I am actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. You may remember me as Jaime Lannister on GoT... I've just launched a platform for grassroots giving called Dandi. AMA!

Do you, Pilou Asbaek, Mads Mikkelsen, and Viggo Mortensen all gather in secret to plot the gradual Danish takeover of Hollywood?

Yes. It's not gradual..!

Were you happy with how Game of Thrones ended?

I was 100% sure before clicking on this that the top question will be about Season 8.

This AMA lacks proof and he hasn't answered any questions yet. I'm a tad skeptical right now this is actually him.

Edit: Jaime Lannister just added proof so I retract this comment

Maybe it wasn't explained to him that this was an AMA or how an AMA works. Typically there is a line thrown into the OP about how they "look forward to our questions" nothing like that in this one. Just a statement.

Yes, wasn't sure exactly how these things work... My first AMA!

There is proof tho. The photo?

:)

YES.

Are you going to play Joel Miller in The Last of Us show? I remember lots of people thinking youd be the perfect cast for him.

I just got part 2.. What a great game.

What were some of the greatest challenges you've encountered while working as a goodwill ambassador?

I’ve been very lucky to travel to all these places in the world where people have very little, I was constantly surprised by their hope and their willingness to help their fellow man. Even when there is little or nothing to give.

I remember I was on the East Coast of India after the Tsunami. I came down to this village and this fisherman and his family was living in this tiny little hut. They had nothing. They invited me in and shared tea with me, even when they did not have much. They were so giving. That gives you hope for humanity.

What does not give you hope is when you’re faced with extreme greed..

And yet, I see the goodness, even in the most dire circumstances. There is always a way.

Signing off now... Today is the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

Very much appreciate your support and questions about Dandi everyone. We need to be pragmatic and come together in this time.

Dandi is in beta. We welcome your feedback to help us evolve and grow the platform. Please feel free to reach out to the team: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

tak!

Thanks for having us! Im a member in the tech community, anyway I can donate my time to assist?

Yes! pm me.

great username btw

Hi Nikolaj,

What was you favorite memory/favorite scene to film in Game of thrones?

When my brother pulled me in close, and said: “I always knew it was you, Fredo”.

What is your ultimate end goal for Dandi?

Also, any big acting projects you’re looking forward to?

The ultimate end-goal for Dandi, is that it will grow to build a movement of Global-to-Local giving, and meaningfully address the many complex and urgent challenges facing humanity today.

To do that, we're making a seamless, direct way to support local communities..

I feel like everything you're saying about dandi is couched in marketing speak, and even after reading through this ama I have no idea what it does or why it's different from any other charitable organization.

After reading through it, I feel like it's social media for nonprofits. It looks like a platform for smaller nonprofits to get their start, where they can advertise and receive donations via this platform, rather than having to learn how to do that on their own. And donors joining it would be able to find charities for causes/locations they care about.

If the above is correct, it seems pretty cool.

:)

Yeah maybe my brain is too fried atm but I genuinely am not getting what he's trying to say. It too generic and I don't really see any substance other then "we're helping the world"

hey u/DaAvalon sorry it wasn't more clear! We are aggregating vetted, local nonprofits who provide direct-response services to their communities, and providing a platform for them to share data & resources.

In this way, we're building a large network of such nonprofits, and allow for immediate local giving in way that does not currently exist. Hope that makes more sense!

So does the money go directly to the people in need, or organizations that you've vetted to make sure will actually do good with it? Thanks for doing this AMA :)

ive been thinking the world needs something like this for a while, there are too many charities and there is tons of overlap, what im hoping his intro to this means is that they collect all the data(available resources, problem areas, etc) from every charity/nonprofit and direct the money where it can be used for the greatest impact without actually overgiving. so a global checklist where 1 problem needs x money and the charities involved explain why they think it will cost that much along with a timeframe, then bam it gets funded and after the timeframe they would have even more data to better estimate future investments.

if it isnt like this then i'll be sad, but i'd rather be blindly optimistic about it atm

Thank you u/Z1rith You get it!

Hi, I randomly came across the video of your house while watching the Architectural Digest Youtube channel - it's lovely! What's your favorite houseplant?

(Also, I just checked out Dandi's website. It seems really cool. Good luck with that!)

If it isnt the sex fern then he is wrong

the fern, of course..

Hi Nikolaj

Just wondering what exactly the word Dandi means? Because I am from India and for me it reminds me of Dandi March aka The Salt March, where Gandhi and his followers marched as a civil disobedience against the British Rule.

YES!! The Dandi Salt March was part of our inspiration for the name Dandi. Their civil disobedience was peaceful and effective.

also, the Dandelion :)

When will Leeds united win the champions league?

2022!!!

Is your name pronounced "Neekolaj" or "Nikoolaj"?

He is danish. You pronouce his name as a dane would. "Nick" - "O" as in Oprah. "lie" is the closest word I can think of. But you would shorten the ending of the word lie, abrubtly. So almost without the e.

Yes... Niko-lie :)

What criteria is there for joining the community, other than 501c3?

How would you feel about providing a platform for a group you disagree with vehemently?

It says that you support 501c3, does this mean that non-US organisations are ineligible? If so are you planning to expand around the world?

For now, we are starting with 501c3, and focused on the US.. The intention is to expand globally once we’ve proven the platform in the USA...

We respect folks who are different. This is not a political platform. It’s all about helping people. We welcome organizations who are community-centric, who provide essential services directly to their communities..

Hi Nikolaj!

What is your favourite small production you've ever worked on?

I'm going to Reykjavik tomorrow to start on a small production.. I know it's going to be my favorite...

Thanks for doing this! How will you determine what "the most positive impact" will be? Is this mostly a crisis-response tool, or will it also support organizations with more long-term, systemic goals?

Thank you! Great question.

Today, the average reaction time for NGOs is ~60 days, due to slow disbursement of funding, and lots of manual bureaucracy.. NGOs have major bottlenecks in raising and receiving funds.

At Dandi, we can already reduce the process down to 2 days. We are committed to fast, transparent delivery of funds.

Gauging impact is a complicated endeavor, that can be analyzed differently across different issues area/ and geographies. Long story short: It’s all about going local.

At Dandi, we work a network of small-but-mighty LOCAL nonprofits. they know best what their communities need.

Our goal is to accomplish both crisis-response, and address systemic-level change.

Hi Nikolaj! Can you explain exactly how Dandi works once a person donates?

On Dandi, users get recommendations on trusted, local nonprofits. Once a person donates, the funds arrive at the NGO within 1-2 days. This transparency and speed of funds makes a big difference to the nonprofits, who currently have to wait 2-4 weeks under other systems.

I am enjoying the app so far though I'm still learning how to navigate it.

When advocating for a cause that is a nationwide or worldwide problem, what do you think is the quickest or most effective way to initiate change? The scope of my passion, criminal justice and prison reform in America, (loved Shot Caller by the way) seems so daunting that I get overwhelmed. Any advice?

Hope to see you in something again soon! You and Gwendoline Christie were my favorite parts of GOT.

Thank you! We just launched the beta, and are in the process of going through the user feedback, and constantly working to improve the user-experience of the product.. We’d welcome your thoughts.

I’m glad you liked Shot Caller. I learned a lot about the US Criminal Justice system shooting that, which is definitely in need of a major overhaul. Regarding criminal justice reform: It is overwhelming. Take it one step at a time. I’ll suggest looking up the Reform Alliance led by Van Jones.

Hey Nikolaj!

I love your work.

In regards to Dandi, how do the funds get allocated? For example if, on the platform, there are 100 NPOs and $100 is donated, does each NPO get $1? Can we see which NPOs are receiving our donations?

Great question. The Dandi team is focused on direct giving for now. So users specify a specific amount to give to a specific nonprofit. But, we are working on a pooled fund listing, where we use data to determine every night how much to divide between different nonprofits on Dandi.

Hello Nikolaj , you are doing an incredible thing . Keep it up .

My question is , whats your fondest memory of volunteering that still influences you to this day ?

Last Sunday, I took the neighbors twin boys out for a walk in the neighborhood to fundraise on behalf of a nonprofit providing Defibrillator. Always bring kids when you ask for money…!

Hello Nikolaj! I loved your performance as Jamie! My question: is Dandi limited in where the funds can be used? Or is it available where ever there is need?

Thank you! Within the US, Dandi is not limited. Dandi is a gateway that helps you connect directly with people and communities in need. Our goal is to route money to where it is urgently needed, in real time. We use data to see where funds are needed most, and activate it in that given region.

We direct money to focus on delivering essential services like food security, housing stability, masks, medicine and more.

Should I watch Shot Caller?

plz do!

Hi, in the past, you've said two of the causes/issues you are most passionate about are gender equality and climate change. Are there orgs or non-profits you think are doing good work regarding gender equality? Or are there people you have met during your work with UNDP whom you believe are doing important work re: gender equality?

Thanks for your time!

Thank you. I was lucky enough to meet Malala Yousafzai, and that was truly inspiring. Definitely recommend to follow Malala Fund.

Hi Nikolaj, first of all thank you for all the amazing GoT moments you’ve offered us, secondly, is dandi meant to be globally or it is starting just on certain parts of the globe right now?

we are launching in the USA to start, with the goal of expanding globally from there!

Hello, I thank you for doing this. Do you have any advice on getting involved with non profits? Is there a best way to help out? I worry if I donate money it won’t be as helpful as donating time.

Where are you based? Key thing is to go local. I'm sure your community would appreciate your help. Any help is important right now.

How do you determine where funds raised through Dandi go? How do you find the proper charities if they are being overshadowed by those that put tons of resources into brand recognition?

Good question. Dandi is all about providing local recommendations, and providing a level playing-field. there is no short cut that large orgs can use to game the system.

We believe that the small-but-mighty NGOs, the ones who provide real tangible benefit to local communities, are vital. NGOs shouldn’t need to have a large marketing budget to fundraise and survive.