Upovted. When I originally read this on your Tumblr, I legitimately learned things, as I’ve made the mistake of saying such things in the past, and also observing others doing the same without speaking up about it as a failing tactic, and I agree with you using such tactics in the past and present largely is and was a mistake. This comment is also a signal to cross-post well-received posts from your Tumblr to this Forum, as I don’t use Tumblr, as I suspect other effective altruists who find value in your writing. Cross-posting here allows for a greater dissemination of important considerations, and also faciliates more comments/feedback.
My suspicion is that the best way to increase demographic diversity is through project partnerships with groups that are skewed towards people we lack; collaborating with a local racial justice group on a fundraiser for GiveDirectly, for example, or with an environmental group on a cost-benefit analysis of different forms of climate change intervention advocacy. Partnerships for specific projects reduce the risk of value drift and, if the groups turn out to be incompatible, make it easy to part on good terms and maybe win over a few members who are intrigued by the EA approach.
This seems at least fertile ground for running charity experiments. I’m friends with everyone at Charity Science, so I will talk to them about running something like this in the future. If not, I suggest we talk to either Giving What We Can or The Life You Can Save to help push for local EA chapters to try projects like this with local organizations. I think that would have the added benefit of EAs at more isolated chapters build a sense of community, which, in my experience, is crucial for getting people more involved with effective altruism.
Hi Evan, I’d like to do this in Philadelphia. I’ve just started working with the local GWWC out of Penn and will be focused on non-academic community outreach and partnerships (someone else doing academic). I just looked read this post and thought “hey, that’s what I want to do.”
Wondering if you got any traction elsewhere and if so who I can talk to about what others are doing. As a relatively new person to the EA community, any ideas or contacts would help!
So, Peter Hurford ran a proto-EA club of sorts at his alma mater, I think called the “Venture Philanthropy Club”. The goal was for the club to spend the semester assessing different local charities and then make a large donation at the end to whatever charity they assessed as the most effective. That’s different than what you’re doing, and I wouldn’t even necessarily suggest doing the same thing as Peter’s Venture Philanthropy Club did. However, Peter does have experience, I’m guessing, in reaching out to local organizations like that, so he may have so advice on what to look for in orgnaizations to calloaborate with, and how to approach them. Peter’s name is right there under “Top Contributors” in the sidebar to the right of the screen. Just send him an email and he’ll be happy to exchange emails.
Jon Courtney is the Community Director of Giving What We Can. It’s his job description to help you do exactly what you’re trying to do. You can find his email on the GWWC website.
Tom Ash is my friend who, with Jon, has started the Local Effective Altruism Network. Their goal is to help start as many EA chapters as there are people willing to launch them. Tom himself might be busy, but I think he’d know who among lots of people it’s best for you to approach with further questions.
I don’t have time right this instant, but when I get home tonight, I will let you know how you can go forward with this. To start this up as soon as possible, contact Jon Courtney of Giving What We Can for support, Peter Hurford for ideas since he did something similar with an EA-style club he ran during his undergraduate degree, and Tom Ash of .impact and the Local Effective Altruism Network for any other needs or ideas you have in general. If you’re on Faqcebook, you can find any of them there, and they’re also all users on the EA Forum, so just look up their names, and you can send them a PM linking them to my above comment for context, and then letting them know you want to go forward with such a project in Philadelphia. I know a couple effective altruists in Pennsylvania as well, but I can’t think of who off the top of my head, and I don’t know if they’re in Philly or PIttsburgh or what.
Upovted. When I originally read this on your Tumblr, I legitimately learned things, as I’ve made the mistake of saying such things in the past, and also observing others doing the same without speaking up about it as a failing tactic, and I agree with you using such tactics in the past and present largely is and was a mistake. This comment is also a signal to cross-post well-received posts from your Tumblr to this Forum, as I don’t use Tumblr, as I suspect other effective altruists who find value in your writing. Cross-posting here allows for a greater dissemination of important considerations, and also faciliates more comments/feedback.
This seems at least fertile ground for running charity experiments. I’m friends with everyone at Charity Science, so I will talk to them about running something like this in the future. If not, I suggest we talk to either Giving What We Can or The Life You Can Save to help push for local EA chapters to try projects like this with local organizations. I think that would have the added benefit of EAs at more isolated chapters build a sense of community, which, in my experience, is crucial for getting people more involved with effective altruism.
Hi Evan, I’d like to do this in Philadelphia. I’ve just started working with the local GWWC out of Penn and will be focused on non-academic community outreach and partnerships (someone else doing academic). I just looked read this post and thought “hey, that’s what I want to do.”
Wondering if you got any traction elsewhere and if so who I can talk to about what others are doing. As a relatively new person to the EA community, any ideas or contacts would help!
So, Peter Hurford ran a proto-EA club of sorts at his alma mater, I think called the “Venture Philanthropy Club”. The goal was for the club to spend the semester assessing different local charities and then make a large donation at the end to whatever charity they assessed as the most effective. That’s different than what you’re doing, and I wouldn’t even necessarily suggest doing the same thing as Peter’s Venture Philanthropy Club did. However, Peter does have experience, I’m guessing, in reaching out to local organizations like that, so he may have so advice on what to look for in orgnaizations to calloaborate with, and how to approach them. Peter’s name is right there under “Top Contributors” in the sidebar to the right of the screen. Just send him an email and he’ll be happy to exchange emails.
Jon Courtney is the Community Director of Giving What We Can. It’s his job description to help you do exactly what you’re trying to do. You can find his email on the GWWC website.
Tom Ash is my friend who, with Jon, has started the Local Effective Altruism Network. Their goal is to help start as many EA chapters as there are people willing to launch them. Tom himself might be busy, but I think he’d know who among lots of people it’s best for you to approach with further questions.
I don’t have time right this instant, but when I get home tonight, I will let you know how you can go forward with this. To start this up as soon as possible, contact Jon Courtney of Giving What We Can for support, Peter Hurford for ideas since he did something similar with an EA-style club he ran during his undergraduate degree, and Tom Ash of .impact and the Local Effective Altruism Network for any other needs or ideas you have in general. If you’re on Faqcebook, you can find any of them there, and they’re also all users on the EA Forum, so just look up their names, and you can send them a PM linking them to my above comment for context, and then letting them know you want to go forward with such a project in Philadelphia. I know a couple effective altruists in Pennsylvania as well, but I can’t think of who off the top of my head, and I don’t know if they’re in Philly or PIttsburgh or what.