Effective Altruism and charity fun runs

A friend of mine recently decided to do a run on behalf of an HIV/AIDS charity. It's a cause that means a lot to him as a member of the LGBTQ community. He mentioned the run to me, but said he knew I probably wouldn't donate, because I am part of the Effective Altruism community.

Effective Altruism is about doing as much good as you can, using reason and evidence. For example, here's an article that describes different HIV/AIDS charities. The most cost-effective HIV/AIDS charity can provide an estimated 27 years of healthy life for each $1000 donation; the least cost-effective charity provides less than 1 additional year of healthy life.

I find this logic really compelling! I set aside a part of my income each year and I try to make sure that money does as much good as possible. But I still donate to my friends' fundraisers and don't see that as contradictory.

The truth is, donating to this fundraiser didn't come from the "charity" part of my budget; it came from the "friendship" part. There's always been a certain amount of money that I'm willing to give to a friend if they ask - right now it's about £10. If I'm at a bar with a friend, I'll buy them a beer without worrying about them paying me back. If I split an Uber with someone and the ride costs less than £20, I'd normally tell my friend not to worry about it, they can get it next time. I see charity fundraisers the same way. If I'm happy to buy you a beer or cover your portion of the Uber, why wouldn't I donate £5 or £10 to your fundraiser for a cause you care a lot about?

I think the principles of Effective Altruism are important and I'm glad to see more people taking charity evaluation seriously. But I won't refuse to donate to a good cause just because it's not the most cost-effective in the world. You can hit me up to sponsor your charity fun run anytime - just don't expect me to be any more generous than your other friends!

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