At Edyssey we proudly donate part of our profits to charity every time you buy a course.Like us, the majority of people are inspired to make a difference when they see injustice in the world around them, but actually figuring out a way to make a positive difference can be difficult, to say the least. That's why we use the concept of effective altruism, which uses evidence and reason to define how people can help others as best as possible.Therefore, when we choose to donate to a charity, we put it through a serious vetting process. We want to ensure the charity is doing as much as they can with the money they get and that their cause aligns with our values as a company.That means, every time you support us, you in turn support charities that are making a major difference.
Finding a Cause to Focus On
Most of us simply don't realize how rich we are. The average person earning a professional salary in a high-income country like the United States is typically within the top 5% globally. This relative wealth gives us a wonderful opportunity to do major good, if we use it effectively.
With so many issues plaguing the world, one of the first challenges in making a difference can simply be choosing a cause to contribute too. Effective Altruism researchers have created the following framework to help:
● Choose a cause that's great in scale, meaning it affects many lives and it does so to a great degree.
● Choose a cause that's neglected, meaning not many other people are working to address it.
● Choose a cause that's highly tractable or solvable, meaning devoting resources to it will make a major impact.
Using this framework, the Effective Altruism movement has quickly come up with a number of causes that seem highly impactful.
Choosing a Charity
Effective altruism provides great guidance when it comes to choosing a charity to support that aligns with an impactful cause. As we have said donating money is one of the easiest ways to help any cause, so long as you're donating to the right organizations. There are countless charities out there that work tirelessly to do more good.
As an individual, you can defer the vetting process to experts by going through Effective Altruism Funds, which donates to one of four major causes. Within each cause, an specialist in that field chooses an organization that would most effectively use the donations. Alternatively, you could do your own research through organisations such as GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, Animal Charity Evaluators and Giving What We Can which look at charities working in the fields such as global health and development.
Another method you could use is finding a list of organizations that have received grants from programs like Open Philanthropy or another grant maker that utilizes the principles of effective altruism. Any of these approaches can help you track down the right charities to give too.
Supporting Causes Second-Hand
Whether you're in a position to give directly to charities or not, supporting businesses that give a portion of the profits to good causes is a great start. To learn more about our charitable giving, click here.