The future of earning to give

Abstract

Earning to Give (ETG) should be the default strategy for most Effective Altruists (EAs), as there are ample funding opportunities remaining for the foreseeable future. Five years ago, EA goals were largely constrained by funding rather than vetting and talent, but since then, the latter two have become increasingly important. While some have suggested that this downplays the importance of ETG, it has actually gone too far. As long as donors are careful and take into account some degree of uncertainty in evaluating charities, ETG remains valuable. There are many causes that could productively use more money, such as prizes for medical advances, measures to make drugs more affordable, and global warming mitigation. Even if some of these causes are intractable, they are still likely to offer room for improvement. Additionally, there is potential for major funders to step up and address some of these causes, but it is still likely that there will be a trillion dollars or more in opportunities remaining for some time to come. – AI-generated abstract.