Strategy 8: Donate on pay day
It's pretty tough to make a donation when there's no money in the bank. Match your pledge to your cash flow by making your donation on pay day. Kat writes "Literally, the day that monthly pay comes into your bank account, send a percentage of it straight back out to your chosen charity.

Peter Singer writes in the New York Times,
“You are thinking of donating to a worthy cause. Good. But to which cause should you give? If you seek help from professional philanthropy advisers, the chances are that they won’t have much to say about this vital question. They will guide you, to be sure, through an array of charitable options.”

Strategy 7: Give away your raise
When you get a pay raise, the impulse is to increase your standard of living. A bigger paycheck each month can pay for a nicer car, a larger house, a better wardrobe. Don't do it. Instead of spending that raise on yourself, give it away. Make a commitment to maintain your standard of living.

This is a guest post by Matt Sharp, President of Giving What We Can: York.
Does aid work? Some authors argue yes, and we should give more. Others argue that it has been ineffective, or even hindered development of poor countries.

Today my homework for Doris Buffett’s Giving With Purpose course is due in. Instead, I submit this blog post.
I am one of 10,000 people taking the online Giving With Purpose course, brought to us by Doris Buffett, sister of Warren Buffett. The stated goals of the course are to: "Learn tips and strategies for effective charitable giving … [and] [h]elp distribute the Foundation's money to local nonprofits you're passionate about".

Strategy 6: Bring your friends
Call it what you will - peer pressure, herd mentality, in-group conformity - we humans tend to behave like our friends. Use it to your advantage! Get a friend, family member, or co-worker to take the pledge with you. Share your goals with each other, congratulate each other when you've hit a major milestone, and support each other if you start to flounder.

Strategy 5: Advertise to yourself
Everyday we are surrounded by advertisements trying to influence how we spend our money, but only a tiny fraction of that messaging encourages us to give money to help others. Most charities can't afford to reach you through advertising like for-profit businesses can. So help them out by putting charitable messages where you'll see them.

Strategy 4: Taxes, taxes, taxes
If you don't trust your government to spend money wisely, and you live in a country where charitable donations are tax-deductible, you've got all the motivation you need to fulfill your pledge. Giving to effective charities can reduce your tax burden and allow you to direct your money to causes you feel confident will use it well.

Strategy 3: Make it automatic
It’s easy to set up recurring donations to the effective charity of your choice (thanks technology!). Calculate the monthly or quarterly gift you’ll need to make to reach your annual goal, then set-up automatic credit card payments or bank account withdrawals. You’ll avoid the sticker shock of writing one big check at the end of the year, and there’s no way you’ll forget to give.

CEA ran a Weekend Away in a Welsh castle last weekend for 60 people from the four charities they have launched – Giving What We Can, 80,000 Hours, The Life You Can Save and Effective Animal Activism.