Introduction The Giving What We Can research team is excited to share the results of our 2024 round of evaluations of charity evaluators and grantmakers! In this round, we completed three evaluations that will inform our donation recommendations for the 2024 giving season. As with our 2023 round, there are substantial limitations to these evaluations, but we nevertheless think that they are a significant improvement to a landscape in which there were no independent evaluations of evaluators’ work. In this post, we share the key takeaways from each of our 2024 evaluations and link to the full reports. We also include an update explaining our decision to remove The Humane League from our list of recommended programs. Our website has now been updated to reflect the new fund and charity recommendations that came out of these evaluations. Please also see our website for more context on [...] ---Outline:(00:10) Introduction(01:13) Key takeaways from each of our 2024 evaluations(01:36) Global health and wellbeing(01:41) Founders Pledge Global Health and Development Fund (FP GHDF)(04:07) Animal welfare(04:10) Animal Charity Evaluators’ Movement Grants (ACE MG)(06:08) Animal Charity Evaluators’ Charity Evaluation Program(08:35) Additional recommendation updates(08:39) The Humane League's corporate campaigns program(11:29) ConclusionThe original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: November 27th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/NhpAHDQq6iWhk7SEs/gwwc-s-2024-evaluations-of-evaluators-1 --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

The podcast dives into a meta-analysis exploring effective ways to reduce meat and animal product consumption. It reveals that no well-validated methods currently exist to achieve significant reductions, though cutting back on red and processed meat shows promise. However, this may inadvertently boost chicken and fish consumption, raising concerns for animal welfare and environmental issues. Future research is essential for developing better strategies. The discussion also highlights the evolution of research methods and the complexities consumers face.

TL;DR In late summer 2023, I realized my mental health was the biggest barrier to achieving my goals. Over the next six months, I made it a priority, working with a therapist on CBT, adjusting medication timing, and developing healthier habits (like meditating and wellness routines). This resulted in a noticeable improvement in my clarity, productivity, and overall well-being, which positively impacted my work and leadership. This post is part of an effort to post more :) Background and Context Late summer 2023: During a performance review, I realized my mental health was my biggest barrier to growth. I had been diagnosed with depression years earlier and medication helped significantly, but I was still having breakthrough symptoms. It was preventing me from achieving ambitious goals and handling important work decisions (like what my team should prioritize in the following quarter) I made improving mental health a top [...] ---Outline:(00:03) TL;DR(00:40) Background and Context(01:38) Nuance and Disclaimer(02:21) Some ways progress has affected my work(03:33) What Made a Difference (in my rough guess at level of influence)(03:44) Therapy (with the right therapist)(05:22) Changing the time of taking medication(05:56) Meditation and Habit Tracking(07:13) 80k podcasts on mental health(07:33) Physical Routines(07:37) Exercise(08:09) Sleep:(08:40) Final Thoughts--- First published: November 21st, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9j35Qj5hAMs9hgAnd/how-i-improved-my-wellbeing --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

We’re far from certain that insects are sentient. But with over a trillion insects farmed annually, the welfare impacts are staggering if they can suffer. Unfortunately, fundamental questions about their well-being remain unexplored. This is where Arthropoda Foundation steps in, actively finding and funding the best opportunities to produce knowledge that can improve the lives of farmed insects. Current Research Priorities Humane Slaughter Protocols Insects are regularly microwaved, baked, and boiled alive. If producers can stun these animals before slaughter, they can reduce significant distress. We’ve found a lab willing to develop and test electrical stunning procedures for black soldier fly larvae, with an eye to creating an inexpensive, readily implementable system that can be adopted by industry partners. ~$67,000. Stocking Densities and Substrate Research For many farmed insects, the quality of their lives comes down to stocking densities and the substrate in which they’re reared—which is what [...] ---Outline:(00:38) Current Research Priorities(00:42) Humane Slaughter Protocols(01:11) Stocking Densities and Substrate Research(01:48) Automated Welfare Assessment(02:33) Funding Needs(03:52) Want to learn more about insects?The original text contained 1 image which was described by AI. --- First published: November 13th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/9fuJgLik6FNtgrDAD/support-critical-research-on-insect-welfare --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

This is a link post. Dear Giving What We Can community, We are writing to share exciting news: on Tuesday the 11th of November, the boards unanimously voted to appoint Sjir Hoeijmakers as the new global CEO of Giving What We Can. Sjir was appointed after a rigorous recruitment process. The search committee received applicants from a wide pool, ultimately interviewing five final-stage candidates. Sjir excelled in each stage of the process, showing remarkable character, competence, and humility throughout. He has a strong understanding of the effective giving community and has already excelled in temporary roles as Acting and Interim CEO this year. The committee also received feedback from a large number of stakeholders, including the boards, the GWWC team, funders, and partners. Throughout this process, it became clear that Sjir will be a highly capable leader for the organization and help guide GWWC and the team to reach their [...] --- First published: November 15th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/KXycun5WuzKDv6vGL/announcing-sjir-hoeijmakers-as-the-new-ceo-of-giving-what-we --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

This post is written in my personal capacity, but is based on insights that I’ve gained through my work as Effective Giving Global Coordinator and Incubator at Giving What We Can since I took on the role in June 2023. Tl;dr In my view the average reader of the EA Forum should be giving more to meta-charities like effective giving (EG) organisations. EG organisations play a crucial role in directing funds to highly impactful charities, but many are facing significant funding constraints and/or a lack of diversified funding. Supporting these meta-charities can have a multiplier effect on your donations, potentially leading to extraordinary growth in effective giving. Consider allocating a portion of your donation budget to EG organisations this giving season. Introduction When I first heard about EA from a TED talk by Peter Singer in 2017, I was inspired by the idea that we could carefully use evidence [...] ---Outline:(00:21) Tl;dr(00:57) Introduction(02:56) Why EG orgs are funding constrained(05:28) Why should you donate to EG organisations?(05:38) The multiplier effect(07:01) Positive indirect impact(07:43) Potential for significant growth(08:35) Addressing future funding constraints(09:08) The impact of additional funding(10:28) Why you might not want to donate to EG organisations(11:29) Where to give?(11:48) Giving What We Can(14:49) Effektiv Spenden(16:42) Founders Pledge(18:28) Ge Effektivt(20:09) Giving Multiplier(21:49) The Life You Can Save(22:46) Other established EG organisations(25:22) New EG organisations(28:55) Call to Action--- First published: November 8th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/fMcpbGRWBtq3QBEyA/why-you-should-allocate-more-of-your-donation-budget-to-1 --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Disclaimer: This is a weak take — mostly based on anecdotes and vibes — but I thought it's worth sharing nonetheless, even if only as a means of soliciting better takes. Disclaimer #2: I am very appreciative of everyone who is working tirelessly to pursue farmed animal protection via policy, and I want nothing more than to see it succeed! I just suspect it's going to be a longer and more difficult journey than I anticipated a few years ago, and that this is worth having an open and public conversation about. I fear the policy landscape for farmed animal protection work is looking more and more bleak. The election results from last night have reinforced this fear, with animal-friendly measures failing across the ballot, a Republican trifecta set to rule for at least two years, RFK Jr. in line to act as appointed czar of HHS/FDA/USDA, etc. [...] ---Outline:(01:06) Abolitionist ballot measures lost big in 2024.(03:20) Incrementalist ballot measures — previously some of the movement's biggest wins — may simply be undone.(04:54) We have opponents on the left and the right.(06:34) Cultivated meat is under fire. The Trump admin wont make this any better.(07:34) So what next?The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. The original text contained 2 images which were described by AI. --- First published: November 6th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/rQgeBvPyBgqrej6zc/bad-omens-for-us-farmed-animal-policy-work --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Rethink Priorities has been conducting a range of surveys and experiments aimed at understanding how people respond to different framings of Effective Altruism (EA), Longtermism, and related specific cause areas. There has been much debate about whether people involved in EA and Longtermism should frame their efforts and outreach in terms of Effective altruism, Longtermism, Existential risk, Existential security, Global priorities research, or by only mentioning specific risks, such as AI safety and Pandemic prevention (examples can be found at the following links: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8). These discussions have taken place almost entirely in the absence of empirical data, even though they concern largely empirical questions.[1] In this post we report the results of three pilot studies examining responses to different EA-related terms and descriptions. Some initial findings are: Longtermism appears to be consistently less popular than other EA-related terms and concepts we examined, whether presented just as a [...] ---Outline:(01:52) Study 1. Cause area framing(05:13) Demographics(07:15) Study 2. EA-related concepts with and without descriptions(10:58) Demographics(11:31) Study 3. Preferences for concrete causes or more general ideas/movements(15:04) Demographics(15:29) Manifold Market Predictions(16:43) General discussionThe original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. The original text contained 18 images which were described by AI. --- First published: November 7th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/qagZoGrxbD7YQRYNr/testing-framings-of-ea-and-longtermism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Overview  With Marginal Funding Week, we want to share key updates on the EA Animal Welfare Fund (AWF). We'll cover what we've accomplished so far in 2024, our impact this year, recent changes, and where we're headed next - including current constraints to our impact. We think this info will be helpful for anyone considering year-end donations. Since its founding in 2017, AWF has distributed $23.3M across 347 grants. This year, we’ve distributed $3.7M across 51 grants. We made grants across multiple intervention categories and aimed to impact a variety of species. Our most frequently funded strategic area was welfare campaigns, policy advocacy and research. The most frequently targeted species were egg-laying hens followed by multiple farmed animals, wild animals, and shrimps. While the impact of many of our 2024 grants is still unclear, our previous grants have made significant progress, reflecting our ability to identify opportunities with [...] ---Outline:(00:08) Overview(02:12) 1. Background(03:43) 2. A year in review(03:47) Key Numbers and Reach(04:14) Grant Distribution(05:27) By intervention type(06:25) By species(09:04) Highlighted Grants(13:36) 3. Organizational updates(18:47) 4. Future plans(21:58) 5. Room for more fundingThe original text contained 3 images which were described by AI. --- First published: November 11th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/pZhqWRiq9ubaMSnqx/ea-animal-welfare-fund-2024-review-changes-and-plans --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

I work for CEA, but this post isn’t intended as a fundraising post for CEA. The main beneficiaries I want to direct readers to are e.g. EA groups and EA communicators who might not have capacity for fundraising. I expect similar arguments apply to e.g. AIS, rationality and animal welfare community-building efforts but I know those spaces less well. There's a version of this post where I pull actual donation numbers and iron out the details of what I’m proposing but this is not that version. It's difficult for funders to figure out which community-building efforts are successful. The reason your inbox is littered with surveys for every event, retreat and course you take part in is because we want to know if they’re working, and, ultimately, whether we should continue using EA resources to run them. Roughly, things work like this: Community builders (CBs) help new community [...] ---Outline:(03:56) Some caveats(04:39) What next?The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: November 8th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/DyTph8eJXDvnqDhXc/consider-donating-to-whoever-helped-you --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.