Religious organizations may have received the largest proportion (as usual) of the more than $316 billion donated by Americans last year. But they're also one of the only giving sector not bouncing back post-recession, according to an annual assessment of American philanthropy.
In its annual report, the Giving USA Foundation calculates that charitable giving to houses of worship and religious organizations fell 2.2 percent in 2012 (when adjusted for inflation) over the previous year. Meanwhile, every other giving sector except foundations saw donations grow in 2012.
?These findings are very troubling for houses of worship and religious nonprofits that depend on the gifts of members and supporters to accomplish their missions,? said Rick Dunham, president and CEO of Dunham and Company, in a news release. ?While religious organizations continue to receive the largest share of total U.S. charitable giving (32 percent in 2012), the fact that religion is the only subsector of U.S. giving that did not show growth indicates a significant shift in giving ? a shift religious nonprofits must understand as they develop donor acquisition and cultivation strategies.?
The decrease is consistent with findings by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), which reported earlier this year that charitable giving to its member organizations decreased nearly 2 percent in 2012.
CT has examined where today's evangelicals are giving and no longer giving their money, as well as spotlighted which types of Christian ministries receive the most donations.
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