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Entrepreneurship is also an option to tackle important problems directly. Through Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk is accelerating the transition to fossil-free transport and cheaper space travel. It can reduce the risk of climate disasters and contribute to an earlier colonization of space. The latter has the potential to increase humanity’s chances of surviving a disaster on Earth.
If there is a lack of effective non-profit organizations in important areas, one possibility is to start them up, so-called charity entrepreneurship . In the past decade, several foundations have been established to fund evidence-based health efforts, such as the Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Open Philanthropy Project. They often lack projects that meet their criteria. If you can build up the skills required, you could get tens of millions in funding.
There are more examples of non-profit organizations that have started in recent years to solve important problems. The Good Food Institute works to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable food system and Rethink Priorities is a think tank that maps the best ways to make the world a better place.
Annica started Effectively to improve organizations’ impact measurement
Annica has a degree from Stockholm School of Economics and previously worked as a management consultant and impact measurement manager in the non-profit sector. In the latter role, she was struck by the lack of proper evaluations.
“I was concerned about how much resources were put into interventions without knowing if they worked, and surprised at how low a priority was given to impact measurement. Too many organizations do not track the difference they are making and therefore do not know which activities should be allocated more funds, and which need to be improved or terminated. The risk is imminent that they will not achieve the intended benefit.”
She therefore co-founded Effectively, which supports organizations in measuring, analyzing and making visible their impact on people and the environment.
“For example, we help industry organizations in the non-profit sector to create guidelines for their members’ impact reporting. Our hope is that it will support and guide hundreds of organizations to evaluate to a greater degree what good they do, and in the long run develop even more effective efforts.”