Religious News Service reports on the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy findings on Charitable giving in 2011.
While charitable donations from individuals rose nearly 4 percent overall in 2011, according to the annual “Giving USA” report, donations to houses of worship and other religious bodies dropped by 1.7 percent — a decrease for the second year in a row.
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The proportion of the charitable donations going to religious groups has been falling steadily for decades, said Robert Evans, of Giving USA’s editorial review board.
Evans offered several reasons for the decline, including increased competition from a proliferating number of non-religious organizations, a decrease in church attendance, and a general lack of sophistication within religious institutions regarding fundraising.
“Clergy in America have not been sufficiently trained as CEO’s of institutions to be comfortable and conversant with contemporary fundraising technology and techniques,” he said.
Is that the problem in your church — that the clergy are not conversant with contemporary fundraising technology and techniques? How much of fundraising, particularly for capital campaigns, should be outsourced to professionals who guide the church through a campaign?