This is exactly why I wrote this post. GWWC feels like an innocent community. But GWWC itself states at the bottom of their website that they are “a project of EVF”. This is fact, at least in a legal sense.
GWWC is a marketing project, and here’s why: GWWC tries to get people to donate more. They try to influence people’s spending so more of it goes to effective causes. To me, that’s the definition of marketing. The product they are selling is a Donation to EA Funds. It’s still marketing if a charity does it.
I don’t think the GWWC community is unhappy with current leadership, I also think they’re doing a fine job. After all, GWWC pledgees self-selected into it. My point is, that only works because the right people happen to be in power, and not because governance structures ensure this. The board of EVF could, for example, simply decide tomorrow, without involving the community, that GWWC should exclusively facilitate donations to playpumps.
I think you’re spot on on one disagreement. Let’s phrase it even more explicitly: You trust EVF to always make the right calls, even in 10 years from now. I don’t.
I believe I have good reasons to assume that even if they have good intentions, they might not act in the community’s favor.
Let’s phrase it even more explicitly: You trust EVF to always make the right calls, even in 10 years from now.
The quote above (emphasis mine) reads like a strawman; I don’t think Michael would say that they always make the right call. My personal view is that individuals steering GWWC will mostly make the right decisions and downside risks are small enough not to warrant costly governance interventions.
I believe I have good reasons to assume that even if they have good intentions, they might not act in the community’s favor.
To be clear, the point isn’t to act in the community’s favor, the point is acting in a way that benefits the good. (It’s possible this is what you actually mean and I’m misunderstanding).
This is exactly why I wrote this post. GWWC feels like an innocent community. But GWWC itself states at the bottom of their website that they are “a project of EVF”. This is fact, at least in a legal sense.
GWWC is a marketing project, and here’s why: GWWC tries to get people to donate more. They try to influence people’s spending so more of it goes to effective causes. To me, that’s the definition of marketing. The product they are selling is a Donation to EA Funds. It’s still marketing if a charity does it.
I don’t think the GWWC community is unhappy with current leadership, I also think they’re doing a fine job. After all, GWWC pledgees self-selected into it. My point is, that only works because the right people happen to be in power, and not because governance structures ensure this. The board of EVF could, for example, simply decide tomorrow, without involving the community, that GWWC should exclusively facilitate donations to playpumps.
Perhaps our real disagreement is whether or not we are in a high-trust regime or not: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/vXq4ADWzBnwR2nyqE/keep-ea-high-trust
I think we clearly are, and so this kind of attitude is costly and unnecessary.
I think you’re spot on on one disagreement. Let’s phrase it even more explicitly: You trust EVF to always make the right calls, even in 10 years from now. I don’t.
I believe I have good reasons to assume that even if they have good intentions, they might not act in the community’s favor.
The quote above (emphasis mine) reads like a strawman; I don’t think Michael would say that they always make the right call. My personal view is that individuals steering GWWC will mostly make the right decisions and downside risks are small enough not to warrant costly governance interventions.
To be clear, the point isn’t to act in the community’s favor, the point is acting in a way that benefits the good. (It’s possible this is what you actually mean and I’m misunderstanding).