This is an introduction/hub article for a sequence of articles on Charity Organizations and EA.

In this series of articles, I will try as best as I can to summarize what, in my experience, are the low-hanging fruits for EA to pick from these organizations, and simultaneously where might be opportunities for EA to impact these organizations, and create change. I highly invite comments, especially from those who had experiences with organizations I did not, to contribute to our collective learning.

TLDR: International Charity Organizations have powerful leverage on several fronts (local knowledge, membership, funding...) that we can easily reach out to; this is severely underutilized as a strategy. Reaching out to them in the form of newsletters, speeches, or joining their ranks to participate from the inside are all low-cost/high-benefit interventions.

What are Charity Organizations

I have spent nearly a decade in the "Rotary Family", more specifically Rotaract, the youth club for those aged 18-30. Coming from a developing country, Rotary Foundation and Rotary, in general, are quite famous for their projects - although I have recently learned that this is not the case everywhere. Many attendees at EAGx Prague did not know of or even heard of Rotary, Lions, Freemasons (yes, those), Kiwanis, and others. There are more "corporate" charities that are more famous, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent, PETA, as well as numerous local, religious, or simply humanitarian organizations in each country, each with its own degree of impact. There are also different international student organizations, such as AIESEC and IAESTE which gather a lot of the same talent that EA might want to attract among students.

I do not support all of the above-listed organizations, but you have to hand it to them - they might not do maximum good, but they are doing well. Some of these organizations are over a hundred years old, have millions of members, and have chapters in almost every country in the world. They are real shakers, especially in developing countries, where EA has the fewest percentage of members currently. They also possess sizable funds, brand recognition, and local knowledge (metis) that EA could gain from utilizing.

The case for intervention

I have explained the reach and importance of the above organizations, but why should EA concern itself with them, rath...

Learning what we can from Non-EA Altruist Organizations