This is a true, counterfactual match, and we will only receive the equivalent amount to what we can raise.
What will happen to the money counterfactually? Presumably it will be donated to other things the match funder thinks are roughly as good as GWWC?
Thanks for sharing this! I enjoyed the comments about picking the right scope for a project. I also liked the general nudge towards being transparent about reasoning and uncertainty rather than overstating how much evidence supports particular conclusions.
I think that it probably is worth the trouble to be more encouraging. I’d consider being specific about some things that have been done well, beginning and ending the feedback with encouraging words, and taking a final pass to word things in a way that implies that you’re glad they’ve done this work and you’re rooting for them. That said, it definitely seems much better to give unpolished feedback rather than no feedback, so if it’d be too high a burden then I’d go ahead with potentially discouraging feedback.
I agree that the EA community does try to be welcoming to new members, but I suspect that doing it even more would probably be good to counteract the shame and guilt I think many people might have about not being good enough for a community that places high value on success.