Earning To Give Profile

Written April 14 2025

Est. 15-20 min read

What do we mean by earning to give?

A career strategy where you make a positive impact with your career by donating a significant portion of your income to effective charities working on pressing global problems, 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 tackling major, neglected global problems.

While you might take this path by founding a company or working in finance to maximise donations, you can seek to do the same in many other careers too. 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 (Cheerful Giving)

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Luke 6:38 (Sermon on the Plain)

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Matthew 19:21 (Parable of the Rich Young Man)

“Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of the Bags of Gold)

The master rewards the faithful servants who invest their gold and rebukes the lazy one, teaching that God praises the wise stewardship of one’s resources.

Acts 2:44-45 (Early Church Generosity)

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”

Malachi 3:10 (OT Precedent for tithing)

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’”

Giving is an important and spiritually rewarding practice that stems out of first acknowledging God’s faithfulness to us.

While scripture doesn’t explicitly command that Christians must seek to gain wealth in order to give it away, Christians like John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, have applied scriptural principles towards earning money in order to give it away.

John Wesley’s Sermon

Wesley argued that earning money is not inherently wrong, but it should be done with integrity in a way that echoes Christ. He believed money is a God-given tool that can be used to meet the needs of others, especially the poor, and to advance God’s work.

His sermon “The Use of Money” sets out a 3-part principle for managing our wealth: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.

This approach, combined with an added emphasis on effectiveness, has become known as “earning to give” and was popularized in the 2010s by the effective altruism movement.

Radically-generous Christians throughout history

How much good could you do by earning to give?

The world’s most effective charities are incredibly efficient at using money to save lives (or help in other ways). 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.

Example: Earning to give on $300k / year

But imagine you’ve accepted a job in tech and now you’re earning $300,000 per year.

Here’s how much good you could do if you donated $200k to various effective charities:

Based on conservative estimates from various sources

Benefits of earning to give

Flexibility

Changing charities: Even if you are unsure today of where to give, you can donate to a donor-advised-fund and direct the funding later to a more effective charity.

Changing causes: Over time, you may realise that you begin to prioritise some problem areas over others. Earning-to-give allows you to shift your donations between areas without pivoting your entire career.

Building career capital: Earning to give roles generally build a high amount of transferable career capital. If you’re not sure what you would like to do, you might begin earning-to-give and transition to a more directly impactful path later. It’s generally easier to switch from high-paying for-profit careers to nonprofit careers than the other way around.

Large Impact

Impact-multiplier: By earning more and giving generously, you can sometimes have a greater impact than if you were working directly in the nonprofit sector. For example, a successful career in a high-earning field could allow you to fund your replacement at a nonprofit charity several times over, or support multiple organisations or ministries.

Honour other areas

Balance career with rest of life: If you have an especially good fit in business, tech, or another field, you might actually have better balance and maintain a stronger presence in your family and community by earning-to-give in a conventional path, rather than pursuing a higher-risk path.

Influencing peers

Remember that the generosity and integrity you show is a sign to others: By representing Christ through your life, work, and giving, you can impact the spiritual journeys of those around you.

Double your impact or more: By convincing even one other person to give generously and effectively too, you could double your impact. In some high-income careers, access to social networks of colleagues or clients can give you, through your example, a potential for impact that could be taken more seriously than an outside activist.

Downsides of earning to give?

While earning to give can be an impactful career strategy, there are important disadvantages to consider. Especially as Christians, we need to ensure that we guard our hearts whilst earning higher salaries. Here are some concerns to take into account:

Risk of Harm in Certain Careers

We recommend avoiding harmful careers: Not all careers align with Christ-like values or contribute positively to society. It’s crucial to avoid careers that, even with the intention of donating or doing good, cause harm. For example, careers in industries with unethical practices or that harm others, such as those involving fraud, exploitation, or deception, clearly contradict God’s call on us to love and serve others. A recent example is Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange, FTX. Although he promoted the idea of “effective altruism” and claimed to be earning to give, his actions ultimately led to massive financial harm for investors and customers when the company collapsed amid revelations of fraud and mismanagement. His case serves as a reminder that good intentions cannot justify unethical means, and that the integrity of our work matters deeply in the eyes of God.

Temptation of Power and Corruption

For the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10): Higher-paying jobs, especially in positions of influence, carry the risk of moral corruption. Wealth and power can lead to a shift in priorities, making it harder to stay focused on the altruistic goals or intentions you set at the beginning (Matthew 6:24). The Bible warns of the dangers of wealth and power, as they can cause a person to prioritise their own interests over those of others (Luke 12:15), or to trust in money more than God (1 Timothy 6:17). This means that while wealth can be used for great good, it also requires strong accountability and safeguards to prevent the corrupting influence of money and power. You ought to prioritise your relationship with God and surrounding yourself with faithful, like-minded Christians.

Questioning a Charity’s Effectiveness

Generosity isn’t the same as effectiveness: It’s important to be mindful of where you donate your earnings as many charities may not be as effective as they should be. Choosing the wrong ones could result in wasted resources (James 1:27). It’s important to research and choose organisations that truly make an impact in ways that align with God’s heart for the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable.

Sacrificing other life-areas

Earning to give is not for everyone: If a career path comes in extreme conflict with your health, your family commitments or community, it may not be from God. If earning to give isn’t the right fit, there are many other ways to serve God and others with your time and resources, such as pursuing other Kingdom-impact careers.

Earn-to-givers in our community

Grayden is a Christian working in finance in the UK. Grayden has pursued a high-earning career path: working as an Associate Consultant, Vice President and Investment Principal. To date, he has donated over $2m to effective charities, focusing on global health, development, and animal welfare, such as Give Directly, the Malaria Consortium and the Good Food Institute. He believes that the specific amount a person should donate varies depending on their own specific walk with God. He thinks what matters most is having a sacrificial attitude towards giving and caring that your sacrifice makes a difference.

You can read more about Grayden here.

Jason read “In The Life You Can Save”, and was struck by the challenge to define generosity in relation to how much you keep, and not just the amount that you give (Mark 12:41-44). At the end of medical school, he sought to find a practical model of generosity that suited his own journey with God and individual circumstances. His model of generosity was established when he and his wife agreed to not live off more than the US median income (circa $80,000/year in 2023). 

They have continued on this track by adjusting their means. Their commitment to give has influenced where they have chosen to live, and the social groups that they are a part of. This has meant that they are used to living below their means, and that underspending has almost come quite naturally. 

The choice of where to give is very intentional. Jason and his wife direct the majority of their donations to proven effective charities such as Against Malaria Foundation and GiveDirectly. They actively encourage others to do the same!

You can read more about Jason’s story here.

Additional Resources

Giving Evaluators:


Books and Articles:

  • The Life You Can Save by Peter Singer

  •  Managing God’s Money by Randy Alcorn

  • Practising the Way by John Mark Comer

  • Giving Is The Good Life by Randy Alcorn

  • Earn-to-givers in the CFI community: Grayden’s Story

  • Earn-to-givers in the CFI community: Jason’s story


Website Resources:


Communities in Giving: