Christians for Impact

Can a civil servant really shape billion-pound budgets and shift national policy? JD explores this with Kirsten Horton , a middle manager in the UK civil service, whose journey from prairie schoolteacher in Edmonton to policy insider in Westminster, brought her to one of the most underrated high-impact career paths in the effective altruism world. Kirsten unpacks the painstaking work of navigating...

In this short episode, JD shares what's next for the Christians for Impact podcast, which is relaunching at a steady bi-weekly pace. JD also shares a few things the podcast has taught him along the way. The next episode releases on July 1st.

Should Christians earn as much money as possible in order to give it to the poor? How much good could you do? Is this path dangerous? JD explores this theme with Tommy Kumpf, a quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group in Philadelphia. 🔗  Full-Transcript-And-Links: http://christiansforimpact.org/episodes/tommy-kumpf 🔗 Earning to Give Profile: www.christiansforimpact.org/earning-to-g...

Samuel Dupret, Research Manager at the Happier Lives Institute, discusses why improving wellbeing in global development can be a highly effective career choice, and why using evidence-based research to measure impact is key. He also talks about how pursuing a career in this field can lead to both personal fulfillment and global impact. 🔗 *Links/Transcript* All Links: https://www.christiansforimpa...

Henry Kaestner, co-founder of Sovereigns Capital and the Faith Driven movements , reveals his journey from Wall Street wealth to radical, faith-driven generosity. We discuss: how can impact investing help alleviate global poverty—especially in Africa? Should I impact invest or give effectively? Should I help locally or globally? Does God need us? Should we encourage other Christians to be generous...

Why donating £23+/month to effective animal charities does even more good than going vegan, and why you might consider doing both. Thom also shares the challenges and rewards of starting a charity (FarmKind), how to maximize your impact for animals, and career advice.  🔗See here for a full transcript with links. See here for FarmKind's Compassion Calculator Highlights include: 00:00 Intro to Farm...

Development economist Colin Aitken unpacks the freezing of PEPFAR, whether aid programmes are effective, balancing radical altruism and concern for others with mental health, and how to think about money. See  here  for a full transcript with links. Highlights include: 00:00 Introduction 01:17 Colin's Story 04:48 How retrovirals work 07:30 How people get HIV 9:27 How bad is untreated HIV? 11:05 Ho...

Caroline Oliveira is the Finance and Development Director at  Sinergia Animal , one of the world's top-rated animal charities. Caroline shares her journey from a corporate career at Nestlé to becoming a leading advocate and fundraiser for animal welfare.  See here for a full transcript with links. Highlights include: 03:42 Career Transition: From Nestle to Synergia Animal 05:21 The Awakening: Real...

Summary: We speak to Nicolas Laing, a doctor from New Zealand. Nick has managed rural Health Centers for 10 years in Northern Uganda through his charity, OneDay Health . He first became passionate about unreached areas after seeing the huge numbers of rural citizens in Northern Uganda not covered by either the private or public healthcare system. Nicolas initiated and managed the first 15 One Day...

Summary: In this episode, we speak to Liz Hixson. Liz works at  New Incentives , a GiveWell top-rated charity that provides small cash incentives to caregivers in order to increase childhood vaccination rates. And it works. In Nothern Nigeria, New Incentives has saved thousands of lives from preventable diseases like whooping cough, measles, and pneumonia. She works as a Senior Communications and...

Summary: In this episode, we speak to Rose Gottemoeller, the first woman to hold the position of Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the highest-ranking international civil servant role within the organization. Rose is known especially for her role in negotiating the 2010 New START Treaty, which led to a significant reduction in deployed nuclear weapons held by both Russia and the United States. Som...

In this episode, we speak with Jason Dykstra. Jason is a jack of all trades. He has experience in the medical field being a medical doctor and a radiologist. On top of that, he runs a house church network called World Wide House Church. He also founded Blessbig, a charity evaluator founded on Christian principles, which has advised GiveWell and Charity Navigator. Jason and his family are committed...

In this episode, we speak to Brian Green. Brian holds a doctorate degree in ethics and is currently the Director of Technology Ethics at the Markulla Center for Applied Ethics, at Santa Clara University in California. His work is focused on the ethics of emerging technology.  Some things we touch on in this episode: The relationship between Christianity, technology, and existential risks. Why we s...

In this episode, we speak with Caleb Watney. Caleb Watney is a co-founder of the Institute for Progress (IFP) which aims to accelerate technological, scientific, and industrial progress. On top of that, Caleb Watney holds a Master's in Economics from George Mason University and has spent the last seven years working in policy in Washington DC. Some things we touch on in this episode: What it's lik...

In this episode, we speak to Paul Niehaus. Paul is an economist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, director, and former president of GiveDirectly, the leading international NGO specializing in cash transfers, and rated one of the most impactful ways to give. He also works at the University of California, Sandiego which works on anti-poverty programs around the world. He holds a PhD in Economi...

In this episode, we speak to Joy Bittner. Joy Bittner is the founder of Vida Plena, an organization invested in building strong mental health in Latin America. Vida Plena does this by training local communities to provide mental health care for depression. Joy majored in psychology in her undergraduate degree, then proceeded to do a master's in social work in which she focused on social service ad...

In this episode we speak with Ed Michaelson. Ed lives in London and directs 500k, an org with supports 800 church planters in rural India. Ed shares his story of why he went from ER doctor to non-profit founder, and which missions careers are most effective in furthering God's kingdom. Some things we touch on in this episode... The value of mission trips Windows of opportunities in global missions...

In this episode, we speak with Katie Fantaguzzi. Katie lives in Texas and transitioned from work in private healthcare consulting to measurement and evaluation for global health nonprofits. She is now a Senior MER advisor at the SCI Foundation, which treats millions of people suffering from parasitic worm infections. Some things we touch on in this episode Does a data-driven approach conflict with...

Bruce Friedrich is co-founder and president of The Good Food Institute, a Y Combinator-funded non-profit that promotes plant- and cell-based alternatives to animal products. Some things we touch on in this episode: How animal agriculture harms animals, the poor, and the climate. Why Bruce loves Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker movement. Why alternative proteins are the "electric vehicles" of animal a...

In this episode, we speak with  Brian Fikkert , who is an economist and professor at Covenant College. We speak about his influential book When Helping Hurts and how Christians can make the greatest possible positive impact in the lives of the poor. Some things we touch on in this episode: Why short-term missions often make things worse for the poor. How wealthy Americans define "poverty". "Relief...