My giving journey: How a DAF helped to give with greater purpose

“We come into this world with nothing, and we’re going to leave with nothing, so what do we do with what we have in between?” 

This question sums up Stephen’s perspective on generosity. The notion of giving and being generous is not something he’s thought long and hard about; for him it’s simply an understood thing, that giving to support charitable work is a given part of his faith confession as a Christian.

Since childhood he attended church, and he observed that his family gave faithfully to support the church’s ministry. “Then when I was 10, I remember an ambassador for Tearfund came to speak, and what this person shared really resonated with me. Here was a practical way for me to step in and start giving to something tangible. The work Tearfund was doing wasn’t just about bringing the gospel to people, it was also about meeting practical, material needs.”

Reflecting on his giving journey, Stephen says, “My giving has varied as I’ve gone through different life stages. When first married, my wife and I didn’t have much at all. We had to borrow money from our parents (which we paid back), so we weren’t giving much during that period. Then we had children and all the costs associated with that. We gave consistently, but the amounts varied as our resources did. As our children grew and were less dependent on us, and our mortgage was paid off, we had more margin to give more.”

We want to see social impact

Stephen and his wife are particularly attracted to organisations that are helping the homeless, young people who are out of work, and other types of social action with a Christian ethos, like the Salvation Army. Their giving has also had a local emphasis depending on where they lived at the time. Whilst living in Edinburgh, they supported Bethany Trust in their work to address homelessness. Now they live near Cambridge and have supported Jimmy’s night shelter which is run by a local Baptist church. They also support Hope into Action on an ongoing basis.

At a recent Stewardship lunch in Chelmsford, they were joined at the table by other Stewardship givers who shared their stories and experiences in giving. “I almost felt like an imposter because other guests seemed very closely involved in the charities they support, and some of them even ran their own charities or foundations, whilst I sit on the sidelines and just use my money to support their work. After the lunch my wife and I asked ourselves, are we doing enough practically? Should we be giving more?” 

It's easy to compare ourselves to what others are doing and feel like it’s not enough, but actually, this shows the beautiful diversity in how God uses His people to be generous in supporting the work of His kingdom. Some have little money but lots of time and can get ‘stuck in’ with their causes; others have lots of money but little time, and their best support is financial. Still others view things from a seasonal perspective: Right now might be a season of ploughing soil and sowing seeds (in other words, working hard and making money), after which will come a season of harvesting and feasting (giving generously out of the abundance God has provided).

Stewardship helps us think more about our giving

Stephen wasn’t aware of Stewardship until the company he was involved with was sold and he received some proceeds. He knew he wanted to give a significant amount to charity, but he didn’t want to give it away all in one go. “I wanted to spread my giving over a few years, and the DAF model was very attractive to me for that reason. I’d read about Stewardship in Spear’s Magazine [a publication for private client professionals], and it meant I could set up a fund and make grants as and when I wanted to. 

Discovering Stewardship also made us think more about our giving. Up until that point we gave to multiple charities, but joining Stewardship made us more intentional and encouraged us to talk more as a couple about where we wanted the money to go. For example, there are organisations that we’ve been supporting for years and years but perhaps aren’t as good now as they used to be, and then there are new charities we can support in a more strategic way.”

Something else he finds helpful about Stewardship is that he and his wife can support individuals who are in missional ministry but need to raise their own financial support. “Our son was a ministry trainee at a church in Manchester for a year, and others supported him through Stewardship, and we also do that for others.”

We have drawn on inspiration from Scripture

Thinking about where in the Bible he draws inspiration with regards to giving, Stephen says, “I like the down-to-earth, practical advice from Paul to the Corinthians in regard to their monetary giving to the needy Christians in Jerusalem. He says it should be planned regularly, not ad hoc, and in keeping with one’s income. I also like the idea that you don’t just support your own family and local church but that you keep on looking out for Christian individuals, communities and organisations that need financial support for spiritual or welfare activities.”

What advice would he give to people exploring how and where to be generous? “Look around your sphere of living, your community – what needs do you see? Who is meeting the needs of those people? You don’t need to look far to find organisations that are doing good work, and you might even know people who work for charities. Start there.” 

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