Thank you for sharing! I think a/b testing this seems like a really good idea. Even just testing the way you are phrasing the question opposed to testing other questions. A static online survey would definitely cut down on the time investment since it will collect all the data for you, however it will definitely cut into your response rate (more clicks = more work).
It seems like continuing to gather this information over the course of all the EA Global meetings and the launch of Will’s book would be valuable due to the likelihood of continued rapid growth. Past that it would be more useful to focus on using the data opposed to collecting it.
Right now across both surveys it looks like LW and word of mouth are the best recruiting tools. Continuing to enacting marketing strategies across those two platforms seems like the best course of action. Meaning we should probably be encouraging new members to tell their friends and invite them to meetings. It also seems like a great idea to keep messaging some people to reinforce the welcoming feeling and also because people that have been referred by word of mouth will likely appreciate and need a one-on-one interaction to stay interested or motivated.
Has there been much thought or discussion put into the idea of making existing charities more effective? Sure there are lots of organizations out there that focus on making marketing more effective or getting more donors; but there seems to be a big whole in the market for people or organizations that work to turn current charities into ones we would consider effective. I’ve thought about this myself quite frequently and would be stoked to see something like this. Has this already been discussed elsewhere?