We'd recently been wondering how much we should be giving to charity. What's too much, what's too little? For those that don't belong to a religion that tells how much to tithe, it's a big question. We know how much we're supposed to tip the waiter, why aren't there similar rules of etiquette about giving?
We've started this website to address that issue. The hope is that by creating a rule about how much to give, it will become standard practice and will increase overall giving.. To start it off, we make the promise ourselves to give 10% of whatever we make over $100k to charity. So if I make $150k a year, I would give 10% of $50k, which is $5,000 (pretax, so it really amounts more to being out of pocket maybe $3k in the US)
ANYONE can make the promise no matter how much you make (if you don't make $100k yet, you are promising to start it once you DO make over $100k, and hopefully you will give whatever you can in the meantime). If you already give this much based on religious practices, it is easy to make a promise you are already keeping, and by making the promise formally you can help spread the word to others who might not be giving at that level yet.
That's all there is to it. We hope you'll join us in making the world a better place. As for who WE are..
James: In my past life, I worked for HP and got an Engineering Degree and an MBA from UC Berkeley. At some point in business school I realized I wasn't cut out for investment banking or consulting, so I ended up starting a website called HOTorNOT that was a hit and is still doing well today. I've also started a site called SaveMyAss. The idea for 10 over 100 came from my own personal frustration with figuring out how much of my newfound income I should give to charity. Having a rule that sets the amount makes it easier for me, and publicly promising to my friends ensures that I will follow through.. which makes me feel good. I've found that giving money to charities and organizations that I care about is one of the most satisfying things I do, and I bet it is for you too. Making a difference in the world starts with action, and there's nothing even a small organization can not achieve. I'm reminded of a classmate of mine, Patrick Awuah, who returned to his home country of Ghana to start a university to provide opportunities for his fellow Ghanians, and the quote from Goethe that inspired him: "If there is anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." Many thanks to Patrick for introducing me to that quote. It's time for the spirit of 10 over 100 to begin!
Josh: Like most people, I don't make $100,000. I probably won't make that much money for a long time, if ever. For me, 10 over 100 is more about making a promise to myself that down the line, if I have money, I won't forget to do good things with it. So before I get in over my head, and while my morals are still salvageable, I want to commit to myself that I'll do good things with whatever I make. I hope some of you guys will make the same pledge. It feels good :) Another related site you might check out is ifidie.org - it's a place to leave messages for friends just in case something bad happens to you and you can't tell them in person.
Click here to communicate with us.
Special Thanks
Thanks to everyone we don't know who's helping to help this site make a difference. And a special thank you to the team at Ning for help with design, to HOTorNOT for technical help, to James J for the logo, and most of all, to you for helping out in this effort and promising your friends to give 10 over 100
Testimonials
Since starting the site, we've gotten a bunch of really great, uplifting emails from people who like the idea, want to contribute, or just want to share a story. We thought we'd share this one with you:
In my mid-twenties I was making around $26,000. My wife approached me and said it was time we start giving to charity. I said, "You've got to be kidding! We can hardly make ends meet." She insisted so we began giving 10% of our net income to charity.
Six months after that, I got a new job and started making $36,000/yr. We kept giving 10% of our net. Six months after starting that job, I got a raise to $40,000/yr. We kept giving 10% of our net. That company is where I got my start in software and I was doing what I loved to do. Life was good!
In my late twenties/early thirties, I started working for software startups and helping them grow. My salary quickly rose to $90,000/yr. We kept on giving. In the past three years, my annual income has been no less than $135,000. Last year we thought about our giving. My wife and I agreed that is was wrong to give 10% of our net. We should be giving 10% of our gross income! So last year we started giving 10% of our gross.
This year I started my own consulting company (one man show right now). My company has made over $150,000 in its first year...and that was with no income the first four months while trying to get it off the ground!
The moral of this story is, "Give first, then receive." I truly believe that my success was fueled by my wife's and my giving heart. I have spoken to a number of people that share a story similar to mine. It is not an isolated case. Give and ye shall receive! Don't wait!