Edit: We have extended the deadline to June 4th and reduced our expected time requirement.

We’re looking for nominations to the boards of trustees of Effective Ventures Foundation (UK) (“EV UK”) and Effective Ventures Foundation USA, Inc. (“EV US”). If you or someone you know might be interested, please fill out one of these forms [apply, nominate someone]. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, with a deadline of June 4th.

EV UK and EV US work together to host and fiscally sponsor many key projects in effective altruism, including the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA), 80,000 Hours, Giving What We Can, and EA Funds.^[1] You can read more about the structure of the organisations in this post.

The current trustees of EV UK are Claire Zabel, Nick Beckstead, Tasha McCauley, and Will MacAskill. The current trustees of EV US are Eli Rose, Nick Beckstead, Nicole Ross, and Zachary Robinson.

Who are we looking for?

We’re particularly looking for people who:

• Have a good understanding of effective altruism and/or longtermism 
• Have a track record of integrity and good judgement, and who more broadly embody these guiding principles of effective altruism
• Have experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Accounting, law, finance or risk management
  • Management or other senior role in a large organisation, especially a non-profit
• Are able to work collaboratively in a high-pressure environment

We think the role will require significant time and attention, though we expect it to vary depending on the needs of the organisation. Trustees should be ready to commit ~2-3hrs/wk to the role on a regular basis, though they should also be prepared to scale up their involvement from time to time in the case of urgent decisions requiring board response.

We especially encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply, and we especially encourage applications from people of colour, self-identified women, and non-binary individuals who are excited about contributing to our mission. 

The role is currently unpaid, but we are investigating whether this can and should be changed. We will share here if we change this policy while the application is still open. 

The role is remote, though we strongly prefer someone who is able to make meetings in times that are reasonable hours in both the UK and California. 

What does an EV UK or EV US trustee do?

As a member of either of the boards, you have ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the charity of which you are a trustee fulfils its charitable objectives as best it can. In practice, most strategic and programmatic decision-making is delegated to the ED / CEOs of the projects, or to the Interim CEO of the relevant entity. (This general board philosophy is in accordance with the thoughts expressed in this post by Holden Karnofsky.)

During business as usual times, we expect the primary activities of a trustee to be:

• Assessing the performance of EDs / CEOs of the fiscally sponsored projects, and the (interim) CEO of the relevant entity.
• Appointing EDs / CEOs of the fiscally sponsored projects, or the (interim) CEO of the relevant entity, in case of change.
• Evaluating and deciding on high-level issues that impact the relevant organisation as a whole.
• Reviewing budgets and broad strategic plans for the relevant organisation.
• Evaluating the performance of the board and whether its composition could be improved (e.g. by adding in a trustee with underrepresented skills or experiences).

However, since the bankruptcy of FTX in November last year, the boards have been a lot more involved than usual. This is partly because there have been many more decisions which have to be coordinated at an entity level, rather than at the project level. It is also because there are important questions around how the two charities and their projects have been affected and what changes should follow. 

As such, we expect that the role for incoming trustees will be more involved than typical nonprofit board positions for at least the coming months, with particular focus on governance and high-level direction-setting for each organisation.

Why should you apply?

It’s a pivotal time at EV UK and EV US: Many of the issues the boards need to consider in the coming year will have long-lasting effects. These decisions will include major issues concerning the structure of both entities, the boards, and their projects. 

This means that as a trustee, you have the potential to make a major impact on the charity which you are a part of and thus on EA as a whole.

How can you apply or nominate someone? 

If you or someone you know would like to sit on the EV UK or EV US board of trustees, please fill out one of these forms [apply, nominate someone]. Applications will close on June 4th and will be assessed on a rolling basis. 

Following the initial application, we expect successful candidates to go through ~2 interviews with current trustees and a series of background and reference checks, though this may vary in particular cases. We may also add a work test or other additional steps if we feel it's necessary to select the best candidate, though we don’t currently plan to.  

1. ^{^}

    EV UK and EV US were previously known as CEA and CEA (US) respectively. This was changed to avoid confusion with the project that goes by the same name. EV UK and EV US work closely together, but they have their own separate boards.