of effective giving beyond your own personal donations, discussing how to leverage your personal and professional networks in a way that works for you:

Starting conversations about effective giving

Building giving circles within your networks

Advocacy e.g. social media outreach and simple strategies to start a conversation about effective giving.

This kind of advocacy and communication about effective giving is an amazing way that we can all 

. For every person who follows our lead, we are multiplying our impact and making it easier for the next person.

Whether you're new to effective giving or already actively involved, this session will provide valuable tools for expanding your impact through your networks.

 helps people give more effectively to the world's most pressing problems. 

 enables working professionals to maximise their positive impact. Together we’ve signed a pledge partnership to promote effective giving. 

Lucas Moore

Two GWWC staff members describe their visit to the charity Suvita, which sends SMS reminders to caregivers in India to increase childhood vaccination rates. 

A Visit to Suvita in India

), recently had the privilege of spending a day with 

. During our visit, we met with nurses, community health workers, and caregivers along with their children, gaining firsthand insight into the inspiring work Suvita is doing to improve vaccination rates in India.

In 2023, there were over 22.2 million children globally who missed out on at least one vaccination before their first birthday. And even though India's overall vaccination rates are relatively strong, the country's vast population means that a significant number of these undervaccinated children live in India.

Interestingly, it's not a question of supply. India is actually very well-supplied when it comes to vaccines; indeed, vaccines are offered for free in most cases. The problem is ensuring they are used. This means that increasing vaccination rates is actually incredibly tractable — the challenge lies mostly in getting the message out to parents and caregivers, a demand-side problem that Suvita is tackling head on.

Suvita's approach combines SMS text message reminders with the support of local community ‘influencers’. This strategy is inspired by findings from a 

, which identified this combination as one of the most cost-effective ways to promote immunisation. Suvita’s mission is simple yet ambitious: to “work towards a world in which every child achieves full access to their basic vaccinations.”

To date, Suvita has successfully delivered a total of 40.6 million SMS reminders to families and pregnant women. It has recruited more than 9,800 community influencers across Maharashtra and Bihar, reaching the caregivers of a remarkable 1.5% of the world’s children born each year. Meeting with Suvita staff gave us a deeper understanding of the scale and impact of their efforts.

Our visit began early when we were picked up by members of the Suvita team—Sheetal, Michael, and Dharmendra—and driven to a hospital facility on the outskirts of Pune in Maharashtra state. There, we met S.M. Bansode, a dedicated nurse, as well as Nayana Baban and Bharti Abade (two community health workers) responsible for administering vaccines and ensuring that families were aware of their children’s vaccination schedules.

We spoke with several caregivers who had brought their children to the clinic for routine immunisations. Many showed us the SMS reminders they received from Suvita, explaining how these messages prompted them to attend the routine immunisation session. One mother told us that the moment she received the reminder, she contacted her local health worker to confirm her child's immunisation appointment. While it’s difficult to know if she would have made the appointment without this nudge, evidence from 

 suggests that these reminders do significantly boost vaccination rates by addressing the primary barrier—

Heading back to the Suvita office in Pune, we heard about Suvita's plans for future growth as well as its continued and deepening engagement with governments at state and national levels, to further support the government in boosting immunisation access over the long term. Hearing about this made us optimistic about Suvita’s potential for increased reach – we’re excited for Suvita’s work to impact more communities as it continues to grow.

As we reflect on our visit, we feel immensely grateful for the chance to experience the direct impact of Suvita's work on the ground. Seeing caregivers motivated to protect their children's health – supported by a network of committed health professionals and community ambassadors – reminded us of the importance of our work at Giving What We Can, where we’re driven by the goal of helping others as effectively as possible. It’s inspiring to see organisations like Suvita transforming lives with relatively simple, scalable solutions. This is a powerful example of how thoughtful, evidence-based interventions can make a tangible difference in the lives of others and, crucially, do so cost-effectively.

Everyone who features, or whose child features, in this article has given their approval and consent in advance of publishing. 

n't currently include Suvita as one of our recommended programs but you can still donate to it via our donation platform. See our 

  for how we determine which programs to include on our platform and which programs to recommend. 

Alana Horowitz Friedman

Philip Popien 

A 10% Pledger shares an interesting way to gradually increase your giving pledge

Pledger Philip Popien Shares A Unique Approach to Pledging

The "Progressive Pledge”

You’ve heard of progressive tax systems, but have you heard of a progressive pledge? While giving away 10% of income feels daunting for some, for others, it doesn’t feel like enough. 

We spoke with Philip Popien, who took the 10% Pledge in 2016 after reading 

. He’s been following an approach he’s termed the “progressive pledge,” whereby he gradually increases his pledged percentage upon any salary increase. 

 in 2015, he noted down that his goal was to take the 10% Pledge immediately and then adjust that percentage upwards to 25% when his income rose. After following the “progressive pledge” approach for about 7 years, he’s exceeded that goal and in 2024, is up to 27.5

Note

s what Philip has to say about his “progressive pledge” approach to donating:

1. Can you explain how the “progressive pledge” approach works?

You start by donating 10%. Then, with any increase in salary, add 50% (or any other % above 10%) 

. The idea comes from Daniel Kahneman who wrote about doing the same thing with saving for retirement in 

2. Why do you like this approach to donating?

It balances your altruistic and non-altruistic goals in life. I knew I wanted to eventually give more than 10%, but I also didn’t think it was realistic for me to take something like the 

, where you give everything away above what you need to live on. With the progressive pledge approach, an increase in salary still means being able to spend more on yourself than before even with the increase in pledge percentage.

It allows your altruistic ambitions to rise with you getting richer. As I mentioned before, donating 10% is a large sacrifice for lower salaries, but not even noticeable for large incomes.

It increases your donations a lot over time without you ever "losing" money. If you would first see that money as yours, spend it, and later think about how much you would like to donate, it is much harder as now you have to give the money away which triggers 

It increases your motivation to negotiate well, since any salary increase means you get benefits not only for yourself, but for others as well.

3. Can you walk us through how this approach gradually increased your pledged percentage from 10% to 27.5%?

Sure! I started at 10% in 2016. My largest jump from 10% to 20% came from a job change, and then the incremental increases from 20% to 22% to 24% to 26% to 27.5% came from salary increases at the same job.

4. Would you recommend this way of pledging to others? In what circumstances?

Yes! I think a lot of people would like to donate more, but it feels painful to give away more and more. By giving away only from what you earn extra, it is easier to give more!

5. Do you think this approach to giving has increased your overall impact?

Definitely, as I have other monetary goals in life which made it hard to give away more. By coupling my job changes and promotions with increasing my donations, I never felt I lost something which made it possible to increase my donations from 10% to over 25% in 7 years.


Grace Adams


Earlier this year, we told you about our goal to hit 10,000 10% Pledges by 2025. In the coming few months, we’re going to ramp things up in pursuit of that goal!

I want to flag some exciting upcoming events so you can be sure to keep an eye out if you’re interested in getting involved. We’ll be:

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of GWWC and the 10% Pledge

by lighting up the internet with stories, quotes, and photos from November 18th to 24th

Blog

Announcing Sjir Hoeijmakers as the new CEO of Giving What We Can

Can money buy happiness? A review of new data

Effective Giving & Impactful Careers: A Webinar Series

A Visit to Suvita in India

The "Progressive Pledge”

GWWC Newsletter: October 2024

GWWC Newsletter: September 2024

Leadership Transition at Giving What We Can: A Message from the Board

Giving What We Can is now its own legal entity!

GWWC Newsletter: August 2024