I think the 'resonating with individual empowerment' point is important. While Give Directly may not be as effective as the top charities recommended by Give Well, in my experience it has a 'low intellectual bar to entry' for getting non-EAs to donate. I've had trouble convincing certain people to donate to charities like GW's Top 4 (and existential risk initiatives are an even harder sell), but Give Directly seems to resonate quite easily — it's still more effective than most of the charities out there, especially in the poverty alleviation space.
I think the 'resonating with individual empowerment' point is important. While Give Directly may not be as effective as the top charities recommended by Give Well, in my experience it has a 'low intellectual bar to entry' for getting non-EAs to donate. I've had trouble convincing certain people to donate to charities like GW's Top 4 (and existential risk initiatives are an even harder sell), but Give Directly seems to resonate quite easily — it's still more effective than most of the charities out there, especially in the poverty alleviation space.
This is lovely and heartfelt, Elliot! I loved listening to your rendition. Makes me think an EA-themed poetry slam would a great idea.