Ecumenical Stewardship Center

Now Available!

The 2010 issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation titled "More Than Enough" is available . The cost is $9 and volume discounts are available.

Companion Resource for "More Than Enough" is now available. 30 pages of helps, Bible studies, children's sermons, sermon notes, sample letters and more.

2010 Leadership Seminar
"Preaching and Teaching Christian Stewardship"
November 29 - December 2, 2010
St. Pete Beach, Florida
More Information

Associate Partner News...

The Good Sense Stewardship Movement - providing easy to use, grace-filled resources to empower church leaders to implement ministries to teach, train and encourage biblical financial stewardship. www.goodsenseministry.com Direct questions to: goodsensebus@willowcreek.org or call 224-512-1833.

Share Save Spend

Financial Sanity resources help faith communites convene money conversations that help youth and adults: Discover new ways to communicate about money, values and the consumer culture Set clear financial goals that include sharing and saving; and Develop a financial decision-making process that honors each person's values and faith journey. Learn more at www.sharesavespend.com
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Depth Perception

31 August 2010 Commentary from Design Group International™

The current giving climate

We have been asked repeatedly if we notice any change in the overall climate of giving during these recessionary times.

The short answer is yes.

The middle-sized answer is that during this recession, giving from appreciated assets shrank considerably while sacrificial giving from income remained stable. Some organizations heavily dependent on monthly givers even experienced slight growth.

The long answer for those willing to sit still long enough to listen is that the long-time emphasis on cultivating major donors is shifting to emphasizing donor acquisition, a shift that in our opinion is long overdue.

In part, it is a natural shift. Appreciated assets took an enormous hit which makes for far fewer major donors (also affecting the business sector because there is significantly less venture capital available). The shift connects more deeply, however, to a realization that fewer people do the giving. Too little emphasis has been placed for too long in developing new donor relationships so that even well-established nonprofit and religious organizations now experience a perfect storm in this recessionary economy. Long-term givers reduce their giving, fewer people do the giving, and as many as five new donors are needed to replace the income previously donated by a long-time giver whose relationship with the organization ends.

Changes in the giving climate?

Yes, most certainly and significantly.

-mark l vincent
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Parish Publishing News