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The Power of Effective Giving

We live in an unprecedented time in which those living in high-income countries have an opportunity to do an astonishing amount of good with charitable donations. The tremendous wealth disparity across the world means that relatively small donations can have a massive impact in poorer countries. To compound this, some charities are tens, hundreds or even thousands of times more effective than others and by funding them we can make a phenomenal impact on the lives of others.

Healthcare professionals know how critical their work is, but sadly good healthcare is inaccessible for so many in low-income countries. Donating a proportion of our income to global health charities is an accessible route by which people in high income countries can confidently increase their impact. It is this philosophy of effective giving that forms the basis of the GiveHealth community.

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How rich are people in high income countries, and why donate to charity?

Anybody reading this who is also employed is likely to be in the top 10% of earners worldwide, and may well be in the top 1%.

Try the Giving What We Can How Rich Am I? calculator to see how much you earn in comparison to the rest of the world.

Many of us could comfortably donate a proportion of our income to effective projects without reducing our own quality of life. In fact, donating to charity can even improve our lives, as those who help others report greater happiness and wellbeing.

On the other hand, acquiring ever-increasing amounts of wealth generates rapidly diminishing returns in happiness and life-satisfaction beyond about $75,000 annual income.

Many of us are in a position to donate 1%, 10% or more of our income to help those in great need and can even improve our own wellbeing in the process!

Which are the most effective charities to donate to?

GiveWell is a non-profit research organisation that conducts evidence-based analyses to identify the most cost-effective global health charities in the world. They aim to identify charities that save or improve lives the most for each donated $.

The charities recommended by GiveWell operate in low-income countries and tackle many health problems that rarely appear in high-income countries such as vitamin A deficiency, malaria and other tropical diseases, which each kill tens of thousands of people each year, most of whom are young children. The charities use relatively cheap and simple strategies to protect people from these diseases, such as by providing bed nets to prevent malaria, vaccinations to protect against other infectious diseases, and vitamin A supplements to treat deficiency. By targeting common diseases in this way, these charities save lives in an incredibly cost-effective way.

Anybody who wants to increase their impact by helping those in poor states of health can confidently do so by donating to the charities recommended by GiveWell.

So, what is GiveHealth and why take the Pledge?

To summarise, healthcare professionals working in high-income countries can confidently increase their impact by donating a proportion of their incomes to charity. Many of us are likely to be within the highest 1% of earners globally, and could donate a proportion of our income – such as 1% – without reducing our quality of life (and arguably improving it!). By donating to GiveWell-recommended global health charities, we can easily and substantially increase our impact by saving lives from common diseases such as vitamin A deficiency, malaria and other tropical diseases.

This Is Where GiveHealth Steps In

GiveHealth is a community of healthcare professionals who have taken a public Pledge to donate at least 1% of their income to effective global health charities.

All healthcare professionals, of all grades, seniorities and disciplines, can take the Pledge - including practitioners, researchers, managers, policy-makers, students and retired professionals - which makes it easier for them to do the most good possible with their charitable donations, and helps them live up to their values and inspire others to do the same.

By taking the Pledge healthcare professionals make a public commitment to stick to their promise and join the supportive GiveHealth community of like-minded people who want to increase their impact by helping those in poor states of health.

 

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How Impactful Are Healthcare Professionals?

Many healthcare professionals start their careers to help other people as much as possible, particularly those in poor states of health. However, while healthcare professionals working in high-income countries provide high quality care, their direct impact may be lower than expected.

This is because:

  • Healthcare professionals can only provide care for one patient at once, which limits the number of people they can help
  • Most healthcare professionals work in high-income countries where their knowledge and skills are needed the least (high-income countries have lower burdens of disease but the greatest number of healthcare professionals to tackle them, while low-income countries have the highest burdens of disease but the fewest healthcare professionals)
  • Poor health is mostly caused by wider determinants (such as air pollution, smoking and poor nutrition) rather than a lack of healthcare professionals providing high-quality care
  • High-income countries have plenty of highly educated people, meaning if one person decides not to become an healthcare professional, another equally capable person will do so instead (while low-income countries have a severe shortage of healthcare professionals)

How Can Healthcare Professionals Increase Their Impact?

Many healthcare professionals want their careers to be as impactful as possible by helping those in poor states of health.

For those working in high-income countries, clear routes to doing so include:

  • Practicing in low-income countries (low-income countries) e.g., volunteering with charities such as Médecins Sans Frontières‎ (adding an extra healthcare professional to that low-income country)
  • Training in public health to influence health policy at scale (impacting entire populations rather than individual people)
  • Training in biomedical science to conduct research in potentially impactful areas (e.g., malaria vaccines, novel antimicrobials, gene drives, drug discovery)
  • Donating a proportion of their incomes to effective charities

However, most of these suggestions are unattractive, impractical and unrealistic for many healthcare professionals because they involve:

  • Relocating to a low-income country
  • Training or re-training in a specialty that they may not be suited to, and which may have financial implications (especially if re-training)
  • Leaving clinical practice (healthcare professionals often deeply enjoy patient contact)

Unfortunately, even these suggestions may not be particularly impactful, because:

  • Caring for one patient at once, even in low-income countries, limits the number of people who can be helped
  • Population health in high-income countries is already of relatively high standard
  • Opportunities and funding for biomedical research in impactful areas are limited

This means that donating a proportion of their incomes to effective charities is likely to be the most accessible route by which healthcare professionals in high-income countries can increase their impact. This is especially the case since these healthcare professionals receive relatively high incomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pledge to donate more than 1% of my income?
Yes! By taking the Pledge you promise to donate at least 1% of your income. Some Pledge takers donate 5%, 10% or even more of their income, but you are free to donate whatever percentage you choose.

 

Does the GiveHealth Pledge to donate at least 1% of my income refer to my pre-tax or post-tax income?
This decision is entirely up to you. Some Pledge taker donate at least 1% of their pre-tax income, while others donate at least 1% of their post-tax income

 

Which kinds of healthcare professional can take the Pledge?
All healthcare professionals – of all grades, seniorities and disciplines – can take the Pledge. This includes healthcare practitioners, researchers, managers, policy-makers, students and retired professionals.

 

I’m a student studying to be a healthcare professional. Can I take the Pledge?
Yes! Students of healthcare professions who have an income whilst they are completing their studies are welcome to take the Pledge and join the GiveHealth community.

 

Can healthcare professionals from anywhere in the world take the Pledge?
Of course! Healthcare professionals in any part of the world are welcome to take the Pledge. We hope to become a truly international community of supportive and like-minded healthcare workers.

 

What if I’ve taken the Giving What We Can pledge?
We encourage healthcare professionals to consider taking the Giving What We Can pledge, through which individuals pledge to donate at least 10% of their income to effective charities. If you also choose to take the GiveHealth Pledge (which is a pledge to donate at least 1% of your income to our recommended charities), any donations that you make to our recommended charities due to your Giving What We Can pledge will also satisfy your GiveHealth Pledge (providing the total funds donated to these charities constitute at least 1% of your income).