In Support of Regular Giving

The Christian Campaign for Effective Charity welcomes and appreciates one-time gifts in any amount. Some donors prefer to give when they feel moved to do so, and others may have complex and thoughtful strategies behind the timing of their gifts (“bunching”, for example).

However, for most donors we would strongly encourage you to select a recurring giving option when making your gift to the campaign.  Monthly, quarterly, and yearly options are available. If you need to change the amount in the future, it can be done at any time by logging into the Donational system.

For many Christians tithing (charitable giving of 10% of one’s income) is already an important part of their faith. This has been practised for thousands of years, and was a requirement of members of the nation of Israel. While the literal applicability of the tithe in a New Testament context is less clear (see one perspective here), we are keen to promote a similar discipline in giving to highly effective charities that serve the world’s poorest. One approach to consider is making a “pledge”. A pledge is a kind of pre-commitment, a strategy for sticking to goals we may otherwise be tempted to give up on. There is a growing body of literature that suggests that taking a pledge can help people that want to donate to charity to stick to their goals (see here for more discussion and some sources).

There are various communities that offer opportunities to pledge. Giving What We Can is a popular choice for effective altruists. Founders Pledge is aimed at entrepreneurs, investors, or employees who own equity in a company. And you may have heard of the Giving Pledge, which Bill and Melinda Gates started along with Warren Buffett to encourage the wealthiest to be more generous. Finally, a recently launched Christian organization, Finish Line Pledge, brings a new paradigm to giving, focusing on discipline over how much we choose to spend. Each of these organizations has a different philosophy and none are affiliated with EA for Christians, but we encourage you to check them out and draw your own conclusions.

One for the World, our partner in the Christian Campaign for Effective Charity, promotes a 1% Pledge as a great way to get started on your giving journey. As they explain here, we can make a massive difference in the world with even just 1% of our incomes, especially when we give to the most cost-effective charities.

We recognize that not everyone’s financial situation is the same. We may have varying commitments to family, or to our local churches. But a Christian should never lose sight of the poor. To whom did Jesus ask the rich young man to give? When Zacchaeus found salvation, whom did he bless first? And whose needs did the Apostles in Jerusalem ask Paul to remember?