Hi there RIO members,

I run Raising for Effective Giving (REG). We’re a community of players who are serious about doing good in the world by donating to the most impactful charities we can identify using reason and evidence.

Every year for the WSOP, we encourage players to pledge a percentage of their final table winnings to charity. And I’m asking you to pitch in!

Earlier this year, we collaborated with RIO on their charity stream: we helped them find an effective charity that made sense for them. We ultimately ended up selecting Strongminds, a nonprofit that provides group therapy for women suffering from depression in developing countries. Aside from global health, we also support a few other cause areas where your donation can make a big difference.

Still not convinced? Usually, I’m quite enamored with reason but the apparent powers of the pledge are even tempting me to abandon it. In 2014, the first year of our existence, one of the earliest pledgers, Martin Jacobson wins the main event – going in as the short stack. In 2015, Max Steinberg makes the final table wearing the patch, same with Griffin Benger in 2016, and Ben Pollak and Jack Sinclair in 2017. Admittedly, last year we didn’t get lucky but I’m confident about this year. So pledge some percentage of your winnings and get some of that sweet, sweet REG karma. You can sign up on our website or tweet about it – perhaps you will get a few more people to join in.

Let me know if you have any questions of course.

Cheers,
Stefan