Effective altruism
GiveWell.org, a site that conducts in-depth research to determine how much nonprofits and foundations actually accomplish (in terms of lives saved, lives improved, etc.) per dollar spent. This avoids the problem of most other charity “rankers,” which look at low admin and overhead costs as a flawed proxy for “efficient.” Of course, if a charity is
... See moreTimothy Ferriss • Tools Of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers
the most effective, substantial package consists of two interventions that can deliver an astounding $87 of social benefits back on every dollar spent.
Bjorn Lomborg • Best Things First
First, Optimal Kickstarter only funds public goods: successful projects are made freely available to all. Second, Optimal Kickstarter has a benevolent patron who supplements the contributions of the crowd in a pre-specified formula. When you fund a project through Optimal Kickstarter, it essentially lets you buy support for a project with someone e... See more
Matt Clancy • Optimal Kickstarter
This work is also a quest for answers to a personal question, which, it turns out, is close to Simmel’s question. What causes certain people – often at different stages in their lives – to undertake altruistic, if not saintly, activity, whether through philanthropy, social work, NGO activism or political resolve?