Dear friend,

Do you ever wonder if your donation to a specific cause makes a difference? If you’re like most people, you do. You ponder the specific amount of your gift and wonder if it’s substantial enough to really assist the need. You guess at how many other people out there are helping in similar, better, or worse fashion. Is my gift adequate? Abundant? Paltry? Heartfelt? Appreciated?

When you’re talking about a journalistic ministry as small as the Christian Century, please never worry about whether your gift is sufficiently adequate or appreciated. It’s both, and it’s both all of the time. Every gift matters in our shop.

Some years, a donor may step forward and offer a matching or a challenge grant. This anonymous somebody, or sometimes a couple of somebodies—let’s give them a warm-sounding name like John and Mary Q. Public—recognize that they have the means to devote more money to a cause than many others may have. So, they match whatever you give, dollar for dollar. It’s a generous act that John and Mary engage in, and they do it for one reason alone: so that you will not question whether your gift is substantial enough to make a difference. Pairing their generosity with yours, they instantly double your influence on the organization.

The Christian Century is delighted that two friends of the magazine have stepped forward this fall to double any contributions that you and other donors make – up to their $50,000 challenge total. Gifts have to be received by December 31, 2024, to qualify. A $50 gift instantly becomes $100. A $500 gift suddenly becomes $1,000. There’s a word for this kind of multiplication. It’s called beautiful. The donors providing the match aren’t named John and Mary Q. Public. But they care deeply about the public voice of the Century, and they don’t want you to question in your heart whether your gift is substantial enough.

Double your impact on our work at The Christian Century. Respond today with a gift that fits your understanding of generosity. Thirty percent of our operating budget relies entirely on donations. So, thank you in advance for your part in this double-your-impact fall campaign. I look forward to your kind response.

Faithfully yours,