Our Mission

One for the World’s mission is to scale the effective giving movement addressing extreme poverty.

One for the World’s theory of change: if we introduce young professionals to effective giving through our 1% Pledge, then we help scale the effective giving movement, because early choices inspire lifelong impact.

Our Values

We are always focused on the best outcomes for our beneficiaries and determined to remember the human stories at the center of systemic issues like extreme poverty. We also orient One for the World around our volunteers, who are the lifeblood of the organization.
The idea of effectiveness is central to our identity. We only recommend the most effective charities, preferring impact to what might be most popular, or most moving, or most topical. We choose the most effective strategies for outreach; we aim to measure our own efficacy rigorously and transparently; and we’re unsentimental in serving our beneficiaries.
We are positive and we celebrate giving as an act of goodness. We encourage our donors to take advantage of the amazing opportunities of effective giving, rather than scolding them for giving from the heart. We celebrate our volunteers and our donors and invite others to join our movement.
We want a world which is more equitable internationally, where people in high-income countries are aware of the suffering of extreme poverty and are committed to ending it in our lifetimes. We also want to be more equitable internally, valuing a range of perspectives and creating a diverse and welcoming environment for traditionally marginalized groups.

Our Ways of Working

We are kind and respectful to each other. This means both ‘putting an arm around’ each other when we need it - and also giving clear, candid, well-intentioned feedback, directly and promptly. We treat giving and receiving feedback as an act of kindness, as well as our care for each other on a personal level. We also give each other the benefit of the doubt, assuming good faith and good intentions, even if we need to point out that something may have had a negative impact.
Our commitment to being data-driven and seeking effectiveness means that we approach disagreement thoughtfully. We are curious to learn and assume that our colleagues and volunteers have something to add to our perspective. We tolerate a diversity of viewpoints, except when it comes to the necessity of ending extreme poverty, which is our shared mission.
We set big goals and challenge ourselves and each to deliver high performance. We are candid about our successes and our areas for improvement. We prefer to set a big goal and fall short than to set easy targets. We embrace continuous learning and improvement as a path to realizing our ambition.

Our Story

One for the World was co-founded in 2014 by two then MBA students, Kate Epstein, and Josh McCann, at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

During their program, Kate and Josh realized that their classmates were interested in learning about effective giving and high-impact nonprofit organizations but lacked the tools to take action. In order to empower their peers with the education and tools to evangelize effective giving on campus, the first One for the World chapter was established at Wharton and quickly expanded to include chapters on campuses around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Our Approach

Every strategic decision we make aims to expand awareness of effective giving and increase the amount we funnel to our nonprofit partners yearly. We strongly encourage individuals to donate at least 1% of their income to our nonprofit partners that are on the ground fighting extreme poverty through cost-effective interventions. We have also invested in developing leaders across university campuses worldwide to organize One for the World chapters, train volunteers to recruit 1% Pledgers, coordinate events, and support various One for the World initiatives.

Our Partnership with GiveWell

One for the World partners and collaborates with GiveWell, the best-in-class nonprofit evaluator, to find outstanding giving opportunities for your pledged dollars. 100% of your pledged contributions go to the nonprofit partners featured on our website.

Disclosure: GiveWell, through its recommendations to the Open Philanthropy Project and the EA Global Health and Development Fund, used to act as a primary funder of One for the World’s operations but this ended in 2022. Learn more below:

OFTW & Givewell