 Help Charity Science match donations for the Christmas 2015 fundraiser.
The holiday season is near, which means we at Charity Science are once again gearing up for our annual Christmas fundraiser. This campaign has become one of our most prolific methods of raising money for effective charities with an over 1000% return on investment, and that’s thanks in part to our inclusion of a counterfactual match guarantee, meaning for every dollar that is raised, another dollar is committed to the cause. This may at first seem to be a trivial gesture, but a closer look reveals it’s much more than that. We’ve found that donors find motivation in partnership. Take, for example, one of our fundraisers from last year who has noted he would not have run a fundraiser that earned over $25,000 if not for the match guarantee. It’s symbiosis in action. Our goal at Charity Science is to harness the momentum that can be achieved through a partnership between donors and matchers. Logistically, this means we must have matchers in place to be the motivators. This is the first line in a dialogue that might go something like this: Matcher: “If you go to the gym, I’ll go with you.” Donor: “Alright, fine. I’ll go.” Matcher: “OK, then I’ll go too.” Everybody else: “What a great idea! Let’s all go.” As the matcher instigates the process, this is where we must begin. And this is where we call on you. In order to see the kind of success we’ve seen in the past, we need EAs to pledge a counterfactual match to GiveWell charities for the Charity Science Christmas campaign. If you’d like to do so, simply sign up here. By focusing on global poverty, you’re funneling in money from donors that may otherwise been given to non-EA charities (or no charities at all). Considering the multiplier effect, a strong case can be made that participating in our fundraiser through matching will give you the biggest bang for your buck. It’s important to note that this is not merely speculation. Our metric for measuring the success of fundraisers is not simply the amount that’s donated, but the amount that wouldn’t have been donated otherwise. And that success has been substantial. So to ensure this continues, we will be asking donors and matchers where their money would have gone. Consider participating in Charity Science’s Christmas fundraiser. Whether you’re pledging $50 or $50,000, remember that by doing so, your impact is even greater than your contribution. Pledge to match here.  If you’re familiar with our work, you’re probably aware that we are part of a community whose goal is to improve the world in the most effective way possible. But what if you could extend that commitment beyond your life? We’re talking about your legacy, the “you” that you leave behind.
With this idea in mind, we just introduced a new way to give! The incentive? We’ll write your will for free if you are willing to leave money to the most effective charities as determined by the charity evaluator GiveWell. Our goal is to make the will-writing process as easy as possible, because let’s face it, writing one is easy to put off. It’s easy to leave it until tomorrow (or next week or next year) because no one ever expects the unthinkable to happen. But if we can make the process so easy that it takes between five and ten minutes, are there any good reasons not to do it? Even if you’re not exactly sure what you want in your will, it’s still better to have one than not. And it’s always possible to go back and change it later. Even better, we’ll do our best to personalize your will. In addition to your donation to the most effective charities (to any degree you see fit), we can include:
Also note: while we are happy to help you out with the details of your will, we also understand that having details ready to run with is a tall order, so we can alternatively provide you with a simple will that you can build over time. Further, if you already have a will, we can help you write something called a codicil, which acts as an amendment or an addition to your will. There’s really no downside here. Consider these final points:
So without spending a dime, you can simultaneously make sure that you’re covered in the event of an unlikely tragedy and secure a legacy that will create a better world for many others. And it starts with only 5 to 10 minutes of your time. While you’re at it, why not talk to your friends and family about it? Remember, lots of people donate to charities in their will, but not enough donate to effective charities. Imagine the impact we could make if people knew the best way to give. Give it a shot here. And remember, if this doesn’t appeal to you then there are other ways to take action. You can always run a fundraiser for Christmas, your birthday or any event you’d like. |
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December 2016
You also might be interested in our operations blog that details: our month to month organizational progress, the more technical ideas we have, and our board meeting minutes
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