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 staying on until October 3rd to ensure a smooth transition and available as needed after that. Sjir Hoeijmakers, who has been with GWWC for several years and successfully led the organisation during my recent parental leave, has stepped in as Interim CEO from September 2nd. The board has initiated the process for appointing a permanent CEO, and I’m confident they’ll appoint an exceptional leader to take GWWC to new heights. If you’re interested in applying or know someone who might be, please check out the job description.

For those curious about what’s next for me, I have some leave planned from October to mid-November to spend time with family. After that, I’ll start thinking more seriously about my next steps. Until then, I’m open to ideas and will be focusing on exploring, learning, and potentially upskilling in relevant areas. I remain committed to creating impact, though I want to ensure I do so in a sustainable way that allows me to be an involved father and maintain a supportive community around me. I’ll be reassessing the causes I’ll focus on and the types of roles I’m best suited to, while addressing some important matters at home.

As I prepare to turn the page on this chapter of my life, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the countless individuals and organisations that have made this work possible and will continue to do so long after I leave. The work that any of us do isn’t in isolation, as such the GWWC team and I have been part of a remarkable collective effort, and before I wrap up my time here, I want to express my heartfelt thanks:

• To our incredible members – I love your dedication to living out your values, challenging norms, and humbly putting your money where your mouth is. Your compassion, commitment, and generosity are truly remarkable. You inspire me every day.
• To the GWWC team — some of the most capable, kind, compassionate, and fun people I’ve had the privilege to work with — and our dedicated boards, thank you for your tireless efforts, unwavering commitment, and helping us navigate this period gracefully.
• To Toby Ord and Will MacAskill, the visionaries who founded GWWC, and to Peter Singer, whose work inspired it all — thank you for laying the groundwork for a movement that’s changing the world and for the applied philosophical work you’ve done which has forever changed me.
• To Julia Wise and Michelle Hutchinson, my predecessors at GWWC, and to all the team members who’ve come and gone over the years — staff, contractors, advisors, and volunteers — thank you for paving the way and contributing your talents to our mission.
• To the brilliant minds at GiveWell, Animal Charity Evaluators, Founders Pledge, Longview, EA Funds, Giving Green, Happier Lives Institute who evaluate charities and grants, and other applied research organisations like Rethink Priorities — your rigour, dedication, and expertise in evaluating and identifying opportunities for impact form the bedrock of effective giving.
• To Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld, not only for GiveWell (which was one of my first exposures also, and a resource that directs a lot of our efforts at GWWC) but for their vision in creating GiveWell Labs, which evolved into the transformative Open Philanthropy.
• To our supported programs and other high-impact charities (from the Against Malaria Foundation saving lives with bednets, to The Humane League improving animal welfare, to GovAI tackling existential risks and dozens more): you are doing the concrete work that makes countless lives better for all the world’s inhabitants for generations to come; we literally could not do what we do without you.
• To our funders, from institutional funders like Open Philanthropy, to giving circles like Meta Charity Funders, or the individual donors earning to give or those simply opting to “add 10% to support our work” — your trust in us to multiply your funding has been both humbling and motivating, plus the advice and guidance many of you have  given us along the way has also helped us grow (in many dimensions).
• To Dustin Moskovitz and the extremely small number of other exceptionally large donors putting their money where their mouth is, following in the footsteps of effectiveness-minded philanthropists like Bill Gates and then running even further with the idea — thank you for demonstrating that billionaire philanthropy can be far more than tax avoidance, vanity projects or parochialism, but instead a transformative force for good.
• To our GWWC groups, the Centre for Effective Altruism, 80,000 Hours, Probably Good, local and national and other varieties of EA groups, as well as workplace and professional impact-focused groups like High Impact Professionals — thank you for investing in curiosity & compassion, and building a movement of people who don’t just nerd out about doing good but actually follow through to take action.
• To the boards of Effective Ventures, GWWC’s founders, Max Dalton and Julia Wise who all took a chance on me for this role back in 2020 — thank you for trusting me and giving me this opportunity to be the custodian of a globally trusted brand that means so much to so many people (including myself).
• To the teams at EV Ops and Impact Ops for all your incredible support during our recent spin-out process, I cannot emphasise enough how impressed I’ve been throughout the process.
• To the EA Good Governance Project and the many individuals who made referrals, references, and reviews to build out our new boards  — your input has been crucial in preparing GWWC for this next chapter.
• To our community of effective giving fundraising organisations and pledge partners that I’ve loved to see growing and thriving over the past few years — Lucas, Sjir, James, Anne, Basti, Pablo, Bram, Jack, Joey, Jacintha, and SO many others — your collaboration and passion for growing our ecosystem has been a joy to witness and be part of.
• To our high profile members who’ve helped us reach many more people and used their audiences to drive good — Sam Harris, Rutger Bregman, Ali Abdaal, Peter Singer, Marcus Daniell, Chris Anderson, Liv Boeree, Kelsey Piper, Dylan Matthews, Hannah Ritchie, AJ Jacobs, and many others — your compassion and willingness to speak up and be an example for others makes a world of difference.
• To people I know well in the EA community (y’all know who you are) who’ve supported GWWC and me personally – especially those friends who’ve guided me and sparred with me on my impact journey. In particular, to my dearly departed best friend: your influence continues to shape my path in profound and frankly poignant ways. I’ll always cherish our conversations about life, the universe, and everything.
• To the broader EA community (many of whom I’ve never met or barely know personally) who continue to inspire me, challenge my views, and expand my horizons – from Eliezer Yudkowsky, who challenged me to fear an AI apocalypse, right through to Cameron Meyer Shorb (possibly the kindest person on the planet), who helped me learn to love shrimp.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Questions

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments, but just to pre-empt a few (some of which is restated from above, but easier to scan):

Q: Why are you leaving now?
A: It’s a combination of personal factors and feeling that GWWC is ready for new leadership. I’ve been through some challenging personal experiences recently, and I also want to spend more time with my new son. Additionally, with the completion of our spin-out from Effective Ventures, it felt like a natural juncture for a leadership transition. I also realised I’m ready for a change of scenery, potentially something more object-level or a chance to go deeper on a specific topic if I stay in philanthropy.

Q: What’s next for you?
A: In the short term, I’ll be focusing on my family and taking some time to recharge. Long-term, I remain committed to creating impact and will be exploring new ways to contribute effectively. I’ll be reassessing the causes I want to focus on and the types of roles that best suit my skills and circumstances.

Q: Will you stay involved with GWWC?
A: While I’m stepping back from day-to-day operations, GWWC will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll continue to be a proud member of the community and will support the organisation in whatever way is most helpful (e.g., advising, ensuring continuity of institutional knowledge, making introductions, or contributing to specific projects).

Q: How can we stay in touch?
A: I’ll still be around in EA spaces, and you can reach me here. I may write more about my experiences and reflections in the future, so stay tuned if you’re interested.

Q: Should we be worried about GWWC during this transition period?
A: Not at all. I have the utmost confidence in Sjir, the team, and the board. They’re an incredibly talented and dedicated group who have consistently demonstrated their ability to navigate challenges and drive GWWC forward. Part of the timing comes from seeing just how smoothly things went while I was on parental leave. I’m certain they’ll not just maintain GWWC’s growth but take it to new heights in the years to come. However, support is always appreciated in all the usual ways, especially with our ambitious target to hit 10,000 10% Pledges this year.

Q: How can I learn more about the CEO search?
A: GWWC has formed a search committee for the new CEO, which includes members from each of our boards from the new entities in the US, UK, and Canada. They can be reached at ceo-search@givingwhatwecan.org . The job description for the CEO position is available on the GWWC website, and I strongly encourage qualified candidates to apply.

These are crazy times with COVID19 and the health, work and daily life impact that’s had – and it’s still only early days.

We all process this it in different ways.

For me it turns out that music has been one of those ways.

Thank you to everyone who sent videos and audio tracks. The sound of your voices and sight of your faces warms my heart, picks me up, gives me hope.

I hope this song does that for you and helps us feel like we’re together in this, even when physically apart.

Special thanks:

• Elizabeth (Lead Vocals)
• Lisa (Lead Vocals)
• Serene (Tenor Ukulele Solo)
• Adam (Soprano Ukulele)
• Brent (Sax)
• Josien (Backing Vocals)
• James, Kerrie, Elizabeth, Imogen (lyric feedback)
• Mark, Levi, Trish, Gregory, Eliot Ainsley, August, Rufus, Szun, Neil, David, Walter & Judy, Jesse, Kira, Sarah, Imogen, Adam, Chelsea, Hugh, Sally, Bella (my wonderful virtual choir)

Communities often demand a constant source of nurturing for healthy maintenance and growth.

Meet-up events are a great way to do this but organising such events can be exhausting and time consuming. Especially, the complex ones that need preparation and a hired venue – speaker events, presentations and discussion groups, for instance.

A great strategy for relieving stress on the organisers, while maintaining the momentum and growth of your community, is to organise “attends” or “goes to” events.

These events don’t need you to curate the core content because someone else has already done the hard work.

Think of all the benefits:

• Low amount of effort to organise.
• Grow your community by mixing as a group with other people that are like you.
• Frequent events help in keeping the momentum up.
• You could come across partners for future events. Such as other local groups who’d want to run “attends” events to bring their community to your events.
• Reduce costs by getting group discounts, traveling together and avoiding the need to hire venue or equipment for your events.
• You can encourage other groups to attend your events by officially attending their events. A great way to cross-pollinate.

1. Find relevant events

Your community probably has a lot of overlap with other communities and things going on in your local area – or even ones you can travel to.

a) Attend regional or national events

If your group is (officially or unofficially) part of a bigger network of groups (e.g. a club, society, social movement) there’s likely bigger events being held in your city or in another city that your group could “officially” attend together.

You can save on hotels and transfers by sharing stay, travel and booking expenses.

b) Attend talks, discussions or conferences by other groups

Often there are adjacent groups to yours that have similar overlapping interests and topics.

You can easily find them on sites like Meetup, Eventbrite or Facebook.

If you get in touch there’s often an opportunity to partner with them or arrange for a group discount.

c) Films, shows, festivals

These are often much bigger than your own group and require little other than sometimes booking ahead, picking a time and showing up.

You can find them on listing sites that have choices from local government, cinemas, venues or chambers of commerce

This works the best when you have a central meeting point. You can use it to meet with your group for food and drinks before or after the central event.

d) Take part as a team in a sporting event, volunteering or a fundraiser

Find them by searching online or asking your community about the ongoing campaigns that they are already involved with.

2. Confirm a core group of people who will be able to attend the event

Use existing channels to post the event details such as Facebook, Meetup or email, tailored for your community.

Make sure to mention that this would be an externally organised event. Provide the details for booking tickets, travelling logistics, significance of the event to your community, who is the community point of contact and where will all the members meet before the official start time.

3. Show up, find each other, and enjoy it!

The hard easy work is done, and all you need to do is have fun!

 Later you can review the whole event. You could talk on how to improve the experience, and if such events could work out for your community in the future.

Examples

A quick Google search can show you how other groups are doing such kinds of events:

• seaDUXX attends: Women Talk Conferences (Seattle)
• EA Melbourne goes to EAGxAustralia 2017
• SoAp attends Lyric Movie: “Shape of Water”
• TTCG attends White Winds Wild West Show- Silverton
• CS4TX Attends Hello World Demo Day
• JuniorDev goes to DDD Melbourne
• Blockchain4good goes to ZUG!

Now, over to you…

So, will you organise such an event? Why or why not? If you do already, how do you do it? Share your thoughts, questions and experiences in the comments.

Everything has wrapped up with EAGxAustralia thanks to the help of my organising team and volunteers!

All up we had 330 people attending the keynote, 180 participants across the weekend, 32 speakers, 30 volunteers, and a further 20 people at the retreat – but more important than those numbers was the 88% of feedback survey respondents who made a change in their plans and expect to have an increased impact due to that change.

Feedback

The clear winner for participant satisfaction was the satisfaction with the other participants! Plus, one of the most common take aways was that participants want to be more involved with a community of like-minded people who are interested in effectively doing good and keen to focus on the importance of many different ideas.

Community

With all that excitement for community and learning in mind we strongly recommend getting involved with your local group, joining the Effective Altruists Facebook group, signing up to the Effective Altruism Newsletter (as well as your local group newsletter) and the 80,000 Hours newsletter.

Donations

A common question that came up is where to donate money. Effective Altruism is about asking the question “how can I do the most good with the time and resources I have” and there are many different answers to that, many of which are dependent on our values. However, many people in the EA community have spent a lot of time thinking about this and there are some good suggestions out there by GiveWell and the Centre for Effective Altruism.

Effective Altruism Australia also enables Australian donors to support effective, transparent and evidence-based poverty alleviation. Profits from EAGxAustralia 2017 will be donated to EAA and will support the work of organisations such as Evidence Action, GiveDirectly and Schistosomiasis Control Initiative.

If EAGxAustralia influenced your donations in any way please let us know.

Videos & Slides

The videos were all streamed live and are available on Facebook. If you’re after the slides from the presentations you can find them at eagxaustralia.com/slides

Photos

We’ve uploaded photos to the Facebook Page – please add any photos to the Facebook Event or email them to australia@eaglobalx.org and we’ll add them to the album.

What’s Next?

If you’re interested in being involved in another EAGxAustralia conference in 2018 please let us know here!

Every morning I remind myself of my personal life goal, my purpose as I currently define it.

So far I have only shared this goal with a few select people.

When I have shared it there always seems to be a follow-up question. A question that is just as important to me as the goal.

For the first time publicly I’m sharing both my goal and my answer to that common followup question.

Goal

I want to be a force for good in the world

Question

Okay, that sounds great… but how do you define ‘good’?

Answer

Good is something experienced by sentient beings when their flourishing is increased, suffering is reduced¹, rights protected and their agency balanced with the deterministic aspects of life. This is often achieved through a practice of virtuous behaviours and universal rules. It is ‘good’ to balance the competing goals of ‘goodness’ using rationality and critical inquiry. We experience ‘good’ as we engage with the richness of life in all it’s complexity, happiness, hardship and joy.

There is a lot packed into that definition and ‘being a force for good’ with that definition is an incredibly challenging goal that I’ll only ever be taking small steps towards – but it’s the kind of goal that keeps me honest.

The links in the definition are the best ones I can find right now, I plan to update them as time goes on. All of the aspects of ‘good’ packed into this statement are major premises that I would always love to talk about or be challenged on. To define them best I think I’ll need to write about what they mean to me and unpack it in further detail – for the sake of myself and for others.

This is my ‘draft’, my working definition. I look forward to its continuous development and seeing how it changes over time as I grow and as I am challenged.

Notes:

1. I linked to two articles on Utilitarianism when talking about flourishing and suffering, while I think maximising the former and minimising the latter is ultimately ‘better’ I only hold the weaker goal of increasing and reducing as something that’s feasible and required for ‘good’.