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    Giving in Faith: Exploring Key Trends in Religious Giving
    (2024-01-23) Ng, Tiffani; King, David P.; Mafolasire, Abiodun; Lynn, Elizabeth
    Giving in Faith: Exploring Key Trends in Religious Giving explores the state of faith-based giving in the United States by considering the converging perspectives of the individual giver, the faith leader, and the congregation. The report was produced by Givelify’s Philanthropic Research and Insights team and Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, a part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Based on a national survey of 2,001 people of faith, the Giving in Faith report elucidates the abundant generosity of faith-based individuals, almost all of whom gave money, time, or items to a cause, organization, or person in 2023. It explores the formal and informal ways that they gave, the pivotal role of faith in shaping their generosity, and their aspirations to be more charitable in 2024. The Giving in Faith report also draws on the responses of 980 faith leaders across the United States. It shines a light on the community impact of places of worship: Almost all congregations surveyed supported at least one outreach program with time, money, items, space, or volunteers in 2023. Faith leaders shared how both their congregation’s vitality and their outreach efforts depend on the generosity and passions of their attendees. Finally, the report shows how digital giving, embraced by both faith-based individuals and congregations, and other emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) enable faith leaders to achieve their vision.
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    COVID-19 Congregational Study
    (Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, 2020-09-15)
    Although almost all U.S. congregations ceased in-person religious services in mid-March 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, for the vast majority of these faith communities, their work and religious services continued online in the midst of significant uncertainty. How have congregations responded in these unprecedented times? Through a recent survey of congregational leaders across the country, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving asked congregations about their finances: How have congregations encouraged giving and managed their resources in the midst of the pandemic? How are they looking to the future in terms of giving trends, budget planning, and reopening for in-person services? We sought to gather data from congregations on several key questions: • What are the congregational trends in participation and giving during the current pandemic? • With increasing uncertainty around financial support, how have congregations responded? • What are congregations expecting over the next year for their organizational or financial future? • As many congregations have reopened or are making plans to do so in the future, what are the key considerations informing their decisions?
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    The National Study of Congregations' Economic Practices
    (Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, 2019-09-17) King, David P.; Fulton, Brad R.; Munn, Christopher W.; Goodwin, Jamie L.
    Congregations continue to receive the largest percentage of charitable giving in the U.S. – 29 percent of all charitable dollars ($124.52 billion in 2018). Most research on charitable giving, particularly faith-based giving, has focused on individuals (the givers) rather than institutions (the recipients of the giving). In September 2019, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving will release the most comprehensive national study of congregational finances in over a generation. The NSCEP report provides an in-depth look at how congregations receive, manage, and spend their financial resources. Delving underneath the numbers, we begin to show how congregations regard financial resources: how theological, cultural, and practical orientations toward money relate to finance, giving cultures, and economic practices.
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    The 2013 Congregational Economic Impact Study
    (2013) School of Philanthropy Project Team
    This study draws upon three distinct periods to better understand the impact of the Great Recession. Respondents were asked to refer to the 2011 fiscal year, to compare years prior to 2011, and to provide information about conditions up to the first half of 2012. This study does not include complete fiscal year data for 2012. Moreover, since the timing of the Great Recession’s impact varied across North America, respondents answered recession-related questions based upon their own experience of when economic conditions were the worst for them.
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    2009 Congregational Economic Impact Study
    (2009) Lake Institute on Faith & Giving; The Alban Institute
    Changes in charitable giving have long been linked to changes in the overall economy.i Research indicates that charitable giving is associated with personal income, gross domestic product, and changes in investment returns. In general, during times of strong economic growth, giving tends to increase, and during times of slower economic growth, philanthropy continues but at a modest rate of growth. Finally, during economic downturns, giving generally declines, even after adjusting for inflation.
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    Greater Indianapolis Congregational Giving Survey
    (2006) Lake Family Institute