For this publish, quite a lot of GiveWell employees members volunteered to share the considering behind their private donations for the yr. We’ve revealed related posts in earlier years.1See our employees giving posts from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013. Employees are listed alphabetically by first identify.
You may click on the beneath hyperlinks to leap to a employees member’s entry: Alex Singal, Audrey Cooper, Carley Moor, Charlotte Fisken, Dilhan Perera, Elie Hassenfeld, Isabel Arjmand, Kameron Smith, Kaymin Martin-Burnett, Lauren Imholte, Maggie Lloydhauser, Olivia Larsen, Paige Henchen, Steph Stojanovic, Teryn Mattox, Vicky Yu, Victoria N Krauss.
Alex Singal (Philanthropy Affiliate)
I’m nonetheless understanding the precise quantities and timing of my giving this yr (I may have to attend till January to make the precise donations for tax causes), however I’m planning to direct nearly all of my giving (60-80%) to GiveWell’s High Charities Fund.
Regardless that GiveWell’s high giving advice for donors with a excessive diploma of belief in GiveWell and willingness to tackle extra threat is our All Grants Fund, my private choice (for now) is to maximise near-term impression. I belief GiveWell’s unimaginable crew of researchers that the long-run anticipated worth of the All Grants Fund is increased than that of the High Charities Fund, however I take consolation in figuring out that my donation is assured for use by a number of of our glorious high charities to supply life-saving well being interventions within the instant future.
That mentioned, I can even be giving a smaller quantity to the All Grants Fund, which covers the complete vary of our grantmaking, as there are a lot of superb applications outdoors of our high charities that I wish to help.
The rest of my giving will go to GiveDirectly. Whereas I’m assured the applications GiveWell helps are finally extra impactful (and sure considerably so) than unconditional money transfers, I’ve immense respect for GiveDirectly and the simplicity of its mission to scale back struggling by sending cash on to these dwelling in excessive poverty, and I wish to help that effort.
Audrey Cooper (Philanthropy Advisor)
My husband and I give 10% of our earnings annually—we selected this quantity considerably arbitrarily, however it’s essential to us to decide to constantly make investments on the planet we wish to see with the sources we’re very lucky to have. (This calculator from Giving What We Can offers a useful perspective.)
I’ve at all times loved volunteering and investing in my area people. I’ve additionally felt very conscious not solely that I’m extraordinarily fortunate to have been born into the actual household, place, and time that I used to be, but additionally that my area people is comparatively well-off within the broader scheme of issues. That consciousness has been high of thoughts for me when serious about the place I can have an effect with my profession and my giving.
Once I joined GiveWell, I used to be significantly excited to have the ability to use my profession to assist save and enhance the lives of individuals world wide who had been born into totally different circumstances. I additionally wish to assist individuals dwelling in international poverty with my private giving. We haven’t labored out the small print of our donation for this yr, however we’ll possible give nearly all of our help to GiveWell’s High Charities Fund.
Carley Moor (Philanthropy Affiliate)
This yr was the inaugural yr of creating joint giving selections with my husband (we bought married in September)! We began to outline what’s essential to us and gave to a number of causes.
We all know our greenbacks can have a higher impression overseas and wish to help individuals dwelling in excessive poverty. I learn How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney this yr, which extremely motivated me to direct donations to help individuals dwelling in low-income nations in Africa as reparations. We donated to GiveDirectly’s unconditional money switch program so individuals who obtain the funds can select one of the best ways to make use of them. We determined to not contribute to GiveWell’s funds whereas I’m working right here and contributing skilled abilities and time, however we could change that call sooner or later.
We additionally wish to be accountable to our area people. We’re contributing to the Mni Sota Makoce Honor Tax, a fee to the Decrease Sioux Indian Neighborhood to acknowledge we dwell and work on land taken from them by drive and deception via the US’ damaged treaty guarantees.
We’re additionally captivated with dismantling authorized, political, and structural limitations to gender fairness. We help Gender Justice, a company working in the direction of financial justice, reproductive freedom, and trans and LGBQ liberation via strategic and impression litigation, knowledgeable authorized evaluation, coverage advocacy, coalition constructing, and training.
Lastly, we’re persevering with to donate to causes my husband has supported for years to fight local weather change via native and political advocacy. We’re supporting Greenpeace and Atmosphere Minnesota.
Charlotte Fisken (Philanthropy Affiliate)
This yr I’m giving considerably for the primary time. In previous years I’ve given comparatively small advert hoc donations to the environmental training non-profit I used to work at, the youth sports activities non-profit my brother-in-law began, the shelter we adopted our canine from, my trainer associates’ classroom fundraisers, and so forth.
I received’t cease making these forms of donations, however I’ve additionally determined to donate 10% of my earnings to the All Grants Fund. I’m much less quantitatively-oriented than the everyday GiveWell donor and extra more likely to be motivated by individuals than numbers, so I wished to share a bit concerning the individuals who have impressed this transformation in my giving:
- I care lots about saving the lives of youngsters and about enhancing the lives of their caregivers. Luckily, I believe the 2 go hand-in-hand. Many applications we fund—like nets, vaccines, preventive treatment, and dietary supplementation—each save the lives of youngsters, and, I think about, may give their caregivers hope and a way of company. I believe the presence or absence of hope and company might be life-defining, and though we don’t mannequin these inherently unsure emotional results, I take into consideration them usually. Everybody ought to be capable to shield their family members from preventable struggling.
- That is regrettably cliché, however my colleagues actually do dwell all of our organizational values, all the time (a minimum of of their skilled lives!). There’s nobody I belief greater than our truth-seeking researchers relating to maximizing the impression of my donations.
- Each GiveWell donor I’ve talked with has been sort and considerate, and plenty of appear to have a zest for all times that I don’t encounter as usually in different conversations. I’ve been significantly impressed by those that don’t make big salaries and nonetheless determine to dedicate a good portion of what they earn to others, and achieve this with gratitude, humility, and pleasure! I do know the causality isn’t clear, however it appears simpler to thrill in all life has to supply—in a deeply flawed world—if as a substitute of wallowing in guilt you do one thing (nevertheless small) to enhance issues.
I like animals and nature lots, too, however I’m much less assured within the impression of my marginal greenback in these areas. I’ll proceed advocating for and supporting these causes in different methods.
Dilhan Perera (Senior Analysis Affiliate)
My companion and I’ve taken the Giving What We Can pledge and donate 10% of our month-to-month paychecks to organizations that we consider are among the many only at enhancing the lives of others. We really feel so lucky to have the chance to dwell secure, snug lives when so many others don’t, and donating a tenth of our earnings appears like a comparatively small sacrifice to make.
Our donations are break up between GiveWell’s All Grants Fund (40%), the Efficient Altruism Animal Welfare Fund (40%), and Longview Philanthropy’s Rising Challenges Fund (20%). The allocations roughly replicate a mixture of elements: the load we collectively place on the issues every fund makes an attempt to deal with, the contributions we attempt to make via our careers, and our beliefs about how tractable every class of issues is more likely to be. We’re not sure that we’ve chosen the very best giving possibility inside every class (significantly for animal welfare and international catastrophic dangers), however our impression is that these are among the many greatest.
On high of our pledge-based giving, we additionally make smaller donations all year long to native nonprofits in London and to fundraising initiatives by family and friends. These span a variety of causes, together with homelessness alleviation and psychological well being. We make these donations primarily as a result of we really feel that contributing to collective motion is a crucial a part of dwelling in a neighborhood, and we don’t really feel like this comes on the expense of donating to assist tackle the world’s greatest issues.
Elie Hassenfeld (Co-Founder and CEO)
This yr, my household is planning to present 75% of our annual donation to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund, 20% to the Efficient Altruism Animal Welfare Fund, and 5% to GiveDirectly.
We’re giving to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund as a result of it offers GiveWell probably the most flexibility to direct funds the place we (GiveWell employees) suppose they’ll do probably the most good. This will imply supporting applications at High Charities, however it may imply funding newer organizations, analysis, or extra speculative alternatives which might be excessive (anticipated) impression. I’m very excited concerning the potential impression of the grantmaking alternatives our crew is discovering.
That is the primary yr that my household has allotted a considerable quantity of our giving to animal welfare, though we’ve thought of this a number of occasions earlier than. In brief, I’m satisfied that manufacturing facility farming inflicts monumental pointless and preventable struggling. Though I’ve chosen to prioritize human welfare in my profession and my giving, I additionally consider that animal welfare is a crucial and uncared for trigger space.
I consulted Lewis Bollard, Program Officer at Open Philanthropy, in deciding the place to present to help animal welfare most successfully. He beneficial the EA Animal Welfare Fund (EAAWF) or the Giving What We Can Efficient Animal Advocacy Fund (which is 50% EAAWF and 50% the Humane League). I selected to help EAAWF due to my restricted information. I do know comparatively little concerning the observe document of EAAWF, however I belief Lewis and different colleagues of mine who’ve given there previously, and I hope to study extra sooner or later.
Lastly, we’re giving to GiveDirectly for a similar causes as in earlier years. I proceed to consider that GiveDirectly performs a crucial function in offering a extremely legible, clear, and easy alternative for individuals in low earnings nations.
Isabel Arjmand (Particular Tasks Officer)
I’m grateful to be able to make donations that may have significant impacts on the lives of others with out considerably affecting my very own high quality of life. When deciding how a lot to present, I usually really feel some anxiousness round freely giving a big (to me) sum of cash. This yr, the Giving What We Can calculator helped put this in perspective for me.
My normal considering round giving is just like what I wrote final yr and in earlier years. The overwhelming majority of my giving this yr can be break up equally between international well being and well-being and decreasing factory-farmed-animal struggling. These are the 2 causes the place I consider my donations can have the best impression. I don’t have a great way to decide on between them, so I’m supporting them equally.
- GiveWell. I’m at present planning to present 45% of my annual donation to GiveWell’s High Charities Fund. I recognize figuring out which program my donation supported (which is feasible with the High Charities Fund however isn’t doable in the identical method with the All Grants Fund), and I desire supporting applications relatively than analysis with my giving. As a employees member, I’m extraordinarily excited concerning the full breadth of GiveWell’s grantmaking; as a donor, I desire having a bit extra confidence and perception into how my donation is getting used.
- Farmed animal welfare. With one other 45% of my donation, I’ll help organizations working to enhance the welfare of farmed animals. I consider that animal struggling as a consequence of manufacturing facility farming is extraordinarily ignored relative to the dimensions of the hurt it causes. Final yr, I gave to Faunalytics, The Humane League, the Fish Welfare Initiative, and Shrimp Welfare Venture. This yr, I’m additionally contemplating giving to Authorized Affect for Chickens. Or, I’d do most of my giving on this space by way of the EA Animal Welfare Fund in mild of Giving What We Can’s current analysis.
- Different causes. I’ll use the remaining 10% of my giving to help a handful of different causes I believe are essential, together with migration (Worldwide Refugee Help Venture, Malengo) and some regionally organized teams like Sogorea Te’.
Kameron Smith (Senior Content material Editor)
I’ve pledged via Giving What We Can to present 10% of my earnings annually to extremely efficient organizations, and I discover it simpler to make it possible for occurs by organising recurring donations that come out of my checking account robotically. All through this yr, I gave month-to-month donations to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. I additionally made one-off presents past my pledged 10% to organizations or funds which may be much less impactful per greenback (or whose impression is troublesome to quantify) however which I believe are doing essential work value supporting. These included abortion funds and political campaigns.
On the finish of every yr, I double examine that I’ve met my objective of giving 10% to impactful alternatives and think about whether or not there are any gaps in my giving that I wish to fill. This yr I anticipate to make an extra present to a company supporting Native American rights.
Kaymin Martin-Burnett (Venture Supervisor)
As a current grad, I’m excited to make my first important contribution to GiveWell now that I’ve an everyday paycheck! Whereas supporting GiveWell’s operations, I’ve realized first-hand how a lot care and element my colleagues put into our analysis and fundraising actions. Due to this fact, I plan to present 75% of my giving this season to the All Grants Fund.
I’m a plant-based eater and extremely enthusiastic about cultured meat’s environmental and animal welfare advantages and its potential to supply higher entry to nutritious meals. I intend to donate about 25% to the Good Meals Institute. I’m impressed by GFI’s worldwide method to fixing a world downside via scientific, political, and business help.
Lastly, I plan to proceed donating a small quantity to the Wikipedia Basis and begin a recurring donation to Khan Academy as a thank-you for being a major a part of my training.
Lauren Imholte (Philanthropy Advisor)
I had a child in February and he or she has (in fact) profoundly reshaped not solely my day-to-day life but additionally my perspective on giving. Parenthood has deepened my understanding of life’s vulnerability, and this yr, I really feel a good stronger connection to the impression my contributions could make.
My household can be directing nearly all of our giving in the direction of GiveWell’s All Grants Fund. We really feel assured that our donations can be allotted to areas the place they will take advantage of important impression on individuals’s lives. Along with this, we’ll additionally give a small portion to the Mill Metropolis Market Charitable Fund, which helps farmers and native meals producers in Minnesota.
This can be a mix of giving that feels proper for us, particularly on this new chapter in our lives.
Maggie Lloydhauser (Philanthropy Advisor)
In 2016, I sat underneath a tree in Prospect Park chatting with a pal who had taken the Giving What We Can Pledge. I used to be genuinely shocked to study that somebody my age was giving 10% of his earnings to enhance the world, and located myself noticing my very own anxiousness once I thought of giving at an identical scale. I believe it’s a typical (and comprehensible) human intuition to wish to maintain on to sources, and I discover myself feeling squeamish yearly when it comes time to really make a switch of belongings to the organizations my household helps.
I used to be going to put in writing that this yr I significantly struggled to resume my annual presents as a consequence of numerous private monetary elements, however rereading my publish from final yr saved me sincere to the truth that I used to be equally hesitant to really make my presents then, too. This monetary anxiousness is one thing I hear a couple of good quantity in conversations with donors, although additionally they usually share that (like me) they don’t suppose once more about what else they’d have achieved with the cash they gave.
As I began getting my ideas down for this yr’s publish, I additionally initiated my present to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund. In doing so, I pulled my very own information up in our donor database to remind myself of my donation quantity final yr and noticed my donation complete, which is greater than sufficient to save lots of the lives of two kids. My very own two kids are within the kitchen beneath my workplace as I sort this; I can hear my son blowing bubbles in his milk and my daughter, born this yr, laughing at him.
I’m really crying a bit proper now, with gratitude for the well being of my very own infants and of different infants I do know and love. This yr greater than ever, I’m conscious that it may very well be in any other case had my household not been born into the privilege of our citizenship and private circumstances.
It’s straightforward for anybody to disconnect from the impression of their giving, and simple for me particularly to put in writing off my very own help of GiveWell as insignificant compared to the profoundly beneficiant presents of the most important GiveWell donors I counsel in my function right here, however I do sometimes have little moments the place the importance of what this neighborhood achieves month over month and yr over yr breaks via to me. In these moments, I’m conscious that disciplined generosity serves as a supply of pleasure and perspective for me.
This yr, as final yr, we’ll be giving the majority of our help to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund. I really feel very privileged to have the ability to pool my help alongside the help of our inspiring and considerate neighborhood of donors to fund applications that save lives of youngsters who’re as cherished by their households as my kids, niece, and nephew are by me.
As in previous years, we’ll even be supporting the native library the place our youngsters profit from phenomenal programming, the native land conservancy, and the civil rights advocacy group the place I labored previous to GiveWell, all with a lot smaller presents.
Olivia Larsen (Philanthropy Advisor)
My first donation to GiveWell was $25 in August 2014. I’ve ramped up my donations since then, most notably via the Giving What We Can pledge, wherein I pledged to present 10% of my earnings to efficient charities.
Final yr, my unimaginable mother handed away. Along with making a legacy present to GiveWell, she left me some cash. I’m planning to make use of a part of that to make my largest donation but this yr.
I’ll give the majority of that donation to GiveWell; the chance to save a life for lower than $5,000 is an amazing one! This yr, GiveWell has needed to move on some nice grants as a result of we don’t have the funds out there to help all the alternatives that we predict may very well be actually impactful. My donation is small in comparison with the dimensions of our funding hole, however I’m glad to have the ability to contribute. I’m giving to the All Grants Fund, as a result of I’m joyful to help the breadth of GiveWell’s grantmaking, together with analysis grants and help of earlier-stage initiatives.
I additionally may allocate a smaller portion of my giving to organizations that purpose to extend efficient giving—many of those organizations give attention to fundraising for GiveWell! I haven’t but determined if or how I’d make these presents, however I’m enthusiastic about a number of the nascent fundraising teams in Europe, which I believe cowl a very essential hole. The organizations I’m contemplating—Gi Effektivt in Norway, Doneer Effectief within the Netherlands, and Effektiv Spenden in Germany and Switzerland—fundraise for efficient charities like these GiveWell recommends.
Paige Henchen (Chief of Employees)
I gave my first donation to GiveWell in 2011. Since then, I’ve achieved nearly all of my charitable giving both via GiveWell or on to its beneficial charities. I just lately made an unrestricted donation to GiveWell to rejoice my first day on employees. (Yay!)
This yr I’m additionally supporting two small startup organizations working in international well being and improvement. In each instances, I’ve a private relationship with the founders. I’m excited to have the ability to make comparatively small “bets” on these founders and their potential impression.
Steph Stojanovic (Director of Growth)
My household has given 10% of our earnings to GiveWell (or its suggestions) since ~2014 and this yr can be no totally different. We’re supporting the All Grants Fund as a result of it feels a bit of odd to present to the Unrestricted Fund (which might imply not directly paying my very own wage), and since we belief GiveWell to allocate our funds.
I’m actually glad we’ve set a norm of giving 10% during the last decade. We had been within the lucky place of getting a little bit of a windfall this yr and it could have been tempting to do different issues with these funds however for the expectation we set for ourselves of giving it away. I really feel moved once I take into consideration the impression that this giving may have. GiveWell thinks in numbers and it’s straightforward to lose sight of the individuals behind them. Now that we’ve a one-year-old and three-year-old, these numbers imply much more to me as a result of it’s so exhausting to think about what life could be like with out them. I’m actually grateful for the work our analysis crew does to search out giving alternatives that permit children like mine on the opposite aspect of the world to thrive.
Teryn Mattox (Director of Analysis)
I’m extraordinarily lucky to have the chance to make the world a greater place via each my day-to-day work and my charitable giving. My household’s giving is basically the identical because it was final yr; beneath, I’m sharing an up to date model of what I wrote in 2022.
I’m so happy with and excited by the work we do at GiveWell, and I believe the All Grants Fund is likely one of the greatest methods donors can save and enhance human lives with their cash.
My household additionally strongly weighs the welfare of animals within the ethical calculus that drives our giving. Since I joined GiveWell, we’ve transitioned all of our important giving to organizations selling (largely farmed) animal welfare. I really feel snug with this allocation given the period of time and power I dedicate in my daily work to furthering GiveWell’s work enhancing the lives of the worldwide poor.
The explanation we really feel compelled to do that is predicated on the depth of the struggling inflicted upon farmed animals, the staggering numbers of factory-farmed animals alive at any given second, the potential impression of our donations in decreasing this struggling, and our beliefs concerning the significance of animal struggling.
We give to a wide range of organizations together with the Efficient Altruism Animal Welfare Fund, the Humane League, Fish Welfare Initiative and different assorted organizations supported by the Animal Welfare Fund or Animal Charity Evaluators. We’ve elevated our giving to Fish Welfare Initiative this yr. I’m involved that fish welfare is particularly uncared for inside the animal welfare house, and I’m impressed with their current progress.
We even have quite a lot of small, recurring month-to-month donations that we don’t think about a part of our core giving, however are extra like further “enjoyable cash” we spend to help our area people in Oregon.
Vicky Yu (Analysis Affiliate)
Traditionally, I’ve donated nearly all of my giving (roughly 60%) to GiveWell’s high charities, roughly 30% to GiveDirectly, and the remaining 10% to a wide range of organizations that fluctuate as a consequence of idiosyncratic year-to-year pursuits. The break up hasn’t been rigorously calculated; however roughly displays my private values, priorities, and threat tolerance (low!).
Since beginning at GiveWell, I’ve thought of shifting nearly all of my giving to causes outdoors of worldwide well being and well-being, given I’d be devoting a considerable period of time to working instantly on these issues. Examples of potential different areas embrace farmed animal welfare, local weather change, and a wide range of social justice points. Whereas I haven’t settled on something but, conversations with my colleagues at GiveWell have additionally helped me extra thoughtfully think about donations outdoors of our ordinary scope of labor.
As a result of I consider my particular person giving can do probably the most good directed at international causes, that’s the place I direct the overwhelming majority of my financial donations. Nevertheless, I additionally consider it’s essential and helpful (for unquantifiable causes), to assist my area people. For that cause, I volunteer round 20 to 25 hours a month between a number of native organizations centered on decreasing meals insecurity and conserving the atmosphere. I’ve additionally thought of volunteering time with organizations who assist in tax preparation for low-income households, present grief counseling, and enhance entry to justice for victims of home violence. None of my native giving (financial or time) is targeted on cost-effectiveness; relatively, it’s largely pushed by qualitative impressions of organizations and points I care about.
Victoria N Krauss (Philanthropy Advisor)
My husband and I’ve been proud supporters of GiveWell since 2020, first discovering it via the Sam Harris podcast.
We’re nonetheless contemplating our allocations for the yr, however one factor is for certain: we’re dedicated to persevering with our help to GiveWell! Changing into dad and mom final yr has additional emphasised the significance of saving lives, making GiveWell’s work much more important to us now.
We’re additionally serious about directing our help to refugees by way of The Worldwide Rescue Committee, and BEAM, a UK non-profit that gives coaching and employment alternatives to people dealing with homelessness.
We really feel lucky to be able the place we will contribute, and because of the work of GiveWell and all of the unimaginable non-profits GiveWell helps, we’re agency believers that one could make an impression, irrespective of how small a donation may be!
