Nick Beckstead, Mark Lee and Tim Campbell are proof that you don’t have to be rich to give.

As graduate students studying philosophy at Rutgers University, they earn no more than $20,000 a year. But they consider themselves well-off when compared with the vast majority of people in the rest of the world.

The three are giving away a chunk of what they earn now and have pledged to give a heftier chunk after they graduate and embark on careers.

“Even people without a lot of material wealth can make a huge impact on those less fortunate, if they give to the right places,” Lee told msnbc.com via e-mail.

“If everyone who considered his income ‘ordinary’ decided not to give, many of the most important causes could go unfunded,” Beckstead added, also by e-mail. “Moreover, people of even modest income can make a significant difference in the lives of large numbers of people if they give a portion of their income to the right charities.”

Three of every four adult Americans plan to give money to charity between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, according to a survey commissioned by Convio, a fundraising software company. The average total gift is expected to be $281.

But it’s not just money that can make a difference. Extraordinary acts of giving by ordinary people can make a profound difference in – and in some cases save – other people’s lives.

Sourced: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40533741/ns/us_news-giving/#.T06HSvVrUgQ

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