7

Giving to religion

Giving to religion reached an estimated $106.89 billion in 2008, which was an increase of 5. 5 percent ( 1. 6 percent adjusted for inflation) from the estimate for 2007 of $101.32 billion.

Giving to religion is 35 percent of estimated total giving.

Charitable contributions for religious organizations generally include donations to houses of worship; to the governing bodies of faith groups; and to ministries, which include broadcast and print initiatives. It does not include “faith­based” charities, such as Jewish federations or agencies offering health care, education, and care for the young or the elderly. It also does not include special offerings or in­kind gifts that religious organizations collect and send to other charities without registering them in their own financial records (e.g. hurricane relief and church­building in other nations).

 

Giving USA findings about giving to religion, 2008

The 2008 Giving USA estimate of giving to religion1 includes:

Contributions to religious congrega­ tions, including congregations of people of all faiths and denominations.

Giving to other entities for organized religious practice, including:

National or regional offices of — faith groups;

Missionary societies; —

Religious media (including print — and broadcast); and

Other organizations formed for — religious fellowship, worship, or evangelism (Youth for Christ, Campus Crusade for Christ, and others).

The estimate does not, however, include contributions made to separately incor­ porated faith­based organizations (FBOs) that provide education, healthcare, international relief, or other services. Thus, giving to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital,

the Reform Jewish Academy, or Lutheran Social Services and similar organizations appears in health, educa­ tion, and human services, respectively.

Trends in giving to religion, 1968–2008 In prior recession years, giving to religious organizations averaged an inflation­adjusted drop of ­0.1 percent from prior year percentages, ranging from a decrease of 3. 6 percent (1991) to an increase of 5. 5 percent (1982). Giving to this subsector increased (adjusted for inflation) in five of the eleven recession years between 1968 and 2006.2

Using a standardized measure of giving to religion allows us to compare con­ tributions to this subsector over time. One standard measure is to estimate giving per household. To do this, the sum of contributions from all sources (not just households) is divided by the number of households in the country. Table 1 shows the results for giving to the religious sector per household