Ashley Chang
Jennifer Stretton talks about how she strives to do good in the world.
Alongside Romain Barbe, Jennifer Stretton co-founded Mieux Donner, a new organization reaching the French speakers—and inspiring them to give to some of the most effective charities in the world.
Tell us a little bit about what inspired you to found Mieux Donner with Romain Barbe. What do you hope to achieve through this organization?
In 2021, I read The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer and had the profound realization that my altruistic actions could have a far larger impact than I ever thought possible. I started donating 10% of my income to The Humane League and researching ways to have a more impactful career.
I had volunteered for charities in the past but I didn’t rate my chances of finding a charity job as I had a really non-traditional CV—splitting my year between freelance marketing consultancy and mountain guiding. In January of this year I was accepted onto AIM's charity incubator program in London, which has been described as ‘Hogwarts for do-gooders’ by the press.
The charity incubator program is a three-month program that takes ‘entrepreneurial types’ from around the world, matches them with a cofounder and sends them off to launch a high impact charity. It was there that I met Romain Barbe and we collaborated to launch Mieux Donner!
Mieux Donner aims to improve the lives of as many humans and animals as possible by helping people discover, and donate to, the most impactful charities in the world. We have collated thousands of hours of research to recommend the most impactful charities that are working to reduce animal suffering, improve global health, and mitigate climate change. It will be no surprise to your readers that The Humane League is one of our top recommended animal charities and I really hope we raise a lot of money for you!
You mentioned that you donate 10% of your income to The Humane League, I’m sure to many readers this sounds like a lot! What inspired you, and keeps you inspired to do this?
After I read The Life You Can Save, I was feeling really motivated to do more good with my donations. While researching the best charities to donate to, I came across the website, Giving What We Can (GWWC). GWWC is very similar to Mieux Donner, in that they recommend the most effective charities in the world. But whereas we target French speakers, their content is written for English speakers. I first read about The Humane League on GWWC’s website and I was blown away by how much you are achieving for so little money. GWWC promotes The 10% Pledge on their website and almost 10,000 people have taken it globally. There were a few things that motivated me to make the commitment. The main reason was the realization of how fortunate I was compared to the billions of animals suffering on factory farms each year. Not being able to afford a few meals out and the odd holiday just doesn't feel like a sacrifice at all compared to the number of animals The Humane League can help with my donations. I think taking a pledge is a great way to keep you accountable to your altruistic values and to prevent values drift.
What inspired you to take action for animals?
Since a young age I’ve always felt an affinity with animals. I vividly remember walking past a McDonald’s when I was 15 and seeing some animal rights protestors outside showing images of cows and chickens being horrifically treated in factory farms. I haven’t eaten meat since that day. A few years ago I became more aware of the plight of chickens and dairy cows and I realized that the same ethical considerations that led me to stop eating meat also apply to eggs and dairy, so I decided to go vegan. Animals are sentient beings, they can experience joy and suffering, and I find the way they are treated by humans incredibly upsetting and unjust.
Are there particular animal welfare issues you care about most deeply?
I care most deeply about the suffering of animals on factory farms—it’s almost incomprehensible. While writing the animal welfare content for our website, I did a lot of reading about factory farming and there are some practices I didn’t even know existed that just horrified me—particularly live-shackle slaughter. I actually can’t believe that we are treating animals this way in the twenty-first century. But the work of charities like The Humane League, and the generosity of your donors gives me hope that we might one day see an end to factory farming. I’m happy that my donations are leading us toward a kinder world for animals
Keep up with Mieux Donner at their website.
