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Earning to Give Guide - Christians for Impact
webchristiansforimpact.org·christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide
This resource is from a faith-based effective altruism community and is primarily relevant to EA/career strategy discussions rather than AI safety; it has minimal direct relevance to AI safety or alignment topics.
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Summary
A comprehensive guide from Christians for Impact explaining the 'earning to give' career strategy, which involves choosing higher-paying careers and donating a significant portion of income to effective charities tackling pressing global problems. The guide frames this approach through a Christian lens, drawing on biblical teachings and historical Christian philanthropists, and explores the benefits, downsides, and practical career considerations of this path.
Key Points
- •Earning to give means pursuing higher-earning careers not for personal gain but to maximize charitable donations to high-impact, funding-constrained organizations.
- •The guide integrates effective altruism concepts (cause prioritization, neglected problems) with Christian theology and scripture on generosity.
- •Even ordinary incomes in developed countries can fund significant good when donated to highly effective global charities.
- •The guide acknowledges both benefits (leverage, flexibility) and potential downsides of the earning-to-give path.
- •Targeted at Christians seeking to align career choices with faith-driven impact, bridging EA and religious communities.
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| Page | Type | Quality |
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| Earning to Give: The EA Strategy and Its Limits | -- | 63.0 |
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# Earning To Give Guide
**Written April 14 2025**
**_Est. 15-20 min read_**
Table of Contents
- [What is earning to give?](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#what)
- [Where is the idea from?](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#where)
- [Christian earn-to-givers throughout history](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#christian)
- [How much good could you do?](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#how)
- [Benefits of this career strategy](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#benefits)
- [Any downsides?](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#downsides)
- [Career considerations](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#career-considerations)
- [Givers in our community](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#community)
- [Additional resources](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-give-guide#additional)
## What do we mean by earning to give?
A career strategy where you make a [positive impact](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/what-we-mean-by-impact) with your career by donating a significant portion of your income to [effective charities](https://www.eaforchristians.org/ccec-charities) working on [pressing global problems](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/summary), rather than by working on those problems directly.
Here’s what it typically involves:
- Choosing higher-paying jobs: Where two opportunities have similar fit for you, take into account the additional good you could by earning more.
- Donating a large share of income to effective charities: What counts as large can vary, and some focus on capping how much they spend rather than using a percentage.
- Supporting high-impact causes: Prioritising donations to [effective, funding-constrained organisations](https://www.eaforchristians.org/ccec-charities) tackling major, [neglected global problems](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/summary).
While you might take this path by [founding a company](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/should-you-be-a-christian-for-profit-entrepreneur) or [working in finance](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/grayden-story) to maximise donations, you can seek to do the same in [many other careers too](https://www.christiansforimpact.org/best-christian-jobs-guide). Donations from residents of developed countries with even ordinary incomes can stretch very far. Thus, many, perhaps even most, of our readers can participate in earning-to-give in some meaningful way.
## Where does the idea of giving come from?
### The Bible
#### **2 Corinthians 9:7 (Che
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