I’m planning a small ‘matched giving’ process to encourage people to give to effective charities improving the lives of those in extreme poverty.

How it works?

The rules:

  • I will match the total donations given by others up to a total of $4000 NZD
  • This will be a one-off for the month of June 2026
    • I will make my matching donation on 30th June 2026
  • This round is just for folks in NZ - other editions may follow.

Why am I doing this?

I expect if you are here, I have likely already spoken to you a bit about effective giving. Either way, I feel like I should expand on why this is important to me.

I am interested in doing good in the world, and I am extremely fortunate to have been born and live in a high income country and have a well paying job. It is very possible for me to improve the lives of others with minimal impact to my own. Even though the amount I am matching is personally significant, realistically it does not prevent me from living a good, full life with many luxuries.

I also think that it is right to focus on global poverty, because the problems there are large in scale and are solvable. The facts around death resulting from preventable diseases are alarming and depressing when we live in a world with such abundant resources. However, the problem is not unsurmountable, and progress is being made (e.g., eradication of smallpox and the reduction in global child mortality).

Finally, I also know that encouraging my peers to give means I can have an outsized impact compared to what I could do alone. I have set up a regular monthly donation and I am hopeful that some of you will consider doing similar.

A bit more on this in the “What has inspired this?” FAQ, if interesting.

What you need to do to get involved?

  1. Donate (3 minutes)
  2. Log that you donated via the form (1 minute)

Step 1 - Donate

  1. Go to the Effective Altruism NZ donations page: https://effectivealtruism.nz/donate/global-health-and-development
  2. Take your pick of charity.
    • If you are not sure - I suggest the Effective Altruism NZ Max Impact fund.
    • See the FAQs for why thse GiveWell evaluated charaties are recommended.
  3. Pick your amount.
    • If you check ‘I want to set up recurring donations through my bank’ and sign up for a monthly donation, I will match you twice.
      • e.g., if you donate $500, my matching amount will be $1000.
  4. Click ‘Submit’
    • From here, you need to make a bank transfer to the account details provided.

NOTE: These donations are tax deducible and setting that up in IRD is very simple, and is explained well here.

Step 2 - Let me know you’ve donated

So that I can match you

This is an anonymous Google form, no log in needed. Please just fill it out the once.

If the embedded form is annoying, you can also fill it out here.

Ultimately this process is anonymous for ease and to avoid people having to share details. That said, if you have made a donation and want to let me know directly - ping me a message. I would personally find that inspiring and motivating, but no pressure.

Check out the impact

Thank you for responding to me and providing donations that can support changing, improving and saving lives globally. By giving to effective charities you are able to make a substantial impact to improving the lives of those in extreme poverty.

Cost effectiveness of the donations is a central part of effective giving. Here is an article showing that together we are very likely to be saving lives.

Want to see how we are doing? Have a look at the total raised here.

FAQs

  • When is this going on?
    • Over the month of June 2026, this will be a one-off.
    • After this, I will continue with regular (smaller) donations to some of these charities. I hope you will consider doing something similar.
  • Who is this aimed at?
    • This is aimed at my friends in New Zealand.
  • I want to do something similar (i.e. matched giving)?
    • I tried to think of clever ways to do matching as part of this donation push, but it seemed complicated.
    • But, if this post has inspired you and you would like support doing something similar, I’m very happy to help you set you up a similar page. Get in touch.
  • How do I know my donation has been useful?
    • The effective altruism movement focuses on high impact giving, and is based on the analysis of charity evaluators.
    • One well respected organisation is GiveWell.
      • GiveWell charities are those that are supported by EA NZ.
    • Effective Altruism NZ also focus on the principles of cost-effectiveness and cause prioritisation, focusing on problems that are:
      • Large in scale
      • Neglected
      • Tractably solvable
  • What has inspired this?
    • Applying engineering to improve the lives of those in poverty was a common thread through university & my early career.
    • A few months ago I read “Moral Ambition” by Rutger Bregman whilst on holiday in Bali and was surrounded by significant inequality, which hit a nerve.
    • More recently I have been reading about the moral philosophy of Peter Singer and William MacAskill and have been reading their books “Doing Good Better” and “The Life You Can Save”.
    • It’s well over time I put my reading into practice.
  • What’s next?
    • If you have any questions or want to chat more to me about this - I’m very happy to chat.