--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Charitable giving is a huge sector in the…" description: "\"Charitable giving is a huge sector in the United States. It amounts to $350 billion a year. And yet, I can't help feeling that a lot of that is wasted ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/peter-singer-1001_charitable_charitable-giving-is-a-huge-sector-in-th_1165464.jpg" --- # Charitable giving is a huge sector in the United States… ![“Charitable giving is a huge sector in the United States. It amounts to $350 billion a year. And yet, I can't help feeling that a lot of that is wasted because people have not been thinking about how to do it as effectively as possible.” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/peter-singer-1001_charitable_charitable-giving-is-a-huge-sector-in-th_1165464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/peter-singer-1001_charitable_charitable-giving-is-a-huge-sector-in-th_1165464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e34/peter-singer-1001_charitable_charitable-giving-is-a-huge-sector-in-th_1165464.jpg) > “Charitable giving is a huge sector in the United States. It amounts to $350 billion a year. And yet, I can't help feeling that a lot of that is wasted because people have not been thinking about how to do it as effectively as possible.” [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective altruism argues that charitable giving should be guided by evidence and impact, not just goodwill, to avoid wasteful spending. **In simple terms:** Give wisely using data and impact. Key Takeaway Prioritize high‑impact charities. Themes ethics philanthropy economics Mood thoughtful critical Type ethical pragmatic When to use this quote - donor decisions - policy making - non‑profit evaluation Key Concepts cost‑effectiveness global poverty moral reasoning Questions to Reflect On - What criteria would you use to evaluate a charity? - How can donors balance emotional appeal with evidence? A Different Perspective Measuring impact can be difficult and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable/) [Charitable giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable-giving/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Philanthropy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philanthropy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [It's more blessed to give than to receive - especially kittens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/it-s-more-blessed-to-give-than-to-receive-especially-kittens/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Our Government is investing in stronger communities by supporting the important work of charities by reducing their administrative burden, encouraging charitable giving and allowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sorenson/our-government-is-investing-in-stronger-communities-by-supporting-the/) [Kevin Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sorenson/) > [Giving something back is a huge deal. You'll notice every successful athlete uses that at some point in his career during an interview. "I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/giving-something-back-is-a-huge-deal-you-ll-notice-every-successful/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I am proud to be part of the Toys for Tots program for a second year. In addition to giving kids the chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jarrett/i-am-proud-to-be-part-of-the-toys-for-tots-program-for-a-second-year/) Dale Jarrett > [Charitable giving in the United States has remained at 2% of GDP since 1970.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-henderson/charitable-giving-in-the-united-states-has-remained-at-2-of-gdp-since/) [Jeff Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-henderson/) > [President Obama's recommended reduction in the tax deduction for charitable giving reflects his fundamental belief that only the government can or should help the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/president-obama-s-recommended-reduction-in-the-tax-deduction-for/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [Every time I am tempted to buy some dopey thing, I hear my late father's voice: 'Do you really need that?' He was big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/every-time-i-am-tempted-to-buy-some-dopey-thing-i-hear-my-late-father/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [My business is the enforcement of the tax laws and the integrity of the tax code and making sure that trustees of charitable giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/my-business-is-the-enforcement-of-the-tax-laws-and-the-integrity-of/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [As a member of the Mormon church, Romney is instructed to tithe 10 percent of his income. That's in keeping with most charitable giving:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/as-a-member-of-the-mormon-church-romney-is-instructed-to-tithe-10/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [Looking back, if I had to live my life over, there are things I would do differently, but the one thing I would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/looking-back-if-i-had-to-live-my-life-over-there-are-things-i-would/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [I started covering Trump's charitable giving sort of by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/i-started-covering-trump-s-charitable-giving-sort-of-by-accident/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [Philanthropists today want input into how their monies are being deployed. The big question is, can governments use this insight to sell the rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/philanthropists-today-want-input-into-how-their-monies-are-being/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [“TZEDAKAH is a Hebrew word commonly translated as “charity.” One Jewish leader described tzedakah as having eight levels of charitable giving. The eighth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/tzedakah-is-a-hebrew-word-commonly-translated-as-charity-one-jewish/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [My time is much too precious to be wasted on people who merely want to talk about being a high performance person and can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pena/my-time-is-much-too-precious-to-be-wasted-on-people-who-merely-want/) [Dan Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pena/) ## More by Peter Singer > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The price we are willing to pay for safety cannot be infinite. It is distasteful to put a price on human life, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-price-we-are-willing-to-pay-for-safety-cannot-be-infinite-it-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Nineteen thousand children \[are\] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-every-day-does-it-really-matter/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The unchallenged assumption is that humans may use animals for their own purposes, and they may raise and kill them to satisfy their preference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-unchallenged-assumption-is-that-humans-may-use-animals-for-their/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Population growth is not a reason against giving aid but a reason for reconsidering the kind of aid to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/population-growth-is-not-a-reason-against-giving-aid-but-a-reason-for/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Well the real concept of basic needs if you cut it right down are simply the physical needs that are unavoidable for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/well-the-real-concept-of-basic-needs-if-you-cut-it-right-down-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Dairy farmers routinely remove calves from their mothers at an early age so that the milk will be available for humans; anyone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/dairy-farmers-routinely-remove-calves-from-their-mothers-at-an-early/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I argued against the view that the only obligation we have to strangers is to avoid harming them; but even if we were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-argued-against-the-view-that-the-only-obligation-we-have-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-believe-that-in-this-new-world-that-we-live-in-we-often-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It may be thought justifiable to require tests on animals of potentially life-saving drugs, but the same kinds of tests are used for products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-may-be-thought-justifiable-to-require-tests-on-animals-of/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) [Explore all 310 Peter Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More Charitable quotes > [Businesses acting as businesses, not as charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing the pressing issues society face(s)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-elumelu/businesses-acting-as-businesses-not-as-charitable-donors-are-the-most/) Tony Elumelu > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Companies are not charitable enterprises: They hire workers to make profits. In the United States, this logic still works. In Europe, it hardly does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/companies-are-not-charitable-enterprises-they-hire-workers-to-make/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [The highest perfection of politeness is only a beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of ungraceful and gilded forms of charitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-highest-perfection-of-politeness-is-only-a-beautiful-edifice/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [I am involved with so many charitable organizations. Lung Cancer because of my dad, Breast Cancer because as a woman and mother of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-robbins/i-am-involved-with-so-many-charitable-organizations-lung-cancer/) Lois Robbins > [As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/as-different-as-we-are-from-one-another-as-unique-as-each-one-of-us/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [Nowhere is wisdom more necessary than in the guidance of charitable impulses. Meaning well is only half our duty; Thinking right is the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gridley-howe/nowhere-is-wisdom-more-necessary-than-in-the-guidance-of-charitable/) Samuel Gridley Howe > [Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-f-whitney/our-heavenly-father-is-far-more-merciful-infinitely-more-charitable/) [Orson F. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-f-whitney/) > [ I mean, I think it would humanize Hillary \[Clinton\] incredibly to detail how she was involved in the family charitable organization. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-mean-i-think-it-would-humanize-hillary-clinton-incredibly-to-detail/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The Bush administration, they had two blue ribbon commissions about infrastructure finance that recommended a lot more money, and additionally the gas tax being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lahood/the-bush-administration-they-had-two-blue-ribbon-commissions-about/) [Ray LaHood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lahood/) > [Many people are alienated by faceless bureaucracy and what they see as an erosion of participatory democracy. Consequently, there has been a revival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-prochaska/many-people-are-alienated-by-faceless-bureaucracy-and-what-they-see/) Frank Prochaska > [I have formed the Mahendra Singh Dhoni Charitable Trust which organises cricket tournaments in Jharkhand to identify promising cricketers so that we can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahendra-singh-dhoni/i-have-formed-the-mahendra-singh-dhoni-charitable-trust-which/) [Mahendra Singh Dhoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahendra-singh-dhoni/) > [I have always seen the Clinton Foundation - yes, they do a lot of charitable good works. But by my lights, the charitable good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-have-always-seen-the-clinton-foundation-yes-they-do-a-lot-of/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [September 11 is one of our worst days but it brought out the best in us. It unified us as a country and showed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/september-11-is-one-of-our-worst-days-but-it-brought-out-the-best-in/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) [Browse all 293 Charitable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charitable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Charitable giving is a huge sector in the United States. It amounts to $350 billion a year. 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