One example idea might be a specific family dinner every year where we all research and discuss where we want to give and what the impact might be.
I tried this last year, spent several hours with a friend doing research… and then sighed and gave it all to GiveWell charities as usual.
FWIW, I specifically don’t discuss giving with any other friends. Most of them are not EAs, and giving away a significant chunk of money would likely be alienating (for financial reasons), or scrutiny inducing (“aren’t you just spending a lot to signal how good you are?”), or politically contentious (“why are you giving to these random charities when Current Political Moment deserves all our attention??”).
I gave to ACE charities a while back and got a very nice hand-written card with an animal on it, which I then had up in my room for many months. That’s not really a ritual, but I thought it was really great. I would frequently look at the card and immediately feel better about myself and about the world. Also, the animal was extremely cute.
Cute animal cards never hurt. We bought a mug last winter with the logo of the cause we gave the most to in 2020. It has been a nice reminder of that giving, and well worth the price. (Proceeds from the mug also went to that cause.)
A few other “end-of-year ritual” thoughts:
1. Outdoor rituals, paired with giving: holiday walks (or kicking a soccer ball around) have made our holidays more memorable. We live near a beach, so giving to environmental and animal welfare charities over coffee feels more meaningful right after watching chipper coastal birds racing around the surf
2. Movie or story rituals, paired with giving: without debating her politics, I think there’s a potentially nice model in Elizabeth Warren’s annual NYE viewing of Casablanca with her husband. As she has shared several times: “It’s a story about love & sacrifice, & also how people survive & fight back. Every time we watch it on New Year’s, it gives me hope.” Stories or movies like Casablanca can give one a sense of a) ennobling solidarity, b) perspective that making effective donations and reducing one’s bank account is both great to do, and an easier lift for us than (say) fighting totalitarianism has been for many
I tried this last year, spent several hours with a friend doing research… and then sighed and gave it all to GiveWell charities as usual.
FWIW, I specifically don’t discuss giving with any other friends. Most of them are not EAs, and giving away a significant chunk of money would likely be alienating (for financial reasons), or scrutiny inducing (“aren’t you just spending a lot to signal how good you are?”), or politically contentious (“why are you giving to these random charities when Current Political Moment deserves all our attention??”).
I gave to ACE charities a while back and got a very nice hand-written card with an animal on it, which I then had up in my room for many months. That’s not really a ritual, but I thought it was really great. I would frequently look at the card and immediately feel better about myself and about the world. Also, the animal was extremely cute.
Cute animal cards never hurt. We bought a mug last winter with the logo of the cause we gave the most to in 2020. It has been a nice reminder of that giving, and well worth the price. (Proceeds from the mug also went to that cause.)
A few other “end-of-year ritual” thoughts:
1. Outdoor rituals, paired with giving: holiday walks (or kicking a soccer ball around) have made our holidays more memorable. We live near a beach, so giving to environmental and animal welfare charities over coffee feels more meaningful right after watching chipper coastal birds racing around the surf
2. Movie or story rituals, paired with giving: without debating her politics, I think there’s a potentially nice model in Elizabeth Warren’s annual NYE viewing of Casablanca with her husband. As she has shared several times: “It’s a story about love & sacrifice, & also how people survive & fight back. Every time we watch it on New Year’s, it gives me hope.” Stories or movies like Casablanca can give one a sense of a) ennobling solidarity, b) perspective that making effective donations and reducing one’s bank account is both great to do, and an easier lift for us than (say) fighting totalitarianism has been for many
Ohh mugs are a great idea! I just found (ACE top charity) the Humane League’s gift shop: https://thehumaneleague.org/shop
Water bottle and mug are pretty compelling.