Global Impact

What is Global Impact?

Your contribution to improving the world beyond your immediate community – through charitable giving, career choices, advocacy, and other channels that address global problems.

Why Global Impact matters

Where you give matters more than how much – The best interventions can be over 100 times more cost-effective than average ones addressing the same problem i.
Evidence-based giving saves lives – GiveWell has directed over $2.6 billion to recommended charities, contributing to an estimated 340,000 lives saved i.
Most giving is not strategic – Americans gave $557 billion to charity in 2023, but emotional appeal drives more giving decisions than evidence of impact i.
Systematic commitment compounds – Pledging movements like Founders Pledge (over $10 billion pledged) and Giving What We Can show that sustained, planned philanthropy creates outsized impact over a lifetime.

Global Impact Values

Your approach to global impact depends on what aspects you value most. This guide balances four core values, with percentages indicating the relative weight given to each in our recommendations.

Impartiality (30%)

Directing resources toward causes based on evidence of impact rather than personal connection or emotional appeal.
Cost-effectiveness analysis, cause prioritisation informed by research, and willingness to support unfamiliar causes if the evidence warrants it.
People who prioritise this value treat philanthropy as a problem to be optimised.

Passion (25%)

Contributing to causes you genuinely care about – areas that resonate with your personal experience, interests, and values.
Supporting causes you have direct connection to, volunteering in areas that energise you, and choosing impact channels that sustain your motivation over decades.
People who prioritise this value believe sustained commitment requires personal meaning.

Sustainability (25%)

Maintaining your global impact practice over the long term without burnout, guilt, or financial strain.
Setting sustainable giving levels, building impact habits that fit your life, and ensuring that your philanthropic practice enhances rather than diminishes your wellbeing.
People who prioritise this value plan for decades of contribution.

Fulfilment (20%)

The personal satisfaction and sense of purpose derived from making a positive difference.
Feeling that your contributions matter, experiencing gratitude and meaning from giving, and ensuring that your impact work is a source of joy rather than obligation.
People who prioritise this value see giving as enriching their own life.

Benchmarks by Level

Despite widespread charitable intent, most giving is neither strategic nor evidence-based. The average American donates around 2% of income, but few evaluate the effectiveness of their chosen charities. Only a small fraction of donors use charity evaluators, and emotional appeal drives more giving decisions than evidence of impact. Deliberate, effectiveness-focused philanthropy is genuinely rare, and sustained commitment to optimised giving places individuals well above population norms.

Level 1: Awareness

Impartiality: Understand the concept of cost-effectiveness in charity – that different interventions produce vastly different outcomes per pound spent i

Passion: Know which causes genuinely resonate with you and why, distinguishing personal connection from habit or social pressure i

Sustainability: Know your current giving patterns – how much you donate annually, to whom, and whether the level is sustainable without strain i

Fulfilment: Assess whether your current giving and impact activities are a source of satisfaction or a source of guilt and obligation i

Level 2: Foundation (80th percentile capability)

Impartiality: Donations directed primarily to evidence-backed charities evaluated by organisations like GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, or Animal Charity Evaluators i

Passion: Regular contributions to at least one cause you genuinely care about, with engagement that goes beyond transactional giving i

Sustainability: A consistent giving practice of at least 1 – 3% of income annually, with a clear budget and regular donations rather than sporadic impulse giving i

Fulfilment: Giving that reliably feels good – you experience satisfaction from your contributions and look forward to your impact activities i

Level 3: Proficiency (95th percentile capability)

Impartiality: Deep understanding of cause prioritisation, with giving allocated across a researched portfolio of high-impact interventions and regular review of evidence i

Passion: Deep, sustained engagement with causes that energise you, with volunteering or advocacy that leverages your personal strengths and interests i

Sustainability: Giving at 5 – 10% of income with a formal pledge or commitment mechanism, integrated into financial planning as a non-negotiable line item i

Fulfilment: Impact work that is a meaningful source of purpose in your life – you derive genuine joy and identity from your contributions i

Level 4: Excellence (99th percentile capability)

Impartiality: Sophisticated understanding of global priorities, counterfactual reasoning, and impact measurement, with giving strategy informed by the latest research and adjusted accordingly i

Passion: A signature cause or impact area where you are deeply invested, knowledgeable, and recognised as a committed advocate with sustained personal motivation i

Sustainability: Giving at 10%+ of income or equivalent career impact, with a lifetime giving plan and complete integration of impact practice into your financial and life planning i

Fulfilment: Global impact work as one of the most fulfilling dimensions of your life – a source of deep meaning that enhances your overall wellbeing i

Level 5: Mastery (99.9th percentile capability)

Impartiality: Among the most informed and strategic philanthropists at your resource level, with a giving approach that rivals professional grant-makers in rigour and impact per pound i

Passion: A lifetime of passionate commitment to causes that matter to you, with influence and expertise that has meaningfully advanced those causes i

Sustainability: Extraordinary sustained commitment – whether through major pledges, career dedication to high-impact work, or lifetime giving that represents a transformative share of resources i

Fulfilment: Your impact work is inseparable from your sense of purpose and identity – giving and contribution are among the richest sources of meaning in your life i

Levels

Level 1: Awareness (under development)
Level 2: Foundation (under development)
Level 3: Proficiency (under development)
Level 4: Excellence (under development)
Level 5: Mastery (under development)

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