

The Giving What We Can Podcast
Giving What We Can
From 2020 until 2023, we hosted a podcast about how to use our resources to do the most good. Learn more about effective giving, high-impact charities and philanthropy.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 22, 2022 β’ 10min
Lesson: You can prevent animal suffering. Hereβs how.
The vast amount of animal suffering in the world can feel overwhelming, but there are several concrete ways to help. In this episode, we cover some major causes of animal suffering that even animal lovers often overlook, and discuss some of the best ways you can help animals.
πYou can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/hYm443i3lb8
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Why focus on farmed and wild animals?
00:46 - Farmed animals and factory farming: the problem
02:18 - What you can do: diet changes
03:18 - What you can do: supporting system change
04:46 - What you can do: supporting alternative proteins
06:04 - Wild animal suffering: the problem
07:30 - What you can do: supporting wild animal welfare research
08:28 - Additional information about where to donate
09:04 - Final thoughts
ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANISATIONS MENTIONED:
Fish Welfare Initiative: https://www.fishwelfareinitiative.org/
The Humane League: https://thehumaneleague.org/
Wild Animal Initiative: https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/
Animal Charity Evaluators: https://animalcharityevaluators.org/
Faunalytics: https://faunalytics.org/
EA Animal Welfare Fund: https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/animal-welfare
SOURCES:
1. https://faunalytics.org/global-animal-slaughter-statistics-and-charts/
2. https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/lewis-bollard-end-factory-farming/
3. https://80000hours.org/podcast/episodes/lewis-bollard-end-factory-farming/
4. https://thehumaneleague.org/article/factory-farming-animal-cruelty
5. https://www.greenmatters.com/p/what-is-sea-lice
6. https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/global-animal-farming-estimates
7. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/
8. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2020/sep/15/covid-farm-animals-and-pandemics-diseases-that-changed-the-world
9. https://mercyforanimals.org/blog/antibiotic-resistant-infections-will-kill/
10. https://www.sentienceinstitute.org/aft-survey-2020
11. https://ourworldindata.org/meat-production
12. https://animalcharityevaluators.org/donation-advice/why-farmed-animals/ and https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=42
13. https://animalcharityevaluators.org/donation-advice/why-farmed-animals/
14. https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
15. https://animalcharityevaluators.org/research/dietary-impacts/effects-of-diet-choices/
16. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22430749/beef-chicken-climate-diet-vegetarian
17. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/cow-lifespan-how-long-do-cows-live/
18. https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_12,_Farm_Animal_Confinement_Initiative_(2018)
19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_California_Proposition_12
20. https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/lewis-bollard-lessons-learned-in-farm-animal-welfare
21. https://rethinkpriorities.org/publications/corporate-campaigns-affect-9-to-120-years-of-chicken-life-per-dollar-spent
22. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf
23. https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=66df320da8400b581cbc1b539&id=a9ce5c198b
24. https://rethinkpriorities.org/publications/forecasts-estimate-limited-cultured-meat-production-through-2050
25. https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/juvenile-welfare
26. https://wildlife.org/the-return-of-an-odious-invader/
27. http://fcmconference.org/img/CambridgeDeclarationOnConsciousness.pdf
28. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/fish-feel-pain-180967764/
29. https://reducing-suffering.org/how-many-wild-animals-are-there/
30. https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/transparency
31. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/11/14/18091698/future-perfect-podcast-killing-fish-ikejime-animal-welfare
32. https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/humane-insecticides
33.https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f04bd57a1c21d767782adb8/t/5f160c91bc0bff4abe964d5a/1595280529848/WAI_PersistenceAndReversibility_Dec2019.pdf
34. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207746/
CREDITS:
Script: Gage Weston
Production: Grace Adams
Video/audio editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Host: Luke Freeman
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π€'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter
π Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

Sep 21, 2022 β’ 17min
Lesson: Donβt make these 10 mistakes when trying to improve the world (from Dr. Michael Noetel)
Dr. Michael Noetel shares 10 mistakes he made when trying to improve the world, so you don't have to make the same ones!
Michael is a Giving What We Can member, effective altruist and academic. We were grateful to have him share what he's learnt with us. To learn more about him, visit: https://noetel.com.au/
πYou can also watch this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/efVh51hbRHY
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
01:08 - Mistake 1: I wasn't using science and reason
02:20 - Mistake 2: I didn't focus on the most important problems
04:27 - Mistake 3: I wasn't looking for low hanging fruit
07:22 - Mistake 4: I focused on what was in front of me
08:45 - Mistake 5: I thought effective altruism was only for utilitarians
11:03 - Mistake 6: I thought I needed to be morally obliged, and morally oblige others too
12:20 - Mistake 7: I thought effective altruism was just bed nets and RCTs
14:11 - Mistake 8: I would start with the really controversial ideas
15:40 - Mistake 9: I thought the size of the problem should motivate people to act
16:36 - Mistake 10: I thought talking about doing good made me look sanctimonious
CREDITS:
Script: Michael Noetel
Production: Julian Hazell
Video/Audio Editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Host: Michael Noetel
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π€'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter
π Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

Sep 11, 2022 β’ 6min
Member Story: Zachary Brown
Member Zachary Brown shares how the neighborhood where he grew up cast a spotlight on suffering and inequality, motivating him to effect change from an early age. He also discusses why he's passionate about helping future generations, how the Giving What We Can pledge ties into his Jewish background, and how effective giving has become a part of his identity.
We are so pleased that we've been able to interview some of our members about their experiences with effective giving. Big thank you to Zachary and our other community members who make Giving What We Can such a special organisation.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - How did you learn about Giving What We Can?
00:55 - Why were you motivated to take the pledge?
02:45 - What is the role of effective giving in your life?
03:58 - Where are you giving now?
05:22 - Advice for others considering the pledge: "Just start!"
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π€. 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€. Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter
π Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan
π€³ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@givingwhatwecan

Aug 31, 2022 β’ 19min
#10 - Neil Dullaghan: Using research & strategic thinking to help animals effectively
In this interview, we chat to Neil Dullaghan, a Senior Researcher at Rethink Priorities, a think tank that pursues and shares research with key decision makers about how to best help people and non-human animals both now and in the long-term future.
We talk about Neil's work on animal welfare, why people might choose to prioritize farmed animal welfare or wild animal welfare, the role of research in the animal welfare landscape, and what you can do to help non-human animals Neil also discusses how the principles of effective altruism inform his work, and that of Rethink Priorities.
If you'd like to learn more about Rethink Priorities, visit their website: https://rethinkpriorities.org/
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction to Neil and Rethink Priorities
01:24 - What attracts Neil to effective altruism
01:51 - Neil makes the case for focusing on farmed animal welfare
03:21 - The work Rethink Priorities is doing on farmed animal welfare
03:53 - Considerations for working on wild animal welfare
05:16 - Advice for small to medium donors interested in farmed animal welfare
07:00 - The different approaches to improving animal welfare
08:53 - Policy intervention success stories
09:36 - Why research is important for improving animal lives
11:39 - How Neil became passionate about animal welfare
12:10 - Beyond donating, what can people do to help?
13:03 - How Neil has changed his approach to giving, research, and advocacy
14:10 - Forecasting the cultured meat landscape going forward 16:58 - How would Neil spend a billion dollars?
17:54 - Neil's asks for viewers
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
πOrganisational spending on farmed animal welfare:
π Spending in 2020
https://farmedanimalfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/External-FAF-State-of-the-Movement-Report-2021.pdf
π Neglected spending areas
https://www.vox.com/2021/11/26/22772693/animal-rights-welfare-movement-global-factory-farming
πDonor advice & resources:
π Giving What We Can Recommendations
https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π EA Animal Welfare Fund
https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/animal-welfare
π The importance of small donors
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/cjH2puDzAFrtrrThQ/despite-billions-of-extra-funding-small-donors-can-still
CREDITS:
Production: Julian Hazell & Grace Adams
Videographer and video editor: Andy Brice
Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Interviewer: Luke Freeman
Guest: Neil Dullaghan
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π€'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter
π Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

Aug 26, 2022 β’ 3min
Newsletter Summary: August 2022
π Sign up for our newsletter here: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter/
π§βπ» RSVP to this months meetups at: givingwhatwecan.org/events
π Links for items mentioned in the video:
The Longtermism Fund: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charities/longtermism-fund
GiveWell's announcement: https://blog.givewell.org/2022/08/17/changes-to-top-charity-criteria/
Our response to GiveWell's update: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/blog/update-to-our-recommended-global-health-and-development-charities
What We Owe The Future: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1541618629
Time magazine article: https://time.com/6204627/effective-altruism-longtermism-william-macaskill-interview/
The Tim Ferriss Show interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9C41fx64dw
The Ezra Klein Show interview: https://time.com/6204627/effective-altruism-longtermism-william-macaskill-interview/
The Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/21/william-macaskill-what-we-owe-the-future-philosopher-interview
Other media: https://whatweowethefuture.com/press/
Rob Mather and Against Malaria Foundation video: https://youtu.be/Ex7hgpXfw0U
Script & Production: Grace Adams
Editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Host: Luke Freeman

Aug 24, 2022 β’ 12min
The story of Rob Mather & The Against Malaria Foundation: the journey to founding one of the worldβs most effective charities
Hear the powerful, personal story behind AMF, the organisation responsible for protecting 400 million people from malaria (roughly equal in size to 40% of the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa!) and saving tens of thousands of lives.
It started with one man's fundraiser for a little girl who had suffered 90% burns in a house fire at her home in Suffolk, England, and turned into one of the most efficient and effective charities in the world. Rob Mather's journey shows us the power of combining the head and the heart to make a tremendous difference in the lives of others.
Watch this story on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Ex7hgpXfw0U
π You can donate to the Against Malaria Foundation via Giving What We Can: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/charities/against-malaria-foundation
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AMF?
π Check out their website at https://www.againstmalaria.com/
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction to the story of Rob Mather and the Against Malaria Foundation
00:37 - The documentary that started it all
01:24 - Rob's Swim for Terri fundraiser
02:32 - Swimming for other causes
03:01 - Why malaria?
04:45 - The first world swim against malaria
05:09 - Beyond swimming: the founding of AMF
05:24 - Why AMF is so unique, transparent, and impactful
07:38 - GiveWell's evaluation of AMF
07:54 - Rob's thoughts on shifting the focus from swimming
08:20 - 100% of your donation goes to buying nets
09:30 - AMF's remarkable achievements
10:16 - The need for more funding
10:33 - Why donate to AMF?
11:12 - Concluding thoughts
CREDITS:
Production: Julian Hazell & Grace Adams
Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Interviewer: Luke Freeman
Guest: Rob Mather
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities
π€'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter
π Our website / blog: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram: https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook: https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

Aug 16, 2022 β’ 33min
#9 - Joey Savoie: Making it easier for great charities to exist
In this interview, we chat to Joey Savoie, CEO and co-founder of Charity Entrepreneurship, an incubator that helps launch high-impact nonprofits by connecting entrepreneurs with effective ideas, training, and funding.
Joey provides an overview of Charity Entrepreneurship and the problems they're working to solve; he also shares his thoughts on the charity sector, the concept of efficacy, and the role altruism plays in his life.
Since its founding in 2018, Charity Entrepreneurship has helped launch 18 impactful nonprofits, which have reached over 5 million humans and improved the lives of 1.2 million animals.
You can donate to Charity Entrepreneurship via Giving What We Can: https://donate.givingwhatwecan.org/partners/charity-entrepreneurship
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHARITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP? π Check out their website at https://www.charityentrepreneurship.com/
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction to Joey and Charity Entrepreneurship
01:04 - The story behind Charity Entrepreneurship's founding
04:21 - Projects Charity Entrepreneurship has helped launch
07:05 - Cause areas Charity Entrepreneurship focuses on
08:48 - Charity Entrepreneurship's core propositions, benefits, and why donors might be interested in supporting the org
12:52 - What value can smaller donors bring to philanthropy?
15:29 - Joey's pitch that "efficacy" in charity can be evaluated, measured, and aimed for
17:39 - Some surprising realizations about the charitable sector
21:07 - The nuances of bottlenecks
24:50 - What mistakes do people make when thinking about the concept of effectiveness, especially at first?
26:38 - Joey's relationship with altruism
28:07 - How would Joey spend a billion dollars?
31:05 - Joey's advice/asks for viewers
CREDITS:
Production: Julian Hazell & Grace Adams
Videographer and video editor: Andy Brice
Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro
Interviewer: Luke Freeman
Guest: Joey Savoie

Aug 10, 2022 β’ 20min
#8 - Simran Dhaliwal: Funding projects to save future generations at Longview Philanthropy
In this interview filmed at EA Global London 2022 with Simran Dhaliwal, the co-CEO of Longview Philanthropy, we talk about what Longview Philanthropy does, what problems it is working to solve, and Simran's own journey to effective giving.
If you'd like to learn more about Longview Philanthropy, visit their website: https://www.longview.org/
One bonus fun fact about Longview is that all their senior staff have signed the Giving What We Can Pledge.
CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction to Simran and what Longview Philanthropy does
02:13 - Longview runs events to turn longtermist ideas into action
03:26 - How Simran would pitch longtermism and Longview's impact to a new audience 05:30 - What's it like to work with donors interested in the long-term future?
06:30 - How did these donors find these ideas?
07:38 - How Longview approaches helping people prioritise different causes
08:22 - What has Simran changed her mind about in the last year?
09:51 - What are some of the positive changes in effective altruism and any areas of concern?
11:00 - The comparative advantages small donors bring to the table in philanthropy
13:13 - Plans for growing Longview Philanthropy
16:55 - Media grantmaking program
18:36 - Conclusions and final thoughts
CREDITS:
Production: Julian Hazell & Grace Adams
Videographer and video editor: Andy Brice
Video editor: Marco Shimabukuro Interviewer:
Luke Freeman Guest: Simran Dhaliwal

Jul 29, 2022 β’ 3min
Newsletter Summary: July 2022
π Sign up for our newsletter here: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsletter/
π Links for items mentioned in the video:
RSVP to this months meetups at: givingwhatwecan.org/events
Watch our interview with Bruce Friedrich: https://youtu.be/qCFZBJ0aMG0
GiveWell's update on their funding: https://blog.givewell.org/2022/07/05/update-on-givewells-funding-projections/
Non-trivial's new course: https://non-trivial.org/courses/how-to-change-the-world
10m less caged hens in Europe: https://www.poultryworld.net/poultry/layers/shift-to-cage-free-in-eu-continues/
Ted-Ed Video, The 4 greatest threats to the survival of humanity: https://youtu.be/WP6T4MH0Dn4
Gates Foundation annoucement: https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Commitment-to-the-Gates-Foundation
Script & Production: Grace Adams Video Editor: Marco Shimabukuro Host: Luke Freeman
OUR RESOURCES:
βοΈ Take a giving pledge: https://givingwhatwecan.org/pledge
π Giving recommendations: https://givingwhatwecan.org/best-char...
π€. 'How Rich Am I?' calculator: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org
π€. Recommended books, videos, podcasts: https://givingwhatwecan.org/resources
πββοΈ Get involved: https://givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved
BE OUR FRIEND:
π Sign up to our monthly email newsletter - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/newsl...
π Our website / blog - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
πΈ Instagram - https://instagram.com/giving_what_we_can
π¦ Twitter - https://twitter.com/givingwhatwecan
π Facebook - https://facebook.com/givingwhatwecan

Jul 25, 2022 β’ 3min
Member Story: James Montavon
New member James Montavon shares why he joined Giving What We Can and tells us about living his beliefs, giving gradually and gives his advice about making a small commitment to give effectively! This interview was filmed at Effective Altruism Global London 2022. Thank you to James for taking the time to share your story.
CHAPTERS: 00:00 - What inspired you to take the pledge?
00:42 - How does it feel to give effectively?
01:02 - Do you have any advice for giving effectively?
01:52 - Where are you giving?
02:32 - Knowing you're having an impact!