Resources for group organizers on supporting a good culture

From the community health team at the Centre for Effective Altruism.

We know a lot of group organizers care about building spaces where people feel respected and welcome, and where problems are dealt with well when they come up. We hear from organizers about this regularly, and we want to make sure you know what's available.

Some of the resources available: 

• Why and how you might have a community contact person
• Diversity and inclusion
• Codes of conduct
• Guide to safe and inclusive events from Giving What We Can and One for the World
• London’s focus group on gender balance in groups
• Ideas from a workshop on gender balance

More ideas are at the EA Groups Resource Centre.

If you'd like something more specific, or something that isn't covered here, let us know — we may have existing non-public resources relevant to your situation, and we're always happy to talk through the specifics. A lot of culture questions are context-dependent and easier to work through in conversation.

Talk to us directly

If you or someone in your group has encountered a problem, we're here to help. Some examples of what that's looked like:

• When someone has experienced harm, we've helped them think through their options and find resources like legal support.
• When program staff have learned about a problem, we've helped them work out next steps — which might include supporting affected people, removing a participant, and handling communications.
• We've advised many group organizers, office managers, and others on how to build a good culture in their spaces.

Please have a low bar for reaching out to us! It can be easier to solve a problem before it escalates. We aren’t here to tell you what to do; you know your group context. 

You can ask us questions about how we'd handle something before sharing any specifics, and you can contact us anonymously. 

Our confidentiality policy is here. One thing to note: if you raise a concern about someone who works at CEA, we'll need to inform our legal team and may need to hand the situation over to HR.

We won't be the right fit for everyone. But if you've encountered a problem and aren't sure about seeking support, we'd encourage you to talk to someone, whether that's us, a friend, or someone else you trust.