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| Raising for Effective Giving | |
|---|---|
| Name | Raising for Effective Giving |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Michael "Kosta" Kosta |
| Location | United States |
| Focus | Charitable fundraising, altruism |
Raising for Effective Giving
Raising for Effective Giving is a nonprofit charitable fundraising group founded to promote evidence‑based philanthropy among communities of gamers and content creators. It links high-profile streaming events and esports tournaments with causes supported by organizations in the global welfare, public health, and animal welfare sectors, seeking to translate popular culture momentum into directed philanthropic dollars.
Raising for Effective Giving operates at the intersection of livestreaming, competitive gaming, and impact philanthropy, partnering with influencers, teams, and event organizers such as Twitch (service), YouTube, DreamHack, ESL (company), and Major League Gaming. The group engages streamer communities linked to personalities like Jacksepticeye, Markiplier, PewDiePie, DrLupo (content creator), and event figures from The Game Awards and ELeague to marshal donations toward vetted charities including GiveWell, The Against Malaria Foundation, GiveDirectly, The Humane League, and Schistosomiasis Control Initiative. By coordinating with platforms such as Discord (software) and services like Tiltify and JustGiving, it facilitates peer fundraising across international audiences in regions like United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Sweden.
The organization was initiated in 2014 amid growth of livestream charity marathons exemplified by events such as Awesome Games Done Quick and Desert Bus for Hope. Founders and early organizers drew on networks cultivated through tournaments at DreamHack and community drives associated with creators from Rooster Teeth and Smosh. Early collaborations referenced evaluation approaches popularized by GiveWell and philanthropic movements like Effective altruism and organizations such as Open Philanthropy Project and 80,000 Hours. Growth accelerated through partnerships with esports circuits involving Team Liquid, Fnatic, Cloud9, and fundraising integrations with platforms like TwitchCon.
The group promotes prioritization of cost‑effectiveness and measurable outcomes when selecting charities, aligning with principles advanced by Peter Singer (philosopher), William MacAskill, and institutions including Centre for Effective Altruism and The Good Food Institute. It emphasizes randomized trial evidence, burden‑of‑disease metrics, and scalable interventions favored by evaluators such as Evidence Action and Innovations for Poverty Action. Fund allocation decisions reference global health successes like Smallpox eradication and anti‑malaria programs supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, while also engaging with animal advocacy priorities raised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Humane Society International. The philosophy synthesizes influencer outreach models seen in campaigns like Red Nose Day and Comic Relief with technical appraisal methods used by RAND Corporation and Cochrane (organization).
Raising for Effective Giving organizes recurring charity drives, tournaments, and fundraiser streams integrated into events such as E3 (expo), Gamescom, and PAX (event), collaborating with creators affiliated with Syndicate (gamer), Ninja (streamer), Pokimane, and LIRIK. It runs donor advisories, publicity campaigns, and education modules referencing research from Harvard University, University of Oxford, and think tanks like Brookings Institution. The group also curates charity shortlists informed by analyses from GiveWell, Animal Charity Evaluators, and Founders Pledge, and uses tools and payment processors associated with PayPal, Stripe (company), and crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter (for allied projects). Additional activities include workshops at conferences such as Effective Altruism Global and panels hosted with nonprofits like Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières, and CARE International.
Advocates cite funds raised for interventions supported by Against Malaria Foundation and GiveDirectly and note visibility gains among younger donors familiar with esports and streaming culture. External evaluations reference donation volumes in relation to events like Summer Game Fest and collaborations with creators tied to Charity: Water and World Wildlife Fund. Critics question reliance on popularity metrics over long‑term programmatic oversight and raise concerns similar to debates around celebrity philanthropy and platform governance seen in controversies involving YouTube ad controversies and content moderation disputes with Twitch; others point to tensions between effective‑giving recommendations and humanitarian funding priorities advocated by organizations such as UNICEF and World Health Organization. Academic critiques drawing on work from Stanford University and London School of Economics examine tradeoffs between impact calculation and community‑driven giving.
The organization functions as a volunteer‑led nonprofit with a core coordination team, board advisors, and event volunteers, interfacing with legal and fiscal sponsors including fiscal sponsors modeled on structures used by 501(c)(3), Charity Navigator benchmarks, and grantmaking practices common to foundations like Open Philanthropy Project and MacArthur Foundation. Revenue streams include direct donations, event proceeds, sponsorships from gaming companies such as Razer (company), Logitech, and Corsair, and payment processing through partners like Tiltify and PayPal Giving Fund. Governance incorporates community feedback channels on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Discord (software) and seeks external evaluation consistent with standards used by GuideStar and CharityWatch.