Inspired by the Giving While Living philosophy of Chuck Feeney, igiveonepercent.org is a not-for-profit initiative with a mission to enhance peace, good will, and personal happiness by increasing individual and corporate giving at all levels of society. We promote a “new giving norm” (the new normal) for annual monetary giving to charities and not-for-profits. We suggest you give up to 1% of your Net Investable Wealth (NIW) each year. NIW is your Total Net Worth less the equity value of your primary residence.
The practice of giving away money annually is a multi-faceted skill that is only learned (and appreciated) over time. The amazing thing about giving away 1% of your NIW annually is that you will ALWAYS have your primary residence to live in as long as you live, and you will ALWAYS have 99% of your additional Net Worth to live on. ALWAYS, by definition. No fear! More importantly, you will experience the sheer joy of giving on a regular basis! Now, you can wait until you die and leave all of your assets in your Last Will and Testament, or you can get on with it – deliberately, prudently, and joyfully. As my mentor Chuck Feeney told me: “There isn’t a lot of joy in the cemetery.”
