Head of Marketing at Giving What We Can
grace.adams @ givingwhatwecan.org
GraceAdams
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New video: You’re richer than you realise
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Giving What We Can has a new pledge option!
Guide to Safe and Inclusive Events by GWWC and OFTW
Talk: The future of effective altruism relies on effective giving
Considering pledging but haven’t? Help us understand!
Some of my loose thoughts on this are:
Many EA groups are focused on fellowships/programs that require a lot of engagement
Many EA groups have a longtermist focus
Many EA groups prioritise careers over donations, which can make people feel like if they’re only donating that they don’t belong
Many EA group members use a lot of jargon, technical terms, or have social norms that can make it hard for lower context people to feel welcome or engaged. Another way of putting this is that EA groups can feel a bit “in-group”-y.
The types of people that generally attend GWWC/effective giving events tend to be:
More focused on global health and wellbeing
Lower context on EA, and often unfamiliar with jargon
More likely to have a minor interest in effective altruism (and less of a desire for this to become their main social group)
I actually think more “effective giving sub-groups” within EA groups is a great idea, but I would be careful to make sure that it’s truly serving those who want to attend that group.
My hope with the new GWWC groups is that they are really accessible, and welcoming to people at all levels of engagement with effective giving and effective altruism. I’d like to see groups thinking about how to include parents more, and how to reach people that might not typically come along to EA group events. Effective giving is a concept that I think almost everyone could benefit from, so I think creating an inclusive environment is really important. Earlier this year I wrote a guide with One for the World about running safe and inclusive events which covers some of this: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CtACh7xRBFnpK3NW4/guide-to-safe-and-inclusive-events-by-gwwc-and-oftw
It’s hard to generalise as EA groups vary a lot in terms of their focus, and engagement strategies but I hope some of the above is helpful!
Promoting Effective Giving this Giving Season: For groups, networks and individuals
Thanks for sharing, Lizka! and thanks to everyone else for sharing their voices in the comments too!
I liked this post from Samie which talks about some factors for financial planning and security that are helping when thinking about donating—I liked the ideas about income protection insurance and thinking about financial goals.
I personally took a trial pledge for 3% of my income for a year before deciding I could really commit to the full GWWC Pledge. I’ve had ongoing health issues throughout my adulthood which at times meant I wasn’t able to work full time and was concerned about my ability to potentially earn an income in the future—so it was a really big deal to me to sign a lifetime pledge.
There were a couple of things that pushed me over the edge to take the full pledge:
Feeling like I did have enough saved that if I had to reduce my work hours that I could still afford to donate. I’ve been fortunate to be working from the age of 20 and lived with my parents for many years so I could save money.
Knowing if that if I couldn’t work anymore that I wouldn’t be liable for donations under the pledge (just a suggested 1% of spending money) or that I could always resign if I needed to. On this point, I didn’t want to let the fear of my health potentially declining be a reason not to make an important commitment to do good—I like the marriage analogy with the pledge, as mentioned by others here.
Knowing that even on a modest income in Australia (or even on government benefits), I would still be really well off in comparison to the majority of people alive right now. My own health issues and suffering have been a big part of understanding how positively my donations could impact the lives of others, and I find that really personally motivating.
I think it’s really up to each individual to figure out how much runway to save up, because our circumstances are all quite different (i.e. family, health, government policies, likelihood of changes to income level etc). I do think it was easier for me to sign a lifetime pledge because I have a family who are likely to be able to support me if things were really dire.
Taking the GWWC Pledge is a big commitment and I would recommend that people think carefully about it before doing so. I think a Trial Pledge is a great step and I’m really excited about the value of having people show that they’re donating on a public register, even without the lifetime commitment, because this helps normalise effective giving and giving more broadly as a positive social norm!
(I work for GWWC but this was written in my personal capacity)
I’m extremely grateful to have found a community of people who care deeply about doing good. I have felt very welcomed and accepted by the people I’ve met. Seeing the excitement and warmth that comes from people discussing and acting on how we can help others is a wonderful thing.
Thanks for this post Jenn! I think it’s great to share perspectives from traditional non-profits! I think we should absolutely be trying our best to adopt what works really well at traditional non-profits. I think all the lessons you’ve raised make a lot of sense, and I’m especially passionate about the power of great customer service in all interactions!
Thanks for writing about this topic! I would like to see more discussion about disability on the forum and in other places!
On a personal note, I have dynamic disability (disability that varies in how it affects you over time and in different periods) and part of why I’m able to work full time currently is the flexibility and understanding that my remote-first employer and amazing manager have afforded me.
Part of learning about my own conditions and looking at how they impact me and others like me, and their global burden is what led me to want to look at the largest sources of suffering and how I could help to alleviate them.
Experience of disability is obviously very diverse and personal, and is not always negative but I am definitely motivated to alleviate suffering of others based on my own experiences.
I sadly don’t contribute to this topic as much as I’d like as I’m already stretching myself in my current role so thanks for your voice here!
GWWC’s membership has steadily grown in the recent years, so it’s not that GWWC isn’t getting more people to give significantly and effectively! I think this highlights broader questions about what the focus of the current effective altruism community is, and what it should be.
GWWC team members have advocated for a “big tent” effective altruism where everyone who wants to do good effectively should feel that they can be a part of the community—but anecdotally we hear sometimes that people who are primarily interested in giving don’t feel like the broader effective altruism community is the right place for them. (So this might be why there is a decreasing trend seen in the survey)
I’d like to see that trend reverse, and GWWC continues to push for an inclusive EA community, where a spectrum of involvement is respected and celebrated but we can’t do it all ourselves! We’re only one part of the community, and I think it would take an increased focus on the “big tent” approach from other key organisations to help this be corrected.
I’m super excited by the launch of the Longtermism Fund which was driven by Michael Townsend and made possible by the excellent team at Longview!
I think it fills a gap in longtermist giving and I’m excited to see giving grow in this space!
I thought we could do a thread for Giving What We Can pledgers and lessons learnt or insights since pledging!
I’ll go first: I was actually really worried about how donating 10% would feel, as well as it’s impact on my finances—but actually it’s made me much less stressed about money—to know I can still have a great standard of living with 10% less. It’s actually changed the way I see money and finances and has helped me think about how I can increase my giving in future years.
Both really important points, Luke! I think the shift from GWWC Chapters to EA groups is not obvious to many people in the community and represents some of the wider shift we’ve seen!
This is a lovely reflection, thank you for writing it!
Thanks Michelle—this was a wonderful reminder of how great a lot of the people in the community are.
Many recent events have shaken and deeply upset me, but I still remain committed to wanting to dedicate my life to helping others.
People in this community have:
been a large part in helping me to commit to the GWWC Pledge (one of the things I’m proudest of)
showed me how important it is to keep an open mind and explore possibilities outside of what I’m familiar with
helped me feel less alone in my commitment to veganism and to having a wide moral circle
Lots of the connections I have made, I hope will become lifelong friends, and I expect a wider set of people will continue to inspire me throughout my life.
Hey Caleb!
(I’m writing this in my personal capacity, though I work at GWWC)
On 1: While I think that giving 10% is a great norm for us to have in the community (and to inspire people worldwide who are able to do the same), I don’t think there should be pressure for people to take a pledge or donate who don’t feel inspired to do so—I’d like to see a community where people can engage in ways that make sense for them and feel welcomed regardless of their donation habits or career choices, as long as they are genuinely engaging with wanting to do good effectively.
On 3: I think it makes sense for people to build up some runway or sense of financial stability, and that they should generally factor this in when considering donating or taking a pledge. I personally only increased my donations to >10% after I felt I had enough financial stability to manage ongoing health issues.
I do think that people should consider how much runway or savings they really need though, and whether small adjustments in lifestyle could increase their savings and allow for more funds to donate—after all, many of us are still in the top few % of global income earners even after taking jobs that are less than we would getting in the private sector.
Thanks for this post, Luke!
This touches on many of my personal fears about the community in the moment.
I sincerely hope that anyone who comes across our community with the desire and intent to participate in the project of effective altruism feels that they are welcome and celebrated, whether that looks like volunteering an hour each month, donating whatever they feel they can afford, or doing direct work.
To lose people who have diverse worldviews, abilities and backgrounds would be a shame, and could potentially limit the impact of the community. I’d like to see an increasingly diverse effective altruism community, all bound by seeking to do as much good as we can.