Look into matching donations - If you’re gonna give money to charity anyway, you should see if you can get your employer to match your gift. Thousands of employers will match donations to qualified non-profits. When you get free money—you should take it.
If GiveWell’s cost-benefit calculations are remotely right, you should downplay matching donations even more than just making this item second-last. I fear that matching donations are so easy to think about that they will distract people from picking good charities.
I think you and Louie may be talking about two different kinds of matching donations. The GiveWell post is about an employer matching donations only to a specific charity. Some employers will hold this sort of pledge drive, particularly in the wake of an especially harmful natural disaster.
However, many employers will match donations, up to a certain level, to any qualified (e.g., 501(c)(3)) charity; I believe one can find such employers by searching the database linked by Louie.
I think if people are already here, it’s more than safe to mention matching donation programs. It could actually really help motivate people. I know it helped me a lot in the past.
I once donated $3k (the limit of my previous employer’s matching program) to local service charities in Austin, TX. The only reason I started investigating charitable giving in the first place was because I found the info about the matching program buried in the packet of info I got from HR when I was hired (which I got around to looking through 6 months after starting). My goal at the time was barely altruistic. It was some mix of “Cool, I can get $3,000 in extra money! I just need to find something else besides myself that I care about.” and “Wow, I work for a government defense contractor. I know what they will spend that $3,000 on if I don’t find something better!”.
I don’t think Less Wrong or Give Well existed at the time. My search for a good cause probably ended prematurely, but it still marked the beginning of a search for something outside of myself that I cared about.
Also, even though searching through information about giving to charity and strongly considering giving did almost nothing for me, actually giving that $6,000 changed everything about how I saw myself.
Oh, oops, we were talking about different things. I think you’re right to mention matching donations (especially after hearing your anecdote), but I wonder if there’s room for a warning like, “It’s more important to pick the right charity than to get someone to match your donation. (Do both if you can, of course.)”
Thank you for this post! One thing:
If GiveWell’s cost-benefit calculations are remotely right, you should downplay matching donations even more than just making this item second-last. I fear that matching donations are so easy to think about that they will distract people from picking good charities.
I think you and Louie may be talking about two different kinds of matching donations. The GiveWell post is about an employer matching donations only to a specific charity. Some employers will hold this sort of pledge drive, particularly in the wake of an especially harmful natural disaster.
However, many employers will match donations, up to a certain level, to any qualified (e.g., 501(c)(3)) charity; I believe one can find such employers by searching the database linked by Louie.
Upvoted for pointing out why people who I agree with were disagreeing with me.
I think if people are already here, it’s more than safe to mention matching donation programs. It could actually really help motivate people. I know it helped me a lot in the past.
I once donated $3k (the limit of my previous employer’s matching program) to local service charities in Austin, TX. The only reason I started investigating charitable giving in the first place was because I found the info about the matching program buried in the packet of info I got from HR when I was hired (which I got around to looking through 6 months after starting). My goal at the time was barely altruistic. It was some mix of “Cool, I can get $3,000 in extra money! I just need to find something else besides myself that I care about.” and “Wow, I work for a government defense contractor. I know what they will spend that $3,000 on if I don’t find something better!”.
I don’t think Less Wrong or Give Well existed at the time. My search for a good cause probably ended prematurely, but it still marked the beginning of a search for something outside of myself that I cared about.
Also, even though searching through information about giving to charity and strongly considering giving did almost nothing for me, actually giving that $6,000 changed everything about how I saw myself.
Oh, oops, we were talking about different things. I think you’re right to mention matching donations (especially after hearing your anecdote), but I wonder if there’s room for a warning like, “It’s more important to pick the right charity than to get someone to match your donation. (Do both if you can, of course.)”
Sorry, I have to disagree on matching donations.
By switching a matching donation from third-world aid to existential risk mitigation, you do double your impact.
Oh, we agree, I was just unclear about my objection. Fixed.