In case people still stumble across this post in future, Iāve just discovered this post, which I plan to read (along with its comments) before deciding whether to donate to CEEALAR: $100 Prize to Best Argument Against Donating to the EA Hotel.
I just saw the post, I guess because of your comment.
I donāt think that the EA Hotel is one of the most impactful and cost effective charities in the world. However, if you got personal value out of it and can afford it, perhaps you could consider donating to them out of your non-charity money?
I think itās good for EAs to contribute to the local community centres, churches, hospices etc that benefit them or the people they care about. I try to contribute to some charities that have benefited me personally, but I donāt count that as part of my 10%. Hopefully that makes sense.
I think this is a useful mindset to have āon the menuā. It seems reminiscent of the idea that we can have different ābucketsā: some of our time and money can be for ourselves, some can be for doing good in ācommon senseā or āwarm and fuzzyā ways, and some can be for doing good in the way that seems genuinely most effective, from an impartial perspective (or something like that).
Personally, I do something like that in some ways. E.g., for friends or family who will appreciate charity gifts on their birthdays, I give to charities that match their interests, rather than shoe-horning some EA into their days. And I also give plasma regularly, without having really thought about whether thatās the most effective use of my time (though it also doesnāt ācostā much time given that I can still listen to audiobooks/āpodcasts as I donate).
But my long-term plans are closer to the āFurther Pledgeā than the 10% pledge, in that I aim to eventually give everything beyond perhaps $15-30,000 USD yearly. Though I havenāt taken the Further Plesge yet, because Iām still working out things like my long-term location and career path, and because of arguments that might favour investing for a while and giving more later. So for now, I basically give 10% per year, spend at a frugal though not incredibly ascetic level, and save the remainderābut with that remainder still mostly in a āfor EA-aligned stuff eventuallyā bucket, rather than in a āfor me or for ācommon senseā good stuffā bucket. (The rough idea is that Iāll eventually āback-payā what I āshouldāveā paid during the years in which I hadnāt yet taken the Further Pledge.)
All that said, I ultimately did decide to donate to CEEALAR the amount that I wouldāve paid for my stay if Iād had to pay, with the motivation partly being what you describe: Theyād provided me a service, and I had the ability to help support them in return. And I donāt plan to donate more in the foreseeable future, as I think the argument for donating to ALLFED or GCRI is probably stronger. But I did count that CEEALAR donation as part of my 10%, as I do think thereās at least a decent EA argument for supporting them (coming from a longtermist perspective).
In case people still stumble across this post in future, Iāve just discovered this post, which I plan to read (along with its comments) before deciding whether to donate to CEEALAR: $100 Prize to Best Argument Against Donating to the EA Hotel.
I just saw the post, I guess because of your comment.
I donāt think that the EA Hotel is one of the most impactful and cost effective charities in the world. However, if you got personal value out of it and can afford it, perhaps you could consider donating to them out of your non-charity money?
I think itās good for EAs to contribute to the local community centres, churches, hospices etc that benefit them or the people they care about. I try to contribute to some charities that have benefited me personally, but I donāt count that as part of my 10%. Hopefully that makes sense.
I think this is a useful mindset to have āon the menuā. It seems reminiscent of the idea that we can have different ābucketsā: some of our time and money can be for ourselves, some can be for doing good in ācommon senseā or āwarm and fuzzyā ways, and some can be for doing good in the way that seems genuinely most effective, from an impartial perspective (or something like that).
Personally, I do something like that in some ways. E.g., for friends or family who will appreciate charity gifts on their birthdays, I give to charities that match their interests, rather than shoe-horning some EA into their days. And I also give plasma regularly, without having really thought about whether thatās the most effective use of my time (though it also doesnāt ācostā much time given that I can still listen to audiobooks/āpodcasts as I donate).
But my long-term plans are closer to the āFurther Pledgeā than the 10% pledge, in that I aim to eventually give everything beyond perhaps $15-30,000 USD yearly. Though I havenāt taken the Further Plesge yet, because Iām still working out things like my long-term location and career path, and because of arguments that might favour investing for a while and giving more later. So for now, I basically give 10% per year, spend at a frugal though not incredibly ascetic level, and save the remainderābut with that remainder still mostly in a āfor EA-aligned stuff eventuallyā bucket, rather than in a āfor me or for ācommon senseā good stuffā bucket. (The rough idea is that Iāll eventually āback-payā what I āshouldāveā paid during the years in which I hadnāt yet taken the Further Pledge.)
All that said, I ultimately did decide to donate to CEEALAR the amount that I wouldāve paid for my stay if Iād had to pay, with the motivation partly being what you describe: Theyād provided me a service, and I had the ability to help support them in return. And I donāt plan to donate more in the foreseeable future, as I think the argument for donating to ALLFED or GCRI is probably stronger. But I did count that CEEALAR donation as part of my 10%, as I do think thereās at least a decent EA argument for supporting them (coming from a longtermist perspective).