I am Issa Rice. https://issarice.com/
riceissa
Karma: 1,088
An overview of Y Combinator’s non-profit program
There is some relevant discussion on the Cause Prioritization Discussion Group.
If you are hired by an EA institution to do a particular set of tasks, you are being paid to do those tasks, and help that organization do well in its function. If you are directly being paid to be an EA however, this is much more ingrained in your identity. There are people paying you to do the most good you can do. If you see an opportunity for doing good, you will be more likely to take it, since you are never done with the obligation of being a great EA.
While I agree that funding individuals is promising, I don’t find this particular argument very convincing. If one is not being paid to do particular tasks, then “being paid to be an EA” is a lot like being paid to be cool, which probably only works if one has already demonstrated the ability to perform well under similar conditions. Saying that people are paying one to “do the most good one can do” sounds a lot like a rationalization where the whims of the donee are gratuitously tolerated.
Also I’d point out that constantly thinking of EA as an obligation and “never being done” may be suboptimal.
if I recall correctly, direct donations are not subject to income tax on the donee’s part, which makes it even cheaper for the donors.
At least on Patreon (which you seem to be suggesting that people use) you probably have to pay tax if you make over $600 per year. See their FAQ on taxes:
If you are a US creator, and you make over $600 a year, you’ll need to complete a W9 and we will send you a 1099.
[...]
In most jurisdictions, the money you receive from your patrons is taxable income.
Check whether your school explicitly desires or opposes affiliation with an outside organization.
Do you happen to know why Stanford didn’t like the affiliation with external organizations?
How many page views has GPP been getting (for various pages), and how do you factor page views into your thinking, specifically?