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David Risher
@davidrisherWR
Pres. & Co-Founder, , and 1/2 of #HalfMyDAF. Let's put more charitable money to work. Love great writing. Don't love “effective altruism” or cheese
San Francisco, CAhalfmydaf.comJoined September 2010

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Thank you to for highlighting new work in the US. Readers build a better world!
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.@JennaBushHager spotlights the work of @worldreaders, which has used tech to get books into the hands of millions of kids around the world, and promotes reading to kids in underserved “book deserts” across America. #ReadAcrossAmericaDay 📚
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In the end, giving should be expressive and energizing. The more you do, the more you’ll get out of it and the more impact you’ll have. Don’t be afraid of some trial and error. Just get started. You’ll be glad you did.
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Step 3: Once you think you know, give more. Make large, multi-year pledges. Make them unrestricted. And along the way, listen, learn, and give advice if you’d like. The more you engage, the more you’ll enjoy the process. Or don’t— that’s OK too.
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Step 2: Start giving to an org or two that looks like it’s addressing what you care about. Don’t stress too much about which one. You won’t know for sure at first. But over time, as you get to know them, you’ll figure it out.
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+1. “Philanthropy is hard” is something people who want philanthropy to seem hard say. Want to know how to make philanthropy easy so you can help change the world? There are only three steps.
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An important narrative to understand (and, yes, philanthropic advisors like @BridgespanGroup can contribute to "philanthropy is hard" narrative, too.) Sometimes it takes deep analysis & thinking, but sometimes that's a diversion that simply enables delay.philanthropy.com/article/jeff-b
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Sitting at Starbucks overhearing 3 (!) confident, overachieving students interview for Stanford. Parents: An urgent message for your kids today. Two people are at the table. Both have interesting lives. Don't just talk. Listen. We've got 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason.
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Got Alexa? Want to change the world this holiday season? Get close to your speaker and hit ▶️ below. You’ll be asked if you wanna make a $20 donation to . They’ll put your $$ to work & send you a report on where your funds went. It’s friggin’ magic!
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We are so *massively* underestimating the impact that AI is going to have on writing and creating. Here's the prompt: A short story about a lion and a zebra who become friends.” Here's what came out, untweaked. Woah.
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You've heard the stat: 6 in 10 ten-year-olds can't understand a simple story. That's a disaster: kids can't reach their potential if they can't read. Take this 2-question quiz to see for yourself. Then consider a gift to to get kids reading. All gifts matched today!
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We're in a reading crisis. 64% of 10-year-olds can’t read and understand a simple story — can you? Take this quick quiz to find out. After quizzing, share it with a friend to raise awareness of the reading crisis and help get children reading. worldreader.org/worldreader-qu
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If you're a donor, pick a cause that touches your heart, find 1 or 2 orgs in the sector doing good work, and just give what you can. Or stretch a little. You'll get even more out of it. BTW, how do you know if they're doing good work? Call them! You'll know in 30 minutes.
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"What if I give $10K to a nonprofit with less-than-max impact? Will I go to charity hell?" donors ask... as they write a $1M check to invest in NewCoolFund based on a friend's recommendation over lunch. (Sorry for the snark, but it's true.) So what to do?
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And the final 30%? Sorry, effective altruism fans, but that one movement-- which sounds so awesome in theory-- has really messed up the sector. Why? Because it hyper-intellectualizes giving so much that folks are paralyzed.
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It's easy and right to blame donors for inaction or hoarding, but that's about 20% of the problem. 50% stems from DAF sponsors with every incentive to build assets, and none to shrink them. Fido alone makes $100M+ in fees. The've got the data. Their inaction needs more focus.
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