FAQ

1. Does the Effective Altruism Consulting Network (EACN) “do” consulting? If so, who do you consult for?

The EACN is not a consulting firm, but rather a nonprofit professionals organization focused on supporting strategy and business consultants themselves (not clients) as they strive to maximize the social impact of their careers.

If you’re interested in receiving consulting services from Effective Altruists with strategy consulting backgrounds or becoming an EA consultant yourself, we recommend reaching out to cFactual which was founded by EACN’s founder, Jona Glade.

2. Do I qualify to be a member of the EACN?

While the EACN doesn’t have strict criteria for members (and everyone is welcome to subscribe to our newsletter), we’ve found that certain demographics benefit more from our programming and resources than others.

The EACN community is a network of former, current, and prospective strategy and business consultants focused on maximizing social impact with their professional careers. We’ve found that these groups – especially current and former consultants looking to maximize the impact of their current role or transition into a more high impact role — stand to benefit the most from our programming and resources.

If this describes you, we’d love you to take 10 minutes to fill out the EACN Member Sign-up Form so we can better connect you with other members and personalized opportunity recommendations based on your interests.

3. How can I get involved with the EACN?

We’re excited you want to engage with our community further!

Your first step is to make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter, and a member of our LinkedIn and Facebook groups so you can keep up with everything we do. Keep an eye out for EACN-sponsored events such as in-person weekend retreats and happy hours at EA Global Conference meetups. All current and former consultants are welcome to fill out the EACN Member Sign-up Form so we can add you to our website member directory, connect you with other members, and send you personalized recommendations based on your interests.

If you’re a current consultant, we recommend checking out if your firm already has an EA group and if not, reaching out to us to start one. If you’re still unsure of how to maximize your impact, apply for a 1-1 Career Conversation with our Managing Director, Sarah Pomeranz!

We’re constantly exploring new ways to strengthen the community, so keep in touch with us and feel free to send us any ideas you have at info@eac-network.com.

4. Does the EACN provide any volunteer or internship opportunities?

At this time, we do not have any internships or volunteer opportunities to work with us directly. We recommend this terrific EA board for high-impact opportunities.

5. Can I, as an independent consultant, be a part of the EACN?

Yes! While many of the consultants in the EACN community work or worked at large consulting firms, our programming and resources are designed to be relevant for consultants who work independently, for boutique firms, or as general contractors, as well.

6. I’m a current student; how can the EACN support me?

Students already familiar with Effective Altruism who are actively exploring whether they should pursue consulting would benefit the most from the EACN. If this describes you, we encourage you to read the forum series, “EA Career Advice on Management Consulting” , and then register for a career conversation with us if you’re still uncertain about consulting as an early-stage career move.

7. Is the EACN predominantly a community for consultants who are earning to give?

The EACN is a community for all consultants looking to maximize their impact and contribute to creating a better world. We estimate, based on community surveys, that 80% of our members donate to highly effective charities. Earning to give is one way to have an impact while working in a higher-income field such as consulting, but there are many other methods of impact which EACN consultants engage with.

Additional paths to impact for consultants include:

Building on the career capital gained while in consulting by exiting to work directly on one of the world’s most pressing problems
Founding and running an Effective Altruism workplace group to introduce colleagues to EA and strive to optimize a firm’s impact,
Serving on the board of a highly effective organization or company
Coaching or mentoring other effective altruists

Just to name a few!

8. What are the most common, impact-driven career paths that EACN consultants exit into?

Through speaking with hundreds of exiting and former EA-aligned consultants, we’ve found that the 5 most common exit-opportunities for consultants looking to maximize their impact are, in no particular order:

This list isn’t comprehensive, as our community has a wide range of cause-area focuses and backgrounds and many find higher-impact opportunities elsewhere. These 5 career paths represent where we see the largest number of EA-aligned former consultants today who are leveraging their consulting skills for good.

9. I’m eager to learn more about Effective Altruism! Where should I start?

We’re excited to see you’re looking to learn more about EA, and highly recommend the resources below:

10. Are there other professional-based EA community building organizations aside from the EACN?

Yes! There are EACN-equivalent organizations for professions including Engineers, Doctors, Psychologists, Architects and Planners, Computer Scientists, Civil Servants, and Accountants, and many more. You can learn more about what these groups do and how to get in touch with them through our EA Forum post “A Summary of Profession-based Community Building.”