Insights in Faith-Based Generosity
Insights in Faith-Based Generosity
Four key insights on faith and giving
Giving USA 2023, which reports on philanthropic giving trends from 2022, noted a steep decline in total giving. Yet it appears there’s one group who continues to give despite this trend: religious donors.
The new report Giving in Faith: Exploring Key Trends in Religious Giving, co-authored by Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and Givelify, offers key new insights into religious giving behaviors.
Unwavering generosity from faith communities
This third Giving in Faith report highlights the remarkable generosity of faith communities in a changing philanthropic landscape. It captures the perspectives of nearly 1,000 faith leaders and over 2,000 people of faith, providing a holistic and in-depth reflection on the state of faith-based giving in the U.S.
The report’s findings, which also draw on data from over 30 million Givelify donations, encompass a range of topics, including religious giving behaviors, technological trends, and the impact these charitable contributions have on congregations and communities.
“This latest research confirms the abundant generosity of people of faith and provides additional insights into their giving behaviors, as well as other current giving trends,” reflects AJ Mafolasire, Head of Givelify’s Philanthropic Research & Insights team.
“Even with concerns about a decline in U.S. giving, we found a notable increase in charitable contributions from people of faith and a continued commitment to give even more in the year ahead,” he shared.
Key report insights and themes
Trend 1: Faith communities lead in generosity
While recent data suggests that the average American may give less to charity, faith-driven giving remains strong. More than 95% of people of faith reported donating in 2023. Their giving included their place of worship, registered nonprofits, mutual aid groups, and directly to people in need.
Despite turbulent economic times, religious givers build their generosity on the bedrock of their faith. A total of 78% of those surveyed agreed that their faith inspires them to give generously to their place of worship. Additionally, 79% agreed it inspires them to give outside of their church.
Trend 2: Digital giving is the new normal
The pandemic and technological advancements have accelerated digital anywhere, anytime giving. In 2023, 77% of givers noted that they used at least one digital tool to donate to their place of worship.
Whether it’s a website, mobile app, or digital currency, faith-based givers showed year-over-year growth due, in part, to the ease and convenience of digital giving. In fact, 66% of respondents use a digital method exclusively to give to their place of worship.
Faith leaders noted that digital giving comprised 60% of their congregations’ total annual contributions. 98% report that they offered digital giving options to their congregants in 2023.
Trend 3: Community-critical needs drive mission
Places of worship recognize their dual mission of spiritually guiding their congregation as well as providing critical community outreach.
Similarly, faith leaders (89%) cited programs addressing primary needs as the most important cause to support. In fact, in 2023, 82% of these places of worship engaged in support through programs such as clothing and food banks.
The report also calls attention to the unique relationship between Black places of worship and the neighborhoods they anchor. While most congregations were equally likely to offer primary needs support, differences emerged in support for outreach programs that address key issues for Black communities.
Trend 4: The future of faith-based giving is bright
Faith-based individuals express aspirations to become even more generous. They confirm their conviction to give to organizations, causes, and people they care about. Because the foundation of faith drives their generosity, 98% of faith-based givers want to give the same amount or more in 2024.
Likewise, faith leaders are confident in their current support of their communities, but they desire to do even more. Nearly all (99%) of faith leaders surveyed plan to maintain or increase their community outreach efforts.
Explore the award-winning research
The Giving in Faith report was recently honored with a prestigious 2024 Stevie® Award in the Best Research Report category.
The full 96-page report provides an in-depth look at places of worship and the behaviors, motivators, and sentiments of people of faith and faith leaders. It explores topics including generosity, in-kind giving, volunteerism, community outreach, and more. With a robust outlook on the future of religious giving, the report delves into attitudes about and adoption of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
Find out what you can expect in the future and take these insights to guide your planning. Download your full complimentary Giving in Faith report today.
About Givelify
Givelify is the leading mobile giving platform. Along with its powerful donation management system, it’s the fastest-growing technology for advancing generosity. More than 1.5 million givers have donated over $5 billion to 70,000+ churches, places of worship, and nonprofits to date. Learn more at Givelify.com.
Expanded Perspective: Rich Diversity of Giving Cultures
by David P. King, PhD
At Lake Institute, not only do we seek to produce research at the intersection of faith and giving, we also point to the research and resources of others highlighting aspects of these important issues. In that vein, it’s also worth exploring an important new Pew Research Center report on an under-explored topic: giving trends among Asian Americans.
While the majority of data on religious giving often focuses on trends of those affiliated with the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the diversity of religious traditions among Asian Americans serve as an important factor in their giving and sharing of resources both at home in the United States and in their ancestral homelands.
As Pew’s headline makes clear, Asian Americans are deeply interwoven into the charitable giving culture of the U.S. A majority (67%) of Asian adults have given to a charity in the U.S., their Asian country or origin, or both in the past year. Yet, giving and volunteering to a charitable organization in the U.S. by far leads the way. Sixty-four percent of Asian adults give to a U.S. charity. As debates over American identity and civil society rise, it’s important to note: Asian Americans are deeply engaged as contributors in the fabric of American civil society.
The giving behaviors of Asian Americans also demonstrate the dynamic flows of globalization. While twenty percent of Asian adults give to a charitable organization in their Asian country of origin, 27% also affirm sending remittances to their homeland. These direct gifts to families or local communities are often to support basic needs such as food, health, and educational expenses.
For Lake Institute readers, focused on the role of religion, Pew’s study finds that religion is one of a number of factors that matters for formal and informal giving. First, when looking to those that say religion is very important in their lives, they are more likely to give (70% to 59%). Among Asian Americans claiming affiliating with a religious tradition, Christians and Muslims are more likely to give than Buddhists and the unaffiliated with Hindus falling in between these religious poles.
Pointing to these few findings just scratches the surface of what is worth exploring in Pew’s study. It also makes clear the need for more research and resources attending to the rich diversity of religious traditions and giving cultures both in the U.S. and beyond. We are excited to continue the work to build a fuller understanding of the landscape of faith and giving.
Webinar: Perspectives on Philanthropy
On June 25th at noon Eastern, join CCS Fundraising, in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, for Perspectives on Philanthropy, a webinar to mark the release of Giving USA 2024: The Annual Report on Philanthropy.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Una Osili, leads the research and production of Giving USA, a publication of the Giving USA Foundation. Dr. Osili, along with the esteemed panelists, will present the latest trends from the 2023 charitable giving report. Following the presentation, there will be an engaging discussion on the significance and implications of this year’s data.
Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising
We are working on our 2025 Executive in Religious Fundraising schedule – those dates will be released later this summer. In the meantime, we still have several offerings available this year. We can even add you to our upcoming course starting next week if you email us today!
The Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF) is an online or in-person course with a practical application project. It provides the research, tools, and customized training to meet the growing needs of leaders in religious communities and fundraisers of faith-based organizations.
Subscribe
Insights, a bi-weekly e-newsletter, is a resource for the religious community and fundraisers of faith-based organizations that provides:
- Reflections on important developments in the field of faith and giving
- Recommended books, studies and articles
- Upcoming Lake Institute events