Executive summary: This post argues that governance should be treated as an outcomes-driven intervention, uniquely capable of both advancing and safeguarding key organisational and community goals in EA, and outlines a Theory of Change for how good governance can produce capable organisations, a healthy movement, and better stewardship of resources and people.
Key points:
Governance as intervention: The author frames governance as a Theory of Change, emphasizing it should only be invested in when it directly addresses real risks and produces valuable outcomes.
Unique value of governance: Unlike other interventions, governance both contributes to outcomes (e.g. financial discipline) and steps in when things go wrong (e.g. removing ineffective leaders).
Capable organisations: Good governance enables clear, purpose-led planning, outcome-aligned execution, accountable leadership, and financial discipline—each linked to common risks seen in EA organisations.
Healthy movement: Strong governance ensures responsibility is clearly allocated (so funders can focus on prioritisation rather than compliance) and fosters an empowered community through transparency and external challenge.
Cross-cutting outcomes: Governance supports resource stewardship (ensuring organisations continue or close appropriately) and people support (advising, coaching, fair compensation, and mental health safeguards for leaders).
Practical orientation: The author intends to refine this public Theory of Change over time, and stresses that governance’s value depends on reliable, scalable implementation that avoids common pitfalls.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: This post argues that governance should be treated as an outcomes-driven intervention, uniquely capable of both advancing and safeguarding key organisational and community goals in EA, and outlines a Theory of Change for how good governance can produce capable organisations, a healthy movement, and better stewardship of resources and people.
Key points:
Governance as intervention: The author frames governance as a Theory of Change, emphasizing it should only be invested in when it directly addresses real risks and produces valuable outcomes.
Unique value of governance: Unlike other interventions, governance both contributes to outcomes (e.g. financial discipline) and steps in when things go wrong (e.g. removing ineffective leaders).
Capable organisations: Good governance enables clear, purpose-led planning, outcome-aligned execution, accountable leadership, and financial discipline—each linked to common risks seen in EA organisations.
Healthy movement: Strong governance ensures responsibility is clearly allocated (so funders can focus on prioritisation rather than compliance) and fosters an empowered community through transparency and external challenge.
Cross-cutting outcomes: Governance supports resource stewardship (ensuring organisations continue or close appropriately) and people support (advising, coaching, fair compensation, and mental health safeguards for leaders).
Practical orientation: The author intends to refine this public Theory of Change over time, and stresses that governance’s value depends on reliable, scalable implementation that avoids common pitfalls.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.