How Can Your Career and Giving Reflect God’s Purpose and Maximise Impact?
Summary
Grayden discussed the intersection of career planning and charitable giving during his talk at the conference. He emphasised the importance of combining vision with strategic planning to maximise long-term impact, especially through effective giving. Grayden shared lessons from his own career journey and provided practical advice for individuals seeking to align their careers and financial resources with meaningful problem areas.
Purpose-Driven Giving
Grayden began by highlighting the dual needs of charities: motivated people and funding. He explained how these two pillars underpin effective nonprofit work, emphasizing that both are essential to creating lasting impact.
"Charities need people who are willing to work on the front lines and money to sustain their missions. Bringing these two elements together is how we make the greatest difference."
He shared how his own career—spanning consulting, investment, and strategic giving— has enabled him to support high-impact charities. This approach, he explained, allows individuals to leverage their skills and resources for greater good.
Strategic Donations
Grayden stressed the value of strategic giving and the importance of prioritising impactful charities. He acknowledged the overwhelming number of problem areas in need and shared his personal struggle with deciding where to give:
"There are more needs than we can possibly meet, which means we have to prioritise. For a long time, I struggled under the weight of that responsibility."
He encouraged donors to rely on trusted resources, like GiveWell, to guide their decisions:
"Platforms like GiveWell take the guesswork out of giving. They recommend charities with proven track records, ensuring every pound you donate has a tangible impact."
By trusting well-researched recommendations, donors can maximize the effectiveness of their contributions without extensive personal research.
Career as a Marathon
Grayden emphasised viewing a career as a long-term journey, rather than a sprint. He advised the audience to focus on building skills and financial capital early on to create greater impact later:
"Don’t just think about the immediate next step. Consider your long-term vision—what skills you want to build and what impact you want to create over the course of your career."
He explained that having a guiding direction allows for flexibility while maintaining focus on ultimate goals:
"Your plan will change—circumstances always do—but having a ‘north star’ keeps you moving in the right direction, even if adjustments are needed along the way."
Building Giving Habits Early
Grayden encouraged the audience to establish good financial habits early in their careers. He recommended starting with small donations and increasing contributions over time as income grows:
"Build the habit of giving early. As your salary increases, commit to giving a larger percentage to high-impact organisations."
This approach ensures that giving becomes a sustainable, lifelong practice.
Seeking Support and Mentorship
A recurring theme in Grayden’s talk was the importance of seeking guidance and community support. He highlighted resources like our mentoring and career advice:
"I didn’t know what I was doing when I started on this journey. In hindsight, I wish I had reached out for help sooner."
Grayden encouraged attendees to leverage networks and tools to make informed decisions about their careers and charitable giving.
Key Takeaways
Impact over time: View your career as a long-term journey of building skills and resources.
Support Proven Solutions: Use trusted resources like GiveWell to prioritise charities with a track record of success, ensuring your giving creates real change.
Make Every Contribution Count: Start giving early and increase contributions as your income grows, trusting that even small donations lead to lasting results.
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00:00:00
And so, before I talk about what ETG is—it's a bit of an unusual thing—why do it?I think, you know, all charities and nonprofit organizations need a lot of things, but probably two things in particular:
They need really passionate people who are going to go in there and do the work.
They also need money.
Both of these things are important principles. I've chosen to focus on equipping people—the people delivering on the front line. And I would argue in this talk, I think that...
00:00:38
...is hopefully no less critical. Because actually, thinking about what it is—well, both.So, a bit about my career: I spent six years working in strategy consulting after studying at Cambridge University. Then, I switched—after those six years—and spent the last eight years in investing. I've sort of chosen that career path partly because I enjoy it (I'll touch on that later). But also, importantly, because there are people out there willing to pay a lot of money for certain skills.
For those willing to commit to a finance career, you can use that to fund other charities. For me, that ties back to the two things I mentioned earlier: people and money, and bringing them together.
00:01:20
I'll talk quickly about some things I wish I knew—this may not be new to everyone here, but for those considering giving, here are a few principles:Trust in the Lord to provide.
I’ve always found that when I give, there’s never been a shortage. In fact, I feel much more positive, much happier, and much more fulfilled as a result. For me, work has real purpose, and I think everyone, deep down, needs that.
Your purpose could be working directly with beneficiaries, but it could also be knowing that the work you’re doing—though you might not see its impact directly—will, down the line, make a big difference. Trust in the Lord that He will take every pound and make a difference, even if you don’t see it happening.Where you give really matters.
Early on, I struggled with this. There are so many good charities out there and more needs than we can possibly meet, so we have to prioritize. How do we do that?
For a while, I felt the weight of that responsibility. But I learned to trust others. For example, there are people in the CFI community—the Christian community—who help with this. Another fantastic resource is GiveWell.
GiveWell is an online platform that has thought through what the best interventions are. They provide specific recommendations like, "Give to this charity, and for every pound you give, it will have this impact." They’re very open about why they think that, what questions they’re asking themselves, and what their evaluations are.
When I found this resource, I realized that my few hours of internet research on charities were negligible compared to their large staff team. They’re constantly analyzing lots of charities to find the best ones. And they believe that the best ones are a thousand times more impactful than even other very good charities.
00:03:47
Now, I want to mention a few more things:Your career is a marathon, not a sprint.
Many people in this room are probably at a stage where they’re thinking about the immediate next step. But don’t just think short-term—think long-term. What’s your vision? What skills do you want to build? What capital do you want to accumulate to deliver impact over your career?
It’s good to have a sense of direction and a plan. That plan will almost certainly change—circumstances change. But having a guiding "north star" helps. Be willing to reconfigure your path to head in that direction.
This is particularly important for giving because your largest earning potential is likely in the latter half of your career. Position yourself to get to that point.Build good habits early.
Start donating early. Then, as your salary increases, give an increasing percentage of your income to high-impact organizations.Don’t be afraid to ask for support.
Ask for help. Everyone here is involved with Christians for Impact—the organization hosting this conference. They have a fantastic website with career advice, podcasts, and an excellent mentoring program.
When I started on this journey, I didn’t know what I was doing. Honestly, I still don’t really know. But I didn’t seek out help at the time, and I wish I had.
00:05:41
So, with that, I’m happy to take any questions.[Applause]
