(d) some EAs working in consulting firms (EACN) - which, among other things, aim to nudge corporations and co-workers into more effective behavior. But I didn’t find any org providing to non-EA charities consulting services aiming to make them more effective. Would it be low-impact? Or is it a low-hanging fruit?
One might think that this is basically the same job GW already does… Well, yeah, I suppose you would actually use a similar approach to evaluate impact, but it’s very different to provide to a charity recommendations that aim to help them achieve their own goals. This would be framed as assistance, not as some sort of examination; while GW’s stakeholders are donors, this “consulting charity” would work for the charities themselves. Besides, in order to prevent conflicts of interest, corporations often use different firms to provide them auditting (which would be akin to charity evaluation—i.e., a service that ultimately is concerned with investores) and consulting services (which is provided to the corporation and its managers). This could be particularly useful for charities in regions that lack a (effective) charity culture.
Update: an example of this idea is the Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship sponsored by EA Harvard—which has, e.g., made recommendations to Arymax Foundation on the best cause areas to invest in Brazil. But I believe an “EA Consulting” org would provide other services, and not only to funders.
Is there anything like EA Consulting for charities?
I mean, we do have:
(a) meta-charities (e.g., GW, SoGive...) which evaluate projects and organizations;
(b) charity incubators (Charity Entrepreneurship...), which select and incubate ideas for new EA projects;
(c) recommended charities that provide consulting services for policy-makers, such as Innovation in Government Initiative;
(d) some EAs working in consulting firms (EACN) - which, among other things, aim to nudge corporations and co-workers into more effective behavior.
But I didn’t find any org providing to non-EA charities consulting services aiming to make them more effective. Would it be low-impact? Or is it a low-hanging fruit?
One might think that this is basically the same job GW already does… Well, yeah, I suppose you would actually use a similar approach to evaluate impact, but it’s very different to provide to a charity recommendations that aim to help them achieve their own goals. This would be framed as assistance, not as some sort of examination; while GW’s stakeholders are donors, this “consulting charity” would work for the charities themselves. Besides, in order to prevent conflicts of interest, corporations often use different firms to provide them auditting (which would be akin to charity evaluation—i.e., a service that ultimately is concerned with investores) and consulting services (which is provided to the corporation and its managers).
This could be particularly useful for charities in regions that lack a (effective) charity culture.
Update: an example of this idea is the Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship sponsored by EA Harvard—which has, e.g., made recommendations to Arymax Foundation on the best cause areas to invest in Brazil. But I believe an “EA Consulting” org would provide other services, and not only to funders.
You may have a look at https://docs.google.com/document/d/166I2puwCZl_GUhohq0JVZWJKABT9fbcIr2nwDRTIam4/edit
Thanks, I didn’t know Algosphere. Btw, I saw there are two allies in Sao Paulo. I’d like to get in touch with them, if that’s a possibility ;)
Yes, Ramiro, you may write to me at daoust514@gmail.com and I will transmit your demand to them.