Report Foresees Tough Times for Religious Charities

July 31, 2009

Report Foresees Tough Times for Religious Charities

Research that shows wealthy people are maintaining their giving during the recession and younger donors are becoming more active does not necessarily bode well for religious nonprofit groups, Reuters reports on its FaithWorld blog.

The recent Barclays Wealth report on giving by high earners states that arts and religious organizations face an uncertain future, with big donors telling the wealth-management house that “these causes had become less important to them over the past 10 years.” The report predicts a 16-percent drop in contributions for religious charities, while giving for health care, the environment, and children is expected to rise markedly.

Comments

I think it is right that people give money to improve the life of people by having access to better health, education and food. I am heading an organization for providing better health to people in India, and I would like to someone assisting me in this endeavor. You can access our site: www.mtihs.in

— Dr Babu Joseph Jul 31, 04:27 PM #
Unfortunately, people do not remember, nor do they see that it is churches and other religious organizations that continue to help people in need, no matter what. I head a food pantry through my church that gives food to all who are in need, regardless of religion or lack thereof. This country is way too dependent on the government for so many things and needs to look outside the box.

— Michelle Evans Jul 31, 04:48 PM #
Interesting. In 25 years of fundraising, I have only experienced the opposite effect — that faith based groups who help feed the homeless, or care for marginalized members of our society, for instance, only increase their income during tough economic times. At my organization, where we care for the elderly poor, I am seeing an increase in our income because our donors realize that the poor are hit extraordinarily hard during times like these and they want to do their part to help out. I have always felt that tough times simply require us to refine our message to make what is needed absolutely clear and then help the donors see how they can help us to meet that need.

— Kimberly W. Aug 3, 09:22 AM #

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