The Nonlinear Library EA - Stepping down from GWWC: So long, and thanks for all the shrimp by Luke Freeman
Sep 10, 2024
12:22
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Stepping down from GWWC: So long, and thanks for all the shrimp, published by Luke Freeman on September 10, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
It's a rare privilege to lead an organisation that embodies the very ideals that shaped your life. I've been fortunate to have been given that opportunity for the last four years.
My journey with Giving What We Can began long before I became its CEO. Like many members, I started as a curious onlooker, lurking for many years after first googling something along the lines of "what's the best charity?" and slowly being drawn to the idea of effective giving. I vividly remember the day I first hovered over the 'donate' button on the Against Malaria Foundation's website after getting my first raise.
My heart was racing, wondering if a decent chunk of my small paycheck would truly make a difference… only to go back and read a report on malaria "just one more time."
Finally, I found the courage to act. I started giving more effectively and significantly, and a few years later, (after seeing so many others do so before me) I got serious and took the 10% Pledge. It started to feel like I was making good on some promises I'd made to myself back when I was a kid and first struck by the injustices of the world, our collective inaction, and our inability to stop such extreme levels of preventable suffering.
Fast forward to 2020, and just as a global pandemic was tearing through the world, I found myself stepping in to lead the team at Giving What We Can. To say I was humbled would be an understatement. Here I was, entrusted with leading an organisation that had inspired my own giving journey. It was a responsibility I didn't take lightly.
Over the past four years, I've had the immense honour of working alongside an incredible team and a passionate community of givers. I've been incredibly lucky to get to contribute to a variety of causes I care about, simply by driving more funding to all of them in the form of inspiring pledges and donations to high-impact causes.
Together, we've achieved things that that wide-eyed kid donating pennies from his paper route (aka my younger self) could scarcely have imagined, for instance:
We've roughly doubled the number of 10% Pledges;
Revitalised our community, website, brand, and research;
Integrated and improved the donation platform;
Pulled off fantastic partnerships and campaigns;
Built an exceptional team, with strong retention and a positive work culture, which operates effectively even in my absence (demonstrated recently when I was on parental leave);
Spun out of our fiscal sponsor (EV) and established GWWC as an independent multi-entity organisation with a global presence.
But as proud as I am of what we've accomplished together and as much as I have loved leading the team at GWWC, I've come to a crossroads. The past 18 months have been challenging, both for GWWC and for me personally. We've navigated significant changes and overcome substantial obstacles. While I'm incredibly proud of how we've handled these challenges, I've found my reserves depleting.
Life has thrown a lot my way recently - from deeply painful personal losses to the joyous arrival of our first child. These experiences have led me to reassess my priorities and recognise the need for a change.
And so, after careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO of Giving What We Can. The timing aligns with the completion of our spin-out from Effective Ventures, a major project that has set GWWC up for its next phase of growth. I felt that the decision in front of me was to either redouble my efforts for another 3-5 years or to pass the baton.
After careful consideration, I believe it's the right time for new leadership to bring fresh energy and perspectives to drive the organisation forward.
I'll be sta...
It's a rare privilege to lead an organisation that embodies the very ideals that shaped your life. I've been fortunate to have been given that opportunity for the last four years.
My journey with Giving What We Can began long before I became its CEO. Like many members, I started as a curious onlooker, lurking for many years after first googling something along the lines of "what's the best charity?" and slowly being drawn to the idea of effective giving. I vividly remember the day I first hovered over the 'donate' button on the Against Malaria Foundation's website after getting my first raise.
My heart was racing, wondering if a decent chunk of my small paycheck would truly make a difference… only to go back and read a report on malaria "just one more time."
Finally, I found the courage to act. I started giving more effectively and significantly, and a few years later, (after seeing so many others do so before me) I got serious and took the 10% Pledge. It started to feel like I was making good on some promises I'd made to myself back when I was a kid and first struck by the injustices of the world, our collective inaction, and our inability to stop such extreme levels of preventable suffering.
Fast forward to 2020, and just as a global pandemic was tearing through the world, I found myself stepping in to lead the team at Giving What We Can. To say I was humbled would be an understatement. Here I was, entrusted with leading an organisation that had inspired my own giving journey. It was a responsibility I didn't take lightly.
Over the past four years, I've had the immense honour of working alongside an incredible team and a passionate community of givers. I've been incredibly lucky to get to contribute to a variety of causes I care about, simply by driving more funding to all of them in the form of inspiring pledges and donations to high-impact causes.
Together, we've achieved things that that wide-eyed kid donating pennies from his paper route (aka my younger self) could scarcely have imagined, for instance:
We've roughly doubled the number of 10% Pledges;
Revitalised our community, website, brand, and research;
Integrated and improved the donation platform;
Pulled off fantastic partnerships and campaigns;
Built an exceptional team, with strong retention and a positive work culture, which operates effectively even in my absence (demonstrated recently when I was on parental leave);
Spun out of our fiscal sponsor (EV) and established GWWC as an independent multi-entity organisation with a global presence.
But as proud as I am of what we've accomplished together and as much as I have loved leading the team at GWWC, I've come to a crossroads. The past 18 months have been challenging, both for GWWC and for me personally. We've navigated significant changes and overcome substantial obstacles. While I'm incredibly proud of how we've handled these challenges, I've found my reserves depleting.
Life has thrown a lot my way recently - from deeply painful personal losses to the joyous arrival of our first child. These experiences have led me to reassess my priorities and recognise the need for a change.
And so, after careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO of Giving What We Can. The timing aligns with the completion of our spin-out from Effective Ventures, a major project that has set GWWC up for its next phase of growth. I felt that the decision in front of me was to either redouble my efforts for another 3-5 years or to pass the baton.
After careful consideration, I believe it's the right time for new leadership to bring fresh energy and perspectives to drive the organisation forward.
I'll be sta...