Charitable decisions are hard to make.
Shouldn't people practice making them? 

A donor can accomplish amazing things with a little bit of thought.  Now there’s a way to practice being a great donor: Giving Games.  Here’s how they work.  Players get to choose between charities that appeal to them in different ways.  It won’t be a hypothetical exercise- a vote will decide which charity receives a real donation. 

Some examples of how you can turn charitable giving into a Game:

  • A group of Education majors vote on whether a $250 donation goes to their school's endowment or to Harlem Children's Zone.
  • A college sports team decides whether a $250 donation is given to Against Malaria Foundation (recommended charity of independent charity evaluator GiveWell) or their school's athletic department.
  • A group of friends read The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer, and discuss it as a group.  Later, they decide whether a $500 donation goes to AMF or a local food kitchen.
  • A school's pre-med students listen to a panel discussion about the ethical ramifications of rationed health care.  They then choose whether to donate $1,000 to the American Cancer Society or SCI (GiveWell's other top recommended charity) which gives de-worming medicine to people in the developing world for less than a dollar per treatment. 
  • A large audience gathers to listen to a series of speakers give unique perspectives on charity.  After a Q&A session, the audience votes on whether a $2,500 donation should go to the Khan Academy (an innovative non-profit enabling anyone anywhere to get a free world-class education) or the Future of Humanity Institute (An Oxford University institute dedicated to asking big-picture questions that will clarify the choices that will shape humanity’s long-term future).
It’s hard to be a great donor if you don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish.  By viewing charity as a choice between multiple good options, players are encouraged to think strategically about what’s most important to them.  Giving Games pose a simple question in a way that suggests a new perspective. 

These Games can start conversations that can save or improve countless lives, and these conversations will be taking place at dozens of colleges across the US and Europe this fall.  Groups of students passionate about philanthropy will be inviting their friends and classmates to play Giving Games.  They’ll spread awareness of some of the best giving opportunities in the world, and share ideas about how to transform good intentions into good outcomes.  Players will have access to high quality research and expert speakers, allowing them to make informed decisions to important questions.

You can help a great charity right now by playing one of our online Games.  Or, learn more about how this project can fill critical gaps in the philanthropic landscape.

What People are Saying


The Giving Games on this website should stimulate people to think about what they contribute to the solution of real ethical problems that we all face.  Nor are they just games - playing them has real practical consequences that will change lives.  The games can be used for a variety of causes, and show our ability to contribute to make a difference.  They are also a fascinating social experiment in learning and in changing behavior.
-Peter Singer
Ira W. Decamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University (Bio).  Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.



I don’t think that people should be giving every single penny to charity and constantly be thinking about people in need, but I do think that when consciousness arises you do have an obligation to give to people, if you feel like you are able.   Which I feel we are, considering our budget and other things…  We don’t think about charity every single day of our lives, obviously.  But, our consciousness has been, I don’t know, "awakened"… We’re thinking about it now, and why would we think about charity and then decide not to [give where it will have the most impact]?
-Giving Game Player
Excerpted from a Giving Game discussion.  See more player quotes here.