Hello! This is the first in a new experiment: an annual fundraiser for effective charities that improve global health and wellbeing. I will match all donations, up to $5,000. Any amount is appreciated!!

Why are you doing this?

I have a lot to be grateful for, not the least of which is the fact that a profession I enjoy happens to pay well. In fact, I have witnessed folks in my network ask themselves "What do I actually need all this money for?" My response: "If you have money that will make little difference in your life: have you heard of GiveWell?" This is the reasoning that led me to taking the 🔸10% Pledge. If this experiment leads anyone to that same place, I would be truly thrilled.

Who is GiveWell?

If you and I have worked together then you've probably seen that I deeply admire folks who are able to apply rigor to complex issues, especially while remaining humble and open to new information. Those qualities are precisely what I admire about GiveWell, a "nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give." The givewell.org home page hits the highlights: tens of thousands of research hours, high evidentiary standards, praise from independent journalists who have investigated charity evaluators. But all that aside, take a look at the site's main navigation menu. . . . Did you see it? Nestled between "Research" and "About" is the link "Our Mistakes". I don't know about you but that leaves me briefly in awe every time I notice it.

Where do donations go?

Tragically, hundreds of thousands of people—mostly children—die each year from cheaply-preventable diseases such as malaria and vitamin A deficiency. In addition to publishing research and recommendations, GiveWell operates a few grant funds. From these funds, GiveWell gives grants to programs that their research has indicated are promising. This fundraiser is targeting their All Grants Fund. Grant recipients from this fund include both GiveWell's "top charities" working on the diseases mentioned earlier, as well as projects that are one step higher on the risk/reward scale, such as randomized controlled trials to evaluate promising new interventions. Specific past grants include work to expand access to clean water and deworming medication. For more information, see here. If you're unsure about donating to a fund rather than a charity directly, you may find this discussion of tradeoffs helpful. Note that 100% of donations to the All Grants Fund make their way to the grant recipient.

If you read this far, wow! 😆 Thank you so much for your consideration.