When Governor-General David Johnston, who has made philanthropy a focus of his tenure, was asked earlier this year for his first childhood memory of generosity, he named, without pausing, his grandparents. They were Methodists and poor, but they still tithed, giving 10 per cent of everything they earned to their church. “The first 10 per cent,” he stressed. “Not the last.”

These days, we’re more likely to think about “paying ourselves first” with that 10 per cent off the top. But not much beats the weekly passing of the plate in church for getting people to open their wallets to the cause. The donors are captive in the pews, ideally having just been primed with a sermon about generosity, and surrounded by a community of like-minded givers who will set the example for each other. Heaven for a charity.

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