I think retrospective funding is a really good norm to encourage, but the benefits only really start accruing once it’s relatively widespread. Once it’s common knowledge that one may get paid for self-initiated quality work, there’s a very wide-but-weak incentive applied across the whole community. The norm-building itself, however, is a stag hunt with upfront costs.
Notice that this incentive affects the poorest of us most, and the people who don’t already have jobs in EA. This means that it fulfills a funding niche that isn’t already covered neatly by regular jobs and contract-based funding. (I’m especially thinking about those of us without jobs due to disability, but we’d still like to be paid for contributions during our uptime.)
I think the fact that so many EAs have independently arrived at this idea, is strong evidence in favour of there being a real potential for good here.
• I have previously independently arrived at the idea.
(If anyone know any other EAs with patreons (or similar), I’d like to know!)
I think we are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to who could potentially benefit from it being a universal expectation that if you do good work for the EA community, you can get paid for it.
Additionally, I think a norm for retrospective funding could open up occasional really high-impact giving opportunities for small-scale donors.
I think retrospective funding is a really good norm to encourage, but the benefits only really start accruing once it’s relatively widespread. Once it’s common knowledge that one may get paid for self-initiated quality work, there’s a very wide-but-weak incentive applied across the whole community. The norm-building itself, however, is a stag hunt with upfront costs.
Notice that this incentive affects the poorest of us most, and the people who don’t already have jobs in EA. This means that it fulfills a funding niche that isn’t already covered neatly by regular jobs and contract-based funding. (I’m especially thinking about those of us without jobs due to disability, but we’d still like to be paid for contributions during our uptime.)
I think the fact that so many EAs have independently arrived at this idea, is strong evidence in favour of there being a real potential for good here.
• I have previously independently arrived at the idea.
• Linda Linsefors wrote about it.
• Ben Kuhn, Paul Christiano and Katja Grace wrote, about, it in the form of impact certificates.
• Remmelt Ellen wrote about it and has a patreon page.
• Dony Christie has one too.
(If anyone know any other EAs with patreons (or similar), I’d like to know!)
I think we are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to who could potentially benefit from it being a universal expectation that if you do good work for the EA community, you can get paid for it.
Additionally, I think a norm for retrospective funding could open up occasional really high-impact giving opportunities for small-scale donors.