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OUR RESEARCH PROCESS 2019/2020

Our priority research areas for this year are: mental health and happiness, animal welfare, health and development policy, and family planning. The goal of our research is to have one to four recommended charities for each of these areas for the 2020 Incubation Program. Our process is as follows:  

STEP 1: GENERATING IDEAS

For each cause area we generate around 300 ideas for interventions that could be implemented as new high-impact charities.

 4 cause areas x 25 hours = 100 hours spent

STEP 2: SORTING IDEAS (20-MINUTE SORT)

At this stage, each idea goes through a four-stage process with each stage lasting approximately five minutes per idea. This results in all the ideas being sorted from most to least promising.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Measurement of how much cost a given activity or action entails compared to the amount of good done. 

Expert View

Conducting interviews with experts broadly informed on each cause area.

Weighted Factor Model

Generating preset criteria and weightings, and then evaluating how a possible option scores on each of these.

Informed

Consideration

Using a non-predetermined research process, and taking into account soft forms of evidence and information that do not fit into other research methodology categories.

4 cause areas x 300 ideas x 20 minutes = 400 hours spent

STEP 3: PRIORITIZING IDEAS (2-HOUR SORT)

The most promising 10-30% of ideas are selected for each cause area, and 2-hour reports are created for them. The sorting methodology varies depending on the cause:

Animal

Advocacy

Wighted Factor Model Report

Health and Development Policy

Informed Consideration Report

Mental Health and Happiness

Cost-effectiveness Analysis Report

Family

Planning

Expert View

Report

At the end of the process, all ideas are again sorted from most to least promising.

 4 cause areas x 30 ideas x 2 hours = 240 hours spent

STEP 4: CHOOSING TOP IDEAS (80-HOURS REPORT)

At this stage, we create 80-hour reports, stating our prior views (read more>>) and following the 4-stage process from STEP 2, starting from most to least promising of the 30 ideas for each cause area. Our goal is to develop a top charities ideas list consisting of a limited number of interventions.

Depending on various factors, we predict we will spend at least:

 4 cause areas x 10 top ideas x 80 hours = 3200 hours spent

STEP 5: CHARITY IMPLEMENTATION REPORTS

We prepare implementation reports for the top 8 charity ideas that we recommend. They will help charity founders kick-start new organizations immediately after the Incubation Program.

Animal

Advocacy

3 top ideas

Health and Development Policy

2 top ideas

Mental Health and Happiness

1 top idea

Family

Planning

2 top ideas

Each stage of the research may be supported by 80-hour: ​

SUPPORTING
REPORTS

Shorter reports that will supply the information necessary to improve ongoing research.

Read more

RELATED
REPORTS

Reports published by other organizations that will be helpful for us to include in the process.

Read more

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