As EA Survey from 2024 suggests, personal connections are one of the strongest channels through which people first hear about EA (17.9%) and go on to get involved (45%) — so your invites & referrals really move the needle and act in the similar way.
They are also both highly close to the top most commonly mentioned sources of people making interesting and valuable new connections (EAG/EAGx combined is top (31.6%), followed by personal contacts (30.8%), with EAGx specifically being 19.2% of respondents.
I agree. I would also add that personal contacts and EAGx are commonly cited as the largest positive influences on people’s ability to have an impact: personal contact with EAs is the most commonly cited (42.3% of respondents), while EAGx is cited by 13.1% of respondents (which should be interpreted in light of the fact that only minority of EAs have ever attended an EAGx). These factors are both particularly influential for the most highly engaged EAs.
They are also both highly close to the top most commonly mentioned sources of people making interesting and valuable new connections (EAG/EAGx combined is top (31.6%), followed by personal contacts (30.8%), with EAGx specifically being 19.2% of respondents.