Recession Hurts Christian Donations, Study Says

Because of the recession and soaring gas and food prices, Christian adults have decreased their giving to charitable organizations, a study from Wilson Research Strategies reveals.

Christian News Wire reported that Wilson, commissioned by Dunham+Company, found that about 46 percent of the 1,000 Christian adult respondents to their survey reported they are giving less to charities because they simply don’t have as much discretionary income as they used to. “Christian nonprofits need to understand that now, more than ever, it's crucial to be proactive in communicating the importance of their mission and their organizational effectiveness to their donors in order to sustain the same share of donor dollars that are becoming more scarce.” Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham+Company, said. Of people older than 55, who are generally most supportive of nonprofit organizations, 53 percent listed they were strongly affected by the recession.

It’s notable, though, that most survey respondents who said they attend church “regularly” are less likely to let the economy affect their giving than infrequent attendees. The survey did not specifically address how much churchgoers put in the collection plates.

The skyrocketing price of gasoline is cited as the primary reason for the decrease in charitable giving by 49 percent of those surveyed. Around 22 percent cited the increase in food prices as the No. 1 reason for giving less.

Unsurprisingly, respondents with middle-class annual household incomes ($40,000 – 60,000) are more likely to decrease giving (55 percent) than those with higher incomes. But even 31 percent of those making more than $100,000 a year said that the economy is affecting their giving.

“With nearly one-third of households with incomes over $100,000 indicating that the economy is impacting their charitable giving, organizations relying on major donor revenue need to carefully assess the status of those donors and then stay in close touch with them,” Dunham said. “Organizational leadership must be careful to not presume that major pledges will be fulfilled.”

The conclusions of the study assert that organizations in the Midwest, Northeast, East Coast and North Central states will be more affected by giving decreases than Western and Mountain states.