Thanks for your question! :) Training on fundraising is a key part of the program. We show what funder types and specific organizations work best for the different stages of a charity - from startup, to medium-sized NGO, to large-scale organization. Building a large base of donors is less of a priority for new charities, so approaches like crowdfunding are covered less. The main focus for early-stage organizations is on high-net worth individuals and venture philanthropy, so our advice and exercises focus on these. 

I definitely see a case for EAs working in larger organizations and shaping policy. Some exposure to hierarchical and political settings might also be valuable for charity entrepreneurs. It helps you see the world from the perspective of a public servant or politician. Of course, this perspective can also be gained as an outsider, but it is sometimes easier to experience it firsthand. For individuals interested mostly in charity entrepreneurship as opposed to policy, I would not recommend my former career path and suggest moving into entrepreneurship more immediately.

Thanks for your question, Jonas! In addition to the usual EA literature, the book “Poor Economics” by the recent Nobel prize winners Duflo and Banerjee had a considerable impact on me, as it makes a convincing case that global poverty can be fought with a more pragmatic and science-based approach. I also noticed that despite working for larger institutions early in my career I enjoyed the creative and experimental work at startups. The challenge of getting from 0 to maybe 50-80% implementation of a project is one that I enjoy, as it usually consists of hands-on work across multiple disciplines. I was also lucky to have met my partners in crime Svetha and Prat when I started my entrepreneurial journey at New Incentives.

Hi Matt, we are optimistic that a remote program would provide a similar value as the in-person program. Many of the project-based work happens in pairs, which translates well into the online world. Several charities, including CE incubatees, already operate remotely.

We are currently redesigning the curriculum to make it fully remote-compatible. As you have seen here, the core content of the program will be published in a freely available online handbook anyhow, so we don’t have to translate a lot of content to online courses and are ready to take any necessary steps. A final decision on the program’s format will be taken in the next few weeks.

Thanks for your interest in the program, Vitor! Our team supports participants in securing visas, e.g. through letters of recommendation. We don’t have the capacity to manage the full process though. Based on our past experience, we are optimistic that we can solve visa issues in most cases.

Indeed, Michael. Initially, you are a Jack of all trades and might work on high-level strategy, fundraising but also office logistics and IT issues on a given day (see the section unglamorous work here). As time progresses, you hand over more and more of your tasks to employees or contractors and focus on your organization’s strategy, recruitment, and management.

Exactly. I co-coordinated the campaign last year. We are currently following up with high-impact NGOs and city officials to contribute to effective implementation where possible. We are also looking into scaling the initiative in additional Swiss cities.

The best resource for this question is our Idea Prioritization Reports. They summarize the roughly top ten interventions our research team is currently looking at in detail.

See the reports for family planning, animal welfare, health and development policy, as well as mental health and happiness. Alternatively, you can get an overview in our summary of CE’s 2020 research plans.

Good question, Michael. We are laser-focused on research in our four focus areas at the moment, so could not recommend any particular outside interventions. In general, we would recommend applying with ideas that are evidence-based, cost-effective, and neglected.