Younger Donors Propel Church Fundraising Increases - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Younger Donors Propel Church Fundraising Increases - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Younger Donors Propel Church Fundraising Increases

By Raymund Flandez

Nearly two-thirds of churches increased donations from 2010 to 2011, a sign that they are beginning to emerge from the financial downturn, according to a new study.

Churches that chalked up the biggest increases were those that relied primarily on donors under age 55, the study found.

Giving Rose to Majority of Churches Last Year - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Giving Rose to Majority of Churches Last Year - Prospecting - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: More than half of churches say donations increased last year, the first year a majority of congregations achieved gains since 2009.

This year’s “State of the Plate” annual survey, which assessed giving to 1,360 churches nationwide, found that 51 percent reported increased donations in 2011, 14 percent said contributions were flat, and 32 percent suffered declines.

$1.5M gift to help center study religious giving - 13 WTHR

$1.5M gift to help center study religious giving - 13 WTHR: INDIANAPOLIS - A $1.5 million donation will endow the directorship at the nation's only university-based institute dedicated to exploring the relationship between faith and philanthropy.

Report says tithing, church spending hit record low - The Washington Post

Report says tithing, church spending hit record low - The Washington Post: Tithing to mainline Protestant churches as a percentage of income is at its lowest level in at least 41 years, according to a new report, and churches are keeping a greater share of those donations for their own needs.

Parishioners gave about 2.38 percent of their income to their church, according to “The State of Church Giving through 2009,” a new report being released Friday (Oct. 14) by Empty Tomb inc., a Christian research agency in Champaign, Ill.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Gay-Rights Activists Lobby Companies to Cut Ties with Charitable-Giving Website Linked to Focus on the Family

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Gay-Rights Activists Lobby Companies to Cut Ties with Charitable-Giving Website Linked to Focus on the Family: Gay-rights activists are calling on corporations to end their charitable-giving deals with the Charity Give Back Group (CGBG), according to a Denver Post report. Once known as the Christian Values Network, CGBG recruits online shoppers who can designate a percentage of their purchase totals to go to a list of specific charities, both secular and religious. One of the designated nonprofit recipients is Focus on the Family, which many gay-rights activists and others consider a hate group due to its attitude toward gays and lesbians.

One LA museum hosts an exhibition in the fine art of giving - The National

One LA museum hosts an exhibition in the fine art of giving - The National: In the end, it is not necessarily the thought that counts, but the price tag," Komaroff notes candidly in the exhibition catalogue.

Conceived so broadly, the process of gift-giving was crucial to diplomacy, civic and religious philanthropy, and to the international exchange of art and wealth. Gifts, then and now, are rarely acts of pure generosity, says Komaroff, who notes that the exchanges of objects (and cash) reflect relations of power and obligation.

Men v. Women: Who are the Best Planned Giving Prospects? | Michael Rosen Says…

Men v. Women: Who are the Best Planned Giving Prospects? | Michael Rosen Says…: "Generally speaking, men and women are just as likely to make a bequest commitment, according to Russell N. James, III, PhD of Texas Tech. However, women are more likely to make a bequest commitment to environmental, health, human service, and religious organizations, according to Giving USA. Men are more likely to leave a bequest to education or public/society benefit organizations. Both women and men are equally likely to leave a bequest to arts and international affairs groups."

Religious Groups Fight for Tax Deductions - News

Religious Groups Fight for Tax Deductions - News: "Many religious nonprofits, which supplement their budgets heavily with donations from wealthy donors, are concerned that reducing the tax write-offs for charitable donations will cause a decrease in giving, said Diana Aviv, the president and CEO of Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofit organizations.

'The question is, 'Do tax incentives work, do they stimulate more money than they cost?'' Aviv said, 'Experts estimate that this proposal could reduce charitable giving by $7 billion dollars.'"

Religious Donations Going Awry - NYTimes.com

Religious Donations Going Awry - NYTimes.com: "Religious Donations Going Awry
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

My Sunday column is about charitable contributions, particularly by Christians, Jews and Muslims, that are well-intentioned but poorly thought out — and thus not nearly as effective as they might be. This is of course also a problem with secular contributions, but we’re entering a season for religious giving and I think this is a particular problem for religious charities because of a false assumption that a charity that shares one’s faith also shares one’s values and bona fides."

U.S. is feeling charitable, just not through churches | The Christian Century

U.S. is feeling charitable, just not through churches | The Christian Century: "Americans are being more generous to religious charities, but why are they skimping on their giving to churches?

A new report from Empty Tomb Inc., an Illinois-based Christian research organization, contains an analysis that found from 2007 to 2008, Protestant churches saw a decrease of $20.02 in per-member annual charitable gifts."

Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center

Symbiotic Ways Private Foundations Use Community Foundations and Other Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center: "As philanthropic advisors, our job is to recommend the best method to meet our client's charitable objectives. If a direct gift is not appropriate, we generally begin to weigh the pros and cons of public foundations (i.e., community foundations or supporting organizations) and private foundations. All too often, the final recommendation tends to be one vehicle over the other when, in fact, using a combination of vehicles may be the perfect way to meet the client's needs. What follows are ten planning ideas, with accompanying case studies, that illustrate the synergies created by private foundations utilizing community foundations. Community foundations, in this context, will extend to religious foundations, colleges and universities, healthcare institutions, national donor advised funds or any nonprofit sponsoring donor advised funds."

Affluent Blacks Differ in Giving Patterns From Whites, Study Finds - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Affluent Blacks Differ in Giving Patterns From Whites, Study Finds - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: "Wealthy Blacks Give Most Donations to Education and Religious Groups, Study Finds

By Maria Di Mento

Wealthy black Americans are more likely to donate to educational institutions, religious organizations, and human-services groups than other affluent people, according to a new study.

Black donors who make at least $250,000 or who have $1-million in assets also tend to give anonymously and to nonprofits they know well, says Marguerite Griffin, national director of philanthropic services at Northern Trust Corporation, a financial-services firm in Chicago, which conducted the survey."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Recession Worsening Decline in Religious Giving

The Nonprofit Quarterly | @npquarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Recession Worsening Decline in Religious Giving: "As the New York Times reports, 'Well before the subprime mortgage crisis threw the economy into a tailspin, warning signs for religious giving were present. A 2007 study by three professors at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis found that baby boomers in 2000 were donating about 10 percent less to religious bodies than their parents’ generation did at a comparable age in 1973—and almost 25 percent less than those parents, by then ages 62 to 76, were donating in 2000.'"

Richard Joel and Daniel Forman: Faith in a changing economic environment | The Fundermentalist | JTA - Jewish & Israel News

Richard Joel and Daniel Forman: Faith in a changing economic environment | The Fundermentalist | JTA - Jewish & Israel News: "In this piece, Richard Joel, the president of Yeshiva University, and his top fund raiser, Daniel Forman, talk about how the economy has affected faith and money raising. (When last we spoke with Forman, he was leading YU as it embarked on a $1 billion fund raising campaign in July 2008.)"

In A First, Religious Gifts Decline Slightly | The Jewish Week

In A First, Religious Gifts Decline Slightly | The Jewish Week: "Historically, giving to religion does well in trying times, but last year something happened,” says Robert Evans, a member of the Giving USA editorial review board and co-founder of the EHL Consulting Group, a Philadelphia-based consultancy that serves many Jewish nonprofits. “So many houses of worship and synagogues responded to appeals by members for a reduction in dues, and by necessity, houses of worship gave in.” In addition, major capital projects, including renovations and expansions of synagogues, have mostly been halted."

Tax Guide for Tax Guide For Churches and Religious Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center

Tax Guide for Tax Guide For Churches and Religious Organizations | Planned Giving Design Center: "The IRS has released revised Publication 1828, Tax Guide for Tax Guide For Churches and Religious Organizations - benefits and responsibilities under the federal tax law."

Mollie Hemingway: Tithing Gets Harder in Tough Times but People Still Pass the Plate and Grow Rich in Spirit - WSJ.com

Mollie Hemingway: Tithing Gets Harder in Tough Times but People Still Pass the Plate and Grow Rich in Spirit - WSJ.com: "Saddleback wasn't alone. Nearly 40% of the congregations in various denominations providing figures cited a decline in giving last year (compared to 29% in 2008), according to a March report from State of the Plate, a research project by Maximum Generosity ministry and Christianity Today International. Close to a third reported lower-than-expected collections for December, a month that traditionally helps many churches meet their budgets."

The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Philanthropy’s Role in Religion: Outsized Influence?

The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | Philanthropy’s Role in Religion: Outsized Influence?: "March 30, 2010; The Bulletin | It’s no revelation that the bulk of individual donations in this country go to churches and religious organizations. But this research, done by sociologists D. Michael Lindsay and Robert Wuthnow, and published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, suggests that charitable foundations may end up having a disproportionate influence on the future of religion despite the fact that they only contribute about 5% of what religious groups take in."

$22,000 Grant from Will Support Research on Religiously Affiliated Mutual Funds : Newscenter : IUPUI

$22,000 Grant from Will Support Research on Religiously Affiliated Mutual Funds : Newscenter : IUPUI: "Peifer’s research explores the intersection of religion and the economy, with an emphasis on religious giving and religious investing. His dissertation, 'Religion in the Financial Market: A Look at Religiously Affiliated Mutual Funds,' examines how religious values impact behavior in the financial market, including how these funds screen or try to change the behavior of corporations they deem to be unethical. The research also looks at how religious fund employees and donors manage the tension between religion and finance."

The NonProfit Times - Religious Fundraising

The NonProfit Times - The Leading Business Publication For Nonprofit Management: "Religious Fundraising

Major Donors
Fundraising is a journey in loving your donors

Many development officers and chief executive officers (CEOs) approach major donors with angst. Perhaps they feel inadequate, fear alienating an important donor, or even secretly resent people who are 'filthy rich.' Understandably, such conflicted people struggle to acquire the money that their organizations need."