What percentage of your income do you donate?
The title says it all. How much do you monkeys donate to charity? What do you guys do to give back to society?
Trending Content - Off Topic Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
November 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
@ me next time you want to steal my thread and change one word.
I am single, have no kids that I am aware of and expect to die relatively young, so might as well get that warm and fuzzy feeling now. So I aim for 20-50% depending on the results of the year (DAF and funds foundation are key to smoothing it out). My preference is smaller, off the beaten path organizations that have interesting, high impact ideas.
Wow, all sorts of questions but I will just let your comment stand as it is. Well done. I used to donate a lot to my church, I stopped doing that... that is all.
I’ll ask it then. Why?
bad idea goldie delete delete delete
In marginal terms, around 35%
Taxes dont count
Only about a couple hundred per year. Low, yes, but daddy has debts to pay.
Mid single digit percentage points of my gross salary, to alma mater (UG and MBA) and a few others including science and wildlife related foundations, children's hospital etc.
The only reason you should donate to charity is for the tax deductions. If you think upper-middle class people donate to charity to give back to society, you're really naive.
What's naive about helping others?
Can you give me a hypothetical scenario where it would make economic sense to donate for a tax deduction?
Yep, my family only donate for a tax deduction. Mostly to the theatre
Or you're just cynical. I know plenty of people who give back because it makes them feel good, or it's a cause they believe in. Maybe 60% of the reason they donate is for the tax benefits, but that doesn't eliminate that people genuinely want to do good.
Not everyone thinks amassing absurd amounts of wealth is a goal in and of itself. In fact, it's hard to imagine a decent human being who does think that. For financial security, because they view money as the counter which defines success, for a Carnegie "Gospel of Wealth" reason, etc... but it takes a real idiot to think money is of value in and of itself (which, of course, it isn't).
as someone who manages money for upper middle class people, this is patently false.
you sir, are naive.
I don't think the two need to be mutually exclusive. You can give to charity for tax purposes and to help society.
I don't wanna be that guy, but I donate nothing. Although I am only one year out of college and want to help various causes, I would rather put in my minimal free time rather than money that I need to help my parents and relatives.
I donate what I can atthe moment. But it's a great charity called Share Tanzania.
It's a guy from England that moved to Tanzania to start a children's home and is now feeding an entire village there it seems!
So I try to do as much as I can as I know al the money is going to a good cause. As opposed to a lot of charities that give a big percentage of money they get to cover "admin costs".
Quia optio ad nam sint tenetur magnam voluptatem non. Qui corrupti vel ut est corrupti accusamus. Explicabo ea neque id eum.
Suscipit amet in aut cumque at. Temporibus quas illo dolorem distinctio delectus et. Voluptatem autem asperiores at asperiores voluptatibus quasi dolorum dolor. Eveniet corrupti laudantium ratione ut. Molestias et earum nihil eligendi. Voluptates aut ut dignissimos porro. Nobis cupiditate velit quidem omnis repellat corporis omnis praesentium.
Aliquam quo molestiae nemo neque. Veritatis quia quidem esse. Minima possimus ut consequatur officiis consequatur cum. Odio voluptatem officia velit culpa omnis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Dolores molestias in commodi nihil iste iure facere soluta. Magnam dolor voluptas enim magnam est. Veritatis officiis dignissimos tempora. Doloremque laboriosam deleniti quia odio esse omnis.
Accusantium dolorem assumenda commodi repudiandae omnis labore. Sed ut qui aperiam sequi porro itaque id praesentium. Laudantium harum ea id reprehenderit aut fuga quis.