This profile is part of the "People of Giving What We Can" series.
We recently spoke with member Rickey Fukazawa from Sydney, Australia. She shared with us why she took The Giving What We Can Pledge in 2019, what she'd say to people on the fence about pledging, and why she gives now instead of later.
Tell us your effective giving story
I was trying to decide how I can do the most good for the resources I have.
I read the book "The Most Good You Can Do" by Peter Singer and then I joined Effective Altruism Sydney.
After I learned about effective altruism. I thought for a while and did my research. And I already had enough thinking that I wanted to take an action.
Something I could do immediately was give and, well, Giving What Ce Can made sense.
And it's one of the clearest things you can do, the most impactful things you can do, an actionable thing: because thinking is one part, but the action is really important. So I thought, "What can I do right now?" And I thought to myself: "I can give, okay, I'll give". I took The Pledge because I think Giving What We Can makes sense. It's a good pledge to have.
Why take a pledge to give?
A pledge keeps you accountable, keeps you motivated and it's about a community that's involved in it, so they inspired me as well.
What would you say to someone on the fence about pledging?
I think: "do it". I think I was on the fence as well.
If you're afraid to do the 10%, just starting from somewhere is good as well. But for me, I personally trust myself right now with the decisions after I've had thought enough. Maybe make a deadline of how much you're going to think up to about the decision and then make that decision. But for me, by the time I had thought through everything, it was the most quick thing I could do actionably. It made sense to me and I had read enough through what was the most effective way to give. So from there, it was just about making that decision and after you've made that first decision, um, automating the payment just through your bank account is simple. And you really won't think about it after that. Once it's automated, it's done.
So I think that's the advice I give.
Why are you giving now, instead of later?
If you're too worried about: "oh, do I give now, do I give later?" I think I prefer just doing it monthly and giving now. Because if you think about it too much, you're going to prolong that decision. And at some stage, for me, I feel like I might "value drift" or something might happen.
I trust myself right now more than future Rickey.
Why pursue giving as a way to have an impact?
I think at any point in my life, because of the luck I have, just the fortunes I have, just being born in a fortunate family, no matter where I am in my career pathway, I'll always be able to give.
This interview is part of the “People of Giving What We Can" series which profiles a selection of the Giving What We Can community. The Giving What We Can is a community of people from all walks of life, with different perspectives and motivations for giving – all united by their desire to make a significant commitment to use their income to effectively helping others. Read more member stories. Share your effective giving story to help inspire others to give more, and more effectively.
For more information about Giving What We Can we recommend you check out our frequently asked questions, our effective giving recommendations, our giving pledges, and our homepage.