Moreover, to add further context, the whole basis of Holden's effective altruism work has been around the idea that philanthropic dollars ought to be focused on charities with extremely rigorous proof behind how much they improve people's lives per dollar donated, and how much they need the money.
That context makes advising a donor to direct an "unusually large" sum to an organisation with an extremely vague goal and no tangible measure of progress towards it, little of the transparency demanded of other charities and existing funding commitments well in excess of their spending plans look like an extremely strange decision long before you read the disclosure statement.
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Moreover, to add further context, the whole basis of Holden's effective altruism work has been around the idea that philanthropic dollars ought to be focused on charities with extremely rigorous proof behind how much they improve people's lives per dollar donated, and how much they need the money.
This isn't quite true; SCI, a charity that treats parasitic disease in the third world, is the subject of massive uncertainty and conflicting reports of effectiveness. It might turn out that it has very little impact at all. But it's still a recommended EA charity because it looks like there's a decent chance they're doing a ton of good. GW has written extensively about this.
That context makes advising a donor to direct an "unusually large" sum to an organisation with an extremely vague goal and no tangible measure of progress towards it, little of the transparency demanded of other charities and existing funding commitments well in excess of their spending plans look like an extremely strange decision long before you read the disclosure statement.