Practice humility towards charities working on systemic change or in related fields like development. They have been doing it for decades. Many would consider saving a few lives from malaria as non-utilitarian compared with changing policies that affect millions.
Be mindful of the risk of recruiting narcissists to represent the movement, as this makes a lot of people’s first impression of effective altruism a condescending one. (‘I am the most effective altruist!’) The Bay Area’s status culture is a turn-off for people in Anglophone countries—see Tall Poppy Syndrome.
I don’t know the details now, but the level of investment in EA Global strikes me as disproportionate. The money could be invested in a more sustainable way, such as by using it to build up local groups.
The EA project that provides funding was originally intended to help decentralize the movement. It morphed into becoming a fund for start-up projects. If there are updates or accountability, I have missed that. In any case, there remains an issue that groups outside EA Hubs are generally volunteer-led and constrained by funding.
It is an issue for me that there isn’t a way to cancel the GWWC pledge.
The organizations need more diversity to raise collective intelligence and avoid some important biases. Look at the election: 94% of black women voted for Clinton, while 70% of white men voted for Trump.
Julia Wise of CEA replied:
“groups outside EA Hubs are generally volunteer-led and constrained by funding.”
CEA provides funding to local groups, and we’ve actually had trouble getting groups to take as much money as we think they should! We encourage any local group to apply for funding here: https://cea-core.typeform.com/to/sJA6kf
“there isn’t a way to cancel the GWWC pledge.”
The Pledge has never been intended as something that there is no way out of. The FAQ states:
“The Pledge is not a contract and is not legally binding. It is, however, a public declaration of lasting commitment to the cause. It is a promise, or oath, to be made seriously and with every expectation of keeping it. All those who want to become a member of Giving What We Can must make the Pledge and report their income and donations each year.
If someone decides that they can no longer keep the Pledge (for instance due to serious unforeseen circumstances), then they can simply contact us and cease to be a member. They can of course rejoin later if they renew their commitment. Obviously taking the Pledge is something to be considered seriously, but we understand if a member can no longer keep it.”
We realize this information wasn’t particularly easy to find, so we’re in the process of making this kind of thing clearer on our website. We’ll also put up a post soon clarifying this and some other common misunderstandings about the Pledge.
Anonymous #9:
Julia Wise of CEA replied:
The post in question went up yesterday: Clarifying the GWWC Pledge.