Donors: Has The Giving Wind Changed Directions?

David Kinnaman, President of the Barna Group writes: “The implication is that church and non-profit leaders should prepare for another lean year. Response to this reality suggests avoiding high-risk and untested fundraising efforts and communicating effectively with constituents. In addition, consider proactive financial management, including adjusting income expectations. Avoid using traditional financial projections as reluctant donors are likely to cut back on the number of organizations and frequency of their support. One of the fundamentals is relentlessly addressing six donor motivations – as identified in previous work by the Barna team – including: operating efficiently, featuring the compelling cause at the core of your work, communicating the urgency of the need, nurturing personal relationships with donors, demonstrating transformational impact, and helping contributors feel a sense of personal benefit from giving. These appear to be as important as ever as donors scale back their giving.”

Those six donor motivations are extremely perceptive, and appear to be on course for non-profit work and their ability to raise money.  I think the day is passed for most people who make contributions do so simply because you are a Christian ministry.  Donors want to know that their contribution is going toward ministry work that is truly preaching the gospel whether it's by the preaching of the word, or by transformation works done in the name of Christ. I know my giving has taken an extreme turn about, and for the most part I am supporting missionaries that I know are on the front lines of communicating the gospel. The winds of change are affecting the way people give.  We all know that if the economy is poor it will affect the giving levels of believers. However, giving to Christ shouldn't be tied to the economy because faith isn't held captive by what the marketplace does.  That is why the tithe (10%) is a great standard for the percentage of what should be given away. Regardless of what is brought in for income in a household, a tithe should be given to your local Christ centered ministries.  Now, most pastors say that the tithe belongs to the local church, and in principle I would agree with that, however, if your local church isn't preaching the gospel, or actively seeking the lost, I would reconsider that principle.   Simply to support the infra-structure of buildings and salaries is not what I would call wise investment. The Barna Group also reports that only about 7% of believing Christians actually tithe.  That in itself should tell you about the confidence we have in what we do in ministry, or the type of faith we really have in God.  My point is simple, giving trends have changed, and ministry leaders must come to grips with that reality.  Many ministries, including local churches are poorly run, and have little to no vision.  They have been benign for years, and I think people who are donors refuse to invest money into a black hole. Secondly, ministries that are only self serving the body will also have a harder time extracting contributions. As the younger generations mature in their giving, they will be looking for ministries that are compelling and prove they have what it takes to drive the message of the gospel into the spiritual vacuum in our culture. Simply to hold a worship service or provide an educational forum is no longer a strong enough reason to give money. Donors are looking for transformational evidence that what you say or what you do is having an affect on people for Christ, period...!!!  So if you are on a non-profit ministry board, serve the local church, or work in some advisory capacity, you might consider reviewing Barna's six donor motivations again, they are proving to be prophetic. 

Keeping it honest and truthful....K