The Alliance is a group of individuals cooperating to end global crises. Members spend a small fraction of their time completing tasks that are designed to be effective and straightforward.
Our vision is to unite millions of people behind a global, expert-developed strategy. We are currently running experiments to prepare for future growth.
We aim to end global crises that harm or will harm billions of current and future people. In no particular order, we are focused on:
Members spend a small amount of time (currently 15 minutes per week) completing tasks on our online platform. These tasks are designed by a full-time office to have high collective impact.
The foundation of the Alliance is member reliability. Each member commits a small, consistent fraction of their time and resources. This commitment enables the office to plan in advance and helps members build trust in one another.
The office unlocks collective potential by developing high-leverage actions. As the Alliance grows, we plan to bring together experts from diverse fields to make increasingly impactful, complex plans.
For now, we are taking small-scale actions focused on learning, not direct impact. Examples of actions we’ve taken recently:
Our flexible structure means we are capable of working together in many possible arrangements for many purposes. A few broad categories of actions include:
Collective funding
We pool funding for specific initiatives and projects within the Alliance and with our partners.
Economic pressure
We coordinate shifts in our consumer behavior to encourage ethical practices and eliminate harmful practices.
Social pressure
We target messages at decision-makers and direct public attention to important issues.
Synced communication
We learn from and deliberate with one another to build a base of common knowledge.
Direct action
We use our time and skills to advance certain causes, improve local and online communities, and more.
Collective governance
We maintain and improve the Alliance by engaging in deliberations and other processes for feedback.
The office has the freedom to make any plans that advance Alliance priorities. Meanwhile, members provide input that ensures approval of the overall direction of the Alliance.
Planning actions is a creative, open-ended process that searches for levers of change which members can pull.
In the ideation for and development of an action plan, the office weighs many considerations. For instance:
Given common recognition of the urgency of global crises, we bias towards action. Our common goal is to end these crises; it is not to create a world that is perfect for every member.
As a result, the office does not restrict itself to actions with unanimous agreement, and it does not necessarily pursue the most popular priorities. Our cooperation requires that members agree to a shared process that decides actions, rather than opt into each individual action, which means members will sometimes be asked to take actions they do not personally endorse.
However, our governance guarantees that the majority of members find the majority of actions acceptable — that is, believe that the Alliance overall produces more benefit than harm. This result is achieved with a membership-wide survey that occurs on a regular basis, or whenever it is requested by a majority of members.
Member input is also incorporated by other means. For instance, the office hosts discussions, asks members for action proposals, and solicits open-ended feedback.
Membership is defined by commitment. Like any team, we can enact precise, complex plans only if we can depend on each other. On the other hand, if someone fails to complete a task, others’ efforts may go to waste.
Our expectation of reliability means that every member meaningfully expands what we are capable of accomplishing. Each member is a valued individual contributor; we respect their time when planning actions and designing the platform, as well as strive to answer every question and meet every need we can observe.
Membership is formalized by a contract: