Every fall and spring, I make a Meetups Everywhere post to try to signal-boost and support them.
asserted
I → make → them
This summer, I want to focus on college effective altruist groups in particular.
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I → want → groups
Many colleges1 have effective altruist meetup groups or clubs.
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colleges1 → have → groups
They range from fun social gatherings of like-minded individuals, to serious organizations working hard to build a better world; most are both at once.
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most → range → world
They have to replenish their ranks each fall as seniors leave and new freshmen enter.
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freshmen → have → ranks
This year, they’re trying especially hard.
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they → try → ?
The AGI clock is ticking, and the movement wants to build up capacity as quickly as it can.
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it → tick → capacity
At the same time, it’s flush with new resources as newly-minted AI millionaires and billionaires donate their fortunes.
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millionaires → ’ → fortunes
Its big bottleneck is now finding the talented, value-aligned, motivated people who can convert that money into good outcomes.
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who → find → outcomes
And since those people are probably all busy doing other things, they’ve asked me to recruit you instead.
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they → do → you
I’ll give the real pitch (including caveats) on a later thread.
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I → give → thread
Many colleges already have an EA group (these people should get in touch with us so we can signal-boost their meetup), but many don’t.
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many → have → meetup
We want ACX readers in EA-group-less colleges to volunteer to host meetups.
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readers → want → meetups
We (ACX and an effective altruist organization called Nest who are sponsoring this) will give you free advertising and cover your costs.
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who → call → costs
Then you can either have a fun one-off social event with other ACX readers, or decide to convert it into something bigger.
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you → have → something
Representatives from existing college EA meetup groups: please fill out the organizer form with information on a meetup that we can direct ACX readers at your college to.
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we → exist → college
Please try to make that meetup fun and low-commitment, with at most a five minute recruitment pitch.
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meetup → try → pitch
Representatives from existing college rationality, AI safety, or ACX groups: you would also be good people to host this if your college doesn’t have an official EA group.
asserted
college → exist → group
You should fill out the organizer form too.
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You → fill → form
If your college doesn’t already have an EA group (and if there’s any ambiguity, you should assume they don’t and you’re needed), please consider hosting a meetup!
asserted
you → have → meetup
The minimum viable effort is to fill out the organizer form with a date, time, and place, then show up there holding a sign.
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effort → fill → sign
If you want to know more than the minimum, answers to frequently asked questions below.
1.
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you → want → questions
How do I know if my college already has an effective altruist group or club?
asserted
college → know → group
You might be able to find it on this list, or in your college’s group/club directory.
uncertain
You → find → directory
If you’re at all uncertain, err on the side of applying anyway.
asserted
you → ’re → side
We’ll sort everything out and there’s no risk that you accidentally duplicate meetups at your college.
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you → sort → college
How do I know if I would be a good meetup organizer?
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I → know → ?
If you can put a name/time/date in a box on Google Forms and show up there, you have the minimum skill necessary to be a meetup organizer for your college, and I recommend you volunteer.
asserted
you → put → college
Don’t worry, your volunteering won’t take the job away from someone more deserving.
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volunteering → worry → someone
The form will ask people how excited/qualified they are about being an organizer, and if there are many options, then we’ll choose the most excited/qualified among them.
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we → ask → them
But a lot of universities might not have an excited/qualified person, in which case I would rather the unexcited/unqualified people sign up, rather than have nobody available at all.
uncertain
people → have → nobody
You don’t have to be a student.
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You → have → ?
If you’re a grad student, a postdoc, faculty, or a townie who lives near a campus with no group, sign up anyway, and say which you are on the form.
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you → ’re → form
How will people hear about the meetup?
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people → hear → meetup
You give me the information, and sometime around the end of August, I’ll post it on ACX.
asserted
I → give → ACX
An event will also be created on LessWrong’s Community page and on the EA Forum.
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event → create → Forum
When should I plan the meetup for?
asserted
I → plan → meetup
Since I’ll post the list of meetup times and dates at the end of August, please choose sometime after that.
asserted
I → post → that
Weekday evenings tend to work better than weekends on campuses, since a lot of students go home or get absorbed by other things on Saturdays.
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lot → tend → Saturdays
You’ll probably get more attendance if you schedule for at least one week out, but not so far out that people forget — so mid-September is best, and it has the additional advantage of landing while first-years are still actively looking for things to join.
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years → get → things
…and 45 more, not listed.
