For this post, a number of GiveWell staff members volunteered to share the thinking behind their personal donations for the year. We’ve published similar posts in previous years.1See our staff giving posts from 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013. jQuery(‘#footnote_plugin_tooltip_16165_1_1’).tooltip({ tip: ‘#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_16165_1_1’, tipClass: ‘footnote_tooltip’, effect: ‘fade’, predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: ‘top right’, relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); Staff are listed alphabetically by first name.
You can click the links to jump to a staff member’s entry: Araceli Steger, Calum Best, Devin Jacob, Elie Hassenfeld, Jeremy Rehwaldt, Kameron Smith, Katie Skoff, Lauren Imholte, Lisa McCandless, Lucy McNamara, Maggie Lloydhauser, Matthew Kertman, Paige Henchen, Sai Jahann, Sarah Eustis-Guthrie, Tori Shepard, Teryn Mattox.
Araceli Steger (Head of People)
My family’s giving increased this year, both locally (in the Chicago area) and globally. We continued our contributions to organizations we have personal experiences with, particularly in our local community, organizations our family and friends are close to, and organizations that support those impacted by government shifts. We increased our contribution to GiveWell’s All Grants Fund as a result of seeing the impact of our team’s work firsthand; I love demonstrating my support for our work beyond my employment and I am proud to work at an organization that is committed to doing good in the world.
Calum Best (Chief of Staff)
About 80% of my annual giving went to charities that promote the wellbeing of non-human animals:
Animal Charity Evaluators funds charities that decrease the suffering of farmed animals.
The Good Food Institute tries to speed up the development of alternative proteins, pushing the world toward a food system that’s less reliant on farmed animals.
I’ve distributed the remaining 20% in small donations to a few organizations that are working on technical research, policy initiatives, and education to make the development of transformative AI technology less risky.
I also signed the 10% Pledge this year after paying down some debt and thinking through a few personal concerns about making a long-term financial commitment. If you’re considering the pledge and want to talk through your hesitations, let me know—I’d be happy to chat!
Devin Jacob (Data and Technology Project Manager)
My charitable donations in the past year have been a bit scattershot. Despite working at GiveWell for many years, over time I have done less to optimize or track my individual donations. I now prefer to give as the impulse arises. I have several active monthly donations, ensuring a baseline of giving to causes and programs I support, but I don’t track my