£1,000 Impact Evaluation - Effective Charity Giving Workshop
EA Tech London: The £1000 Impact Sprint - A Practical Crash-Course in Effective Giving
Feeling paralyzed by endless headlines about everything that's broken in the world?
You're not alone. Between global crises, AI anxiety, and doomscrolling, many of us in tech want to do something - but have no idea where to start.
Here's a different question: If you had £1,000 to give away right now, where would it actually make the biggest difference? And how can we think about doing good with the same rigour we bring to shipping products?
At this month's Effective Altruism Tech London meetup, we're hosting Lorenzo Fong Ponce from Amazon for an interactive workshop that cuts through the noise.
What we'll do: Lorenzo will guide us through Amazon's decision-making frameworks—adapted for impact. Together, we'll evaluate real charities across global health, animal welfare, climate, and movement-building. Expect structured thinking about trade-offs and what actually moves the needle.
Charities we'll evaluate:
Red Cross – Disaster relief and medical aid worldwide
GiveDirectly – Direct cash to people in extreme poverty
The Humane League – Corporate campaigns for factory-farmed animals
The Good Food Institute – Alternative protein R&D and policy
Charity Entrepreneurship – Launch pad for evidence-backed new nonprofits
What you'll leave with:
A framework for cutting through decision paralysis when you want to help
Hands-on practice evaluating impact using data (not just feelings)
Clarity on how your values shape where you can do the most good
Connection with other London technologists wrestling with the same questions
Schedule:
7pm – Doors open, mingling
8pm – Workshop: The £1,000 Impact Sprint (+ surprise!)
9pm – Discussion & socialising
10pm – Close
Snacks and drinks provided. Suggested £10 donation to cover costs (optional—any excess goes to effective charities).
About Lorenzo: Lorenzo manages data analyst apprentices and leads supply chain strategy for Amazon's Ireland operations. He's pledged 10% of his lifetime income to high-impact nonprofits and co-organises the London Effective Giving Community - helping professionals make generosity thoughtful, data-driven, and human centred.