Earning to Give?

You are more than that.

I said something on the The Hen Report podcast today that, after I said it, I realized I didn’t mean it. Or at least didn’t say what I meant to say. And it’s gnawing at me so I want to think it through and set the record straight.

It was about “earning to give,” the effective altruist practice of getting a job or career, if you are able, that pays a whole lot of money and donating a whole lot of that money to charities that are doing the work.

I don’t like it. And that’s what I said.

But, and this is what I left out, it’s only a very narrow version of that idea — the one expressed by the catchphrase, “earning to give,” that I don’t like. And that’s what I want to correct.

I certainly don’t think that everyone who believes in a cause — in this case doing something about the atrocities visited upon animals — has to work for a charitable or advocacy organization in order to do good. Obviously not. Indeed, if we want to grow the movement there are, hopefully, not enough jobs to support all of those who care.

In fact, Our Hen House, the podcast not-for-profit that I run with Jasmin Singer, is rooted in the very idea that wherever you are in life you can, and should, provide leadership on this issue. We are not separate from the rest of the world, living and working in our little vegan corner. We are everywhere, including in every workplace, and everyone needs to know that.

While, obviously, I think it’s great to work in the movement, and the work currently being done in animal protection organizations is incredibly important, and more and more incredibly talented people are doing it, what people end up doing to make money is obviously a complex issue. It has to do with one’s talents, interests, passions, education level, one’s need (or desire) for money, one’s family (and other) responsibilities, who you know (big one), and, obviously what’s available at the moment you need to start making a living (tip: try not to come of age in a recession.)

But — and this is why I don’t like the phrase, “earn to give” — wherever you end up, you are far more than the money you make and are able to donate (though obviously that is important, especially if you end up being wildly rich). Wherever you are, you can provide those around you with an example, a role model, information, food, and, most of all, with leadership. And leadership is what the animals need more than anything. And, of course, in addition to using your personal interactions to spread the word, some may be able to volunteer, either in a way that is unrelated to your paying job, or, for some, as part of your job, such as lawyers doing pro bono work.

So, even if you are making a mint, you are, and need to be, doing far more for the animals with that career than just earning money to give to someone else who will do the work. We all have to do the work.

To be clear, I imagine that most of the people who would describe themselves as “earning to give” are doing the work. And applying that label to them makes it sounds like they are of no more value to the animals than their paycheck. So that’s why I don’t like it, and I wanted to set the record straight.