Survey: Not too bad, but take it seriously

Not every look at the recession is equally horrifying. A recent survey by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability shows a that fundraising is impacted but not all that much. Survey results here.

Seems among these evangelical nonprofits in 2008:

• 44% met fundraising goals
• 28% were within 10% of goals
• 28% were more than 10% below goals

That's not radically different from the way things are in "normal" times.

Fortunately, the surveyed organizations are not ignoring the recession. Here's what they report doing differently:

• 53% employed more one-on-one contact with key donors
• 34% changed the style of the message in communications with donors
• 34% developed communication materials on how the ministry is responding to the changing economy

Lessons learned:

1. The sky is not falling, at least not for everyone.
2. It's smart to respond to conditions with relevant action.

Thanks to Prospecting for the tip.

Technorati Tag: fundraising

Comments

[tyler]

I think the only problem with reporting on Evangelical giving is that it remains very steady whether in good or bad economic conditions. However, secular giving historically falls with recession.

[anne]

Not surprising since one's religious institution is usually in a donors top 2 causes, now all of us non-profits want to figure out how to be the other one.