Giving What We Can envisions a world free from extreme poverty, animal suffering, and existential risk, where effective giving is simply the cultural norm. It started in 2009 when Oxford philosopher Toby Ord pledged most of his income to effective charities, and wondered if anyone else would do the same. Today, over 12,000 members have donated over $490 million, all built on that same commitment: give at least 10% of what you earn to the causes that do the most good.
Momkai was brought in to help grow the movement without losing what made it trustworthy in the first place. We had the pleasure of working alongside Chief Growth Officer Max Klijnstra, co-founder of Otrium, which raised $37 million in funding, and CEO Sjir Hoeijmakers, co-founder of Effective Altruism Netherlands, two people who pivoted their careers toward the greater good.
Together, we extended the brand to a broader audience, without alienating the loyal base that built it.
Say it straight
Giving What We Can has built a global community of more than 12,000 people who pledge at least 10% of their income to the world's most effective charities. Within effective altruism circles, the brand was well known and deeply trusted. Outside it, almost nobody had heard of it.
The first thing we changed was the story. Giving What We Can had been talking about the act of giving. We shifted the focus to what a pledge actually makes possible. One decision to give can multiply someone's impact a hundredfold. 100x the power of your giving became the core line of the story.
Owning the diamond
Inside the 10% pledge community, members had quietly adopted a small orange diamond as a signal of belonging. A single emoji added to a social profile, telling other members: I am in this too.
Momkai took that symbol and built the brand around it. The diamond now frames member portraits across the website, upscaled and cut out with precision so every profile feels considered. It shapes the capitals of the new logo. It shows up everywhere the community gathers, no longer a quiet signal but a visible mark of pride.
Collective impact, made visible
The causes that 10% pledgers support are wide and difficult to capture in a single photograph: food security, healthcare, climate resilience, animal welfare. Instead of forcing one image to carry all of it, Momkai designed a custom icon set that represents the full range of impact. A flexible visual language the team can use across every channel, from food security to peace to a simple pair of caring hands.
The Results
More than 12,000 members have now pledged at least 10% of their income, contributing over $490 million to high-impact charities, with more than $1 million donated every month.
Giving What We Can & Momkai
Giving What We Can envisions a world free from extreme poverty, animal suffering, and existential risk, where effective giving is simply the cultural norm.
Momkai was brought in to help grow the movement without losing what made it trustworthy in the first place.
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