Why Christians Give Understanding the hearts and minds of 21 st century evangelical donors Redina Kolaneci Senior Fundraising & Stewardship Consultant, MJi UK

About Us MJi is a Christian consultancy offering: 1.Design and implementation of fundraising strategies 2.Market research and promotional campaigns 3.Recruitment services for Christian charities 4.Bespoke training for Christian charities 5.Signature services: Fundraising Fitness Test & Donor Value Mapping About Redina Kolaneci Senior Fundraising & Stewardship Consultant Special interests: Fundraising strategy, cause concept development and research Six years with MJi – previously with Stewardship Passionate about promoting a biblical perspective of giving and donor relations

Setting the Scene What are the top three challenges your charity faces relating to acquiring new donors or retaining current donors?

Challenges Christian charities face Declining numbers of supporters – low new donor acquisition rates Greater competition for a limited pool of funding Changing patterns and expectations of giving from one generation to the next New Christians with a limited understanding of stewardship and Christian mission Evolving view of missions and types of mission donors are prepared to support The emergence of major donors and new relationships with them The technology revolution – online giving, social media networks and much more

Key issues addressed by Christian giving survey Main aim: To provide fresh answers to the questions ‘why do Christians give to their churches and charities’ and ‘how do they like to relate to them’ What are the demographic traits of today’s evangelical donors? What lifestyle patterns and expectations shape their lives? What factors impact their views on and support of the charitable sector? What are the ways in which evangelicals give to churches and charities? What are the critical values that underline their decision to give? In what ways do donors want to relate to charities and causes they support? What do donors what to know about the charities they support? What types of charitable activities are evangelicals like to support and why? Research sponsors: Kingdom Bank, Trinity Wealth Management and David Potter Design

Christian giving research design We surveyed a random and representative sample of 2,000 members of the Evangelical Alliance UK Postal survey: cover letter + questionnaire + postage free envelope Mailed out: August 2009 Responses: 600 responses by the end of November 2009 (30%) Analysis: frequency analysis, crosstabulations, coefficients of variations, etc

Dorothy donorDebbie donorEvangelical donor Over 65 years old 11 million in the UK Remembers WWII years old Married 10.5 million in the UK Religious Strong family values Thinks about world issues Spiritual/humanitarian No dependents Ethical consumer Worldly wise Healthy and fit Paid off mortgage Likes SKIING Healthy Better connected Better informed Likes long copy Likes DM Gives by cheque Generous to many charities Gives online and offline Likes personalised communications Wants authentic relationship The changing face of donors

Evangelical donors are Demographic profile: Age: 55 – 64 years old Marital status: Married Education: University graduates Dependants: No dependants at home Income: £30,000 - £39,999 (annually) Gender: Male Giving profile: 6-7% of monthly income to church 5% of monthly income to Christian charities 1-2% of income to non-Christian charities occasionally 43% have included a charity in their will 23% had donated online during the last month

How much do evangelicals give to Christian charities?

What charitable causes do evangelicals support?

How often do evangelicals give to Christian charities?

What is their favourite way of giving?

The connection between faith and giving

Dorothy donorDebbie donorGreg donor Over 65 years old 11 million in the UK Remembers WWII years old Married 10.5 million in the UK years old Still working Married Religious Strong family values Thinks about world issues Spiritual/humanitarian No dependents Ethical consumer Worldly wise Seeking to get closer to God No dependents Ethical and caring Healthy and fit Paid off mortgage Likes SKIING Healthy Better connected Better informed Wants good health Wants a purposeful life Likes long copy Likes DM Gives by cheque Generous to many charities Gives online and offline Likes personalised communications Wants authentic relationship Gives mostly offline Supports outreach and international development Gives to 5 or more charities The changing face of donors

Some questions for you 1.How are you going to target Greg the donor to support your charity? 2.In what ways can you develop an authentic relationship with Greg and his wife so they can become partners to your cause? 3.How are you going to help Greg grow stronger in his relationship with God and experience purposeful living? 4.Winning over Greg and others will require sharper thinking and new ways of doing fundraising – are you ready and willing to change the way you do things?

Full report available: 28 th February 2010 Cost: £40 + pp To request a copy We can invoice your charity