I just want to add my support for GWWC here. I strongly support the way they have made decisions on what to list to date:
As a GWWC member who often donates through the GWWC platform I think it is great that they take a very broad brush and have lots of charities that people might see as top on the platform. I think if their list got to small they would not be able to usefully serve the GWWC donor community (or other donors) as well.
I would note that (contrary to what some of the comments suggest) that GWWC recommend giving to Funds and do recommend giving to these charities (so they do not explicitly recommend Strong Minds). In this light I see the listing of these charities not as recommendations but as convenience for donors who are going to be giving there.
I find GWWC very transparent. Simon says ideally “GWWC would clarify what their threshold is for Top Charity”. On that specific point I don’t see how GWWC could be any more clear. Every page explains that a top charity is one that has been listed as top by an evaluator GWWC trust. Although I do agree with Simon more description of how GWWC choose certain evaluators could be helpful.
That said I would love it if going forwards GWWC could find the time. To evaluate the evaluators and the Funds and their recommendations (for example I have some concerns about the LTFF and know others do too, I know there have been concerns about ACE in the past etc).
I would not want GWWC to unlist Strong Minds from their website but I could imagine them adding a section on the Strong Minds page saying “The GWWC team views” that says: “this is listed as it is a FP top but our personal views are that …. meaning this might or might not be a good place to give especially if you care about … etc”
(Conflict of interest note: I don’t work at GWWC or FP but I do work at a FP recommended charity and at a charity who’s recommendations make it into the GWWC criteria so I might be bias).
As a GWWC member who often donates through the GWWC platform I think it is great that they take a very broad brush and have lots of charities that people might see as top on the platform. I think if their list got to small they would not be able to usefully serve the GWWC donor community (or other donors) as well.
I agree, and I’m not advocating removing StrongMinds from the platform, just removing the label “Top-rated”. Some examples of charities on the platform which are not top-rated include: GiveDirectly, SCI, Deworm the World, Happier Lives Institute, Fish Welfare Initiative, Rethink Priorities, Clean Air Task Force...
I would note that (contrary to what some of the comments suggest) that GWWC recommend giving to Funds and do recommend giving to these charities (so they do not explicitly recommend Strong Minds). In this light I see the listing of these charities not as recommendations but as convenience for donors who are going to be giving there.
I’m afraid to say I believe you are mistaken here, as I explained in my other comment. The recommendations section clearly includes top-charities recommended by trusted evaluators and explicitly includes StrongMinds. There is also a two-tier labelling of “Top-rated” and not-top-rated and StrongMinds is included in the former. Both of these are explicit recommendations afaic.
I find GWWC very transparent. Simon says ideally “GWWC would clarify what their threshold is for Top Charity”. On that specific point I don’t see how GWWC could be any more clear. Every page explains that a top charity is one that has been listed as top by an evaluator GWWC trust. Although I do agree with Simon more description of how GWWC choose certain evaluators could be helpful.
I’m not really complaining about transparency as much as I would like the threshold to include requirements for trusted evaluators to have public reasoning and a time-threshold on their recommendations.
I would not want GWWC to unlist Strong Minds from their website but I could imagine them adding a section on the Strong Minds page saying “The GWWC team views” that says: “this is listed as it is a FP top but our personal views are that …. meaning this might or might not be a good place to give especially if you care about … etc”
Again, to repeat myself. Me either! I just want them to remove the “Top-rated” label.
I just want to add my support for GWWC here. I strongly support the way they have made decisions on what to list to date:
As a GWWC member who often donates through the GWWC platform I think it is great that they take a very broad brush and have lots of charities that people might see as top on the platform. I think if their list got to small they would not be able to usefully serve the GWWC donor community (or other donors) as well.
I would note that (contrary to what some of the comments suggest) that GWWC recommend giving to Funds and do recommend giving to these charities (so they do not explicitly recommend Strong Minds). In this light I see the listing of these charities not as recommendations but as convenience for donors who are going to be giving there.
I find GWWC very transparent. Simon says ideally “GWWC would clarify what their threshold is for Top Charity”. On that specific point I don’t see how GWWC could be any more clear. Every page explains that a top charity is one that has been listed as top by an evaluator GWWC trust. Although I do agree with Simon more description of how GWWC choose certain evaluators could be helpful.
That said I would love it if going forwards GWWC could find the time. To evaluate the evaluators and the Funds and their recommendations (for example I have some concerns about the LTFF and know others do too, I know there have been concerns about ACE in the past etc).
I would not want GWWC to unlist Strong Minds from their website but I could imagine them adding a section on the Strong Minds page saying “The GWWC team views” that says: “this is listed as it is a FP top but our personal views are that …. meaning this might or might not be a good place to give especially if you care about … etc”
(Conflict of interest note: I don’t work at GWWC or FP but I do work at a FP recommended charity and at a charity who’s recommendations make it into the GWWC criteria so I might be bias).
I agree, and I’m not advocating removing StrongMinds from the platform, just removing the label “Top-rated”. Some examples of charities on the platform which are not top-rated include: GiveDirectly, SCI, Deworm the World, Happier Lives Institute, Fish Welfare Initiative, Rethink Priorities, Clean Air Task Force...
I’m afraid to say I believe you are mistaken here, as I explained in my other comment. The recommendations section clearly includes top-charities recommended by trusted evaluators and explicitly includes StrongMinds. There is also a two-tier labelling of “Top-rated” and not-top-rated and StrongMinds is included in the former. Both of these are explicit recommendations afaic.
I’m not really complaining about transparency as much as I would like the threshold to include requirements for trusted evaluators to have public reasoning and a time-threshold on their recommendations.
Again, to repeat myself. Me either! I just want them to remove the “Top-rated” label.
Ah. Good point. Replied to the other thread here: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ffmbLCzJctLac3rDu/strongminds-should-not-be-a-top-rated-charity-yet?commentId=TMbymn5Cyqdpv5diQ .