Give It 4 GoodThe E4GR Stimulus Check Campaign
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - Matthew 6:21
Frequently Asked Questions about 'Give It 4 Good"
What is the mission of Give It 4 Good?
Why a "stimulus check" campaign?
Why are the "stimulus checks" bad economics?
Do we send the money to Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation?
What if I need the money to pay my bills/pay down debt?
How do I figure out how much my check is and how much money my chosen percentage is?
What if I'm not getting a "stimulus check"?
Why not give to organizations fighting local/domestic poverty?
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
What is the mission of Give It 4 Good?
To start a conversation about what it means to be a Christian in a society that encourages overconsumption. To hold up a vision of choosing compassion over consumption.
Why a "stimulus check" campaign?
How we spend money has spiritual underpinnings. Our society encourages overconsumption far beyond our actual needs. It's both morally and economically unsustainable.
Now, the federal government has rewarded the overconsumption that led to economic slowdown by providing many tax filers with an "economic stimulus check" of between $600 and $2,100, encouraging Americans to go out and consume even more to bolster the stagnant economy. This fiscal policy is doing nothing more than feeding our national addiction to overconsumption – and continuing the destructive cycle that got us here in the first place. IT'S TIME FOR AN INTERVENTION!
Let’s break the cycle and find more creative -- and Christ-centered -- uses for these "stimulus checks." Jesus says that as we compassionately care for the poorest of the poor, we care for him (Matthew 25:31-46). This time, let's choose compassion over consumption.
Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation is committed to following Christ's call through the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals. So we are engaging all Americans in this campaign to commit those stimulus checks to the MDGs. While fully understanding and appreciating that for millions of Americans, the checks will provide much needed relief in everyday living expenses, for millions more of us, the funds are nothing more than ‘found money.’ Let’s give it away – all of it, a tithe, or the 0.7% that we are all encouraged to commit to relief of extreme global poverty.
Why are the 'stimulus checks" bad economics?
Historically, consumer spending has accounted for 67% of U.S. economic activity, but that number has increased to nearly 72% in recent years. Much of that increase has come from increased debt – credit cards debt, auto loans and refinancing home mortgages. The national savings rate is at its lowest level since the Great Depression -- moving for the first time into negative territory.
What does this mean? That Americans spent all their disposable income, the amount left over after paying taxes, and dipped into their past savings to finance their purchases. This overconsumption has led to an $800 Billion trade deficit.
In order to get back to a balanced and healthy economy, the savings rate needs to increase significantly and consumption needs to drop. The "economic stimulus package" is designed to increase consumption, and contributes to the overconsumptive habits that are driving the trade deficit up and the economy down.
"The most important question to ask in economics is "X happens, and then what?". We are living prosperously, but every day we are sending 2 billion dollars overseas because we consume more than we purchase... the present over-consumption is unsustainable."
-Warren Buffett
Do we send the money to Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation?
No. Although you are welcome to make your Give It 4 Good Gift to support EGR's work, this campaign is about suppporting organization OF YOUR CHOICE that are working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We are NOT collecting the money. When you take the pledge you will NOT be asked for a credit card. You will make your gift to the organization of your choice separately with them.
Ideally, we would like everyone to give their entire stimulus check toward the MDGs, but we realize that because the growing gap between rich and poor our economy has created leaves many people needing this money to put food on their table or pay the mortgage, we have created three levels of commitment
1) Give it all (100%)
2) Tithe it (10%)
3) Give 0.7% (Wondering what this figure is? Check out this FAQ and find out)
Give at the highest level you can, but with the lowest level being less than one percent, everyone should be able to take part somehow. You can use this chart to figure out how much your donation will be.
How do I figure out how much my check is and how much money my chosen percentage is?
Use the chart above, which is drawn straight from the IRS website. This chart will also be shown to you as you take the pledge.
What if I'm not getting a "stimulus check"?
Just use the same chart as those getting a check use to figure out what your check would be if you qualified and go from there. This chart will also be shown to you as you take the pledge.
Why not give to organizations fighting local/domestic poverty?
Giving to alleviate local and domestic poverty is a wonderful thing and we should absolutely do it. It's not an either/or but a both/and. We encourage giving to support alleviation of global extreme poverty for several reasons:
*Global poverty is more extreme than local/domestic poverty -- 1.2 billion people living on less than $1 a day. 110 million children who can't get the most basic primary education. Lack of access to drinking water that won't kill you. A child dying every three seconds of preventable, treatable causes. We just don't see this kind of poverty in the U.S>
*We forget to give globally -- More than 95% of U.S. philanthrophic giving stays inside our borders.
*Our consumption is killing the world -- we make up less than 5% of the world's population yet make up 25% of the world's resource consumption. We're taking much more than our fair share and it's time to give back.
Where should I give my money?
This is a great opportunity to support organizations with which you already have a relationship. For guidelines on how to give productively so your gift has maximum effect and for a list of excellent possible donor organizations, go to EGR's giving page. Click here for a list of organizations that have been recipients of other people "Giving It 4 Good"
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals agreed to in 2000 by 189 heads of state and government -- including the United States -- from around the world that address the deepest material brokenness in the world today. Read more about them and the Episcopal Church's commitment to them here.
