Allan became a trainee fund manager at F&C Asset Management straight out of his undergraduate degree.
While working for F&C, Allan passed his investment management exams and started managing funds. He started a hedge fund with his boss (which lasted for four years before being wound down). Fifteen years later, in 2013, F&C decided to get rid of a third of its staff, and he was made redundant.
At work, Allan really wanted to find a way to have an impact. He organised annual matching fundraisers for charities in the developing world, and would offer to triple his colleagues’ donations. He thought he should donate more, but he wasn’t sure where to give in a way that would have a real impact.
In November 2013, Allan donated to a fundraising campaign for the Against Malaria Foundation. Our sister charity, Giving What We Can, was running the campaign. The Against Malaria Foundation excited us because they offered a particularly cost-effective way of improving health outcomes in the developing world. So Giving What We Can reached out to Allan, and suggested that he use his career to earn to give.
Allan was inspired by the idea of finding the most effective opportunities to donate to. So, when, a few months later, he got a new job at Citi as an internal audit manager, he also decided to take the Giving What We Can Pledge to give at least 10% of his income away to the most effective opportunities he could find.
In the first year after taking his pledge, Allan gave away 20% of his income. However, Allan was able to save and invest much of his disposable income from his relatively well-paid career before taking the pledge, and so built up strong financial security. As a result, he has increased his donations over time and, since 2019, has given away 75% of his income.
Allan credits 80,000 Hours with helping persuade him about the importance of future generations. He now focuses on causes that might affect future generations when he’s deciding where to donate. In 2021, Allan spoke to an 80,000 Hours advisor about his career which helped him find ways to improve his wellbeing at work.
To learn more about Allan’s work and earning to give more generally, check out:
- Our article on the importance of future generations
- Our article on earning to give
Do you want to receive one-on-one advice too?
Allan got support working on his wellbeing at work by speaking to our team. If you need help deciding what to do next, our team might be able to help.
We’re a nonprofit, so everything we provide, including our one-on-one advice, is free.
We can help you compare options, make connections, and possibly even find jobs or funding opportunities.