7 Ways To Engage Religious Donors

Religious donors are anything but a one-trick pony. As a study by The NonProfit Times and InfoGroup last year showed, these individuals will also give to a select number of secular groups as well as their favorite religious groups. In fact, they are almost three times as likely to donate to other groups than those who do not give to religious institutions.

As with any strategy to reach new donors, one marketing strategy doesn't fit all. This is especially true with religious donors. It's one thing to just reach out to them; it's another thing entirely to convince them that your cause aligns with their morals.

In “Nonprofit Management 101,” Jennie Winton and Zach Hochstadt, two partners at Mission Minded, identified seven tactics you can follow to get religious groups to appeal on your behalf:

• Tactic 1: Identify local religious organizations;
• Tactic 2: Create a brochure that explains the benefits of supporting your nonprofit;
• Tactic 3: Mail an introductory letter and brochure about the nonprofit to each group;
• Tactic 4: Schedule and make follow-up phone calls;
• Tactic 5: Create introductory packets for organizations that agree to raise money for the nonprofit;
• Tactic 6: Create fundraising templates for religious institutions that agree to appeal for money on your behalf; and,
• Tactic 7: Follow up with all partners monthly.

Some Data On Religious Donors

In case you missed it, we posted two new articles from our August 1st issue yesterday.  One of these was an exclusive study done with Infogroup about religious donors.  There's a lot of information in this study, but the most interesting thing to me is that those who give to religious groups are more likely to give to more charities than those who don't.  Let's take a look at the numbers:

• Nine out of 10 people who gave to religious organizations said they also gave to at least one other charity.  This is compared to seven out of 10 who did this but did not give to a religious group.
• Of the 90 percent that gave to other groups, three-quarters of them focus their giving on one to five charities besides their religious groups; 11 percent give to six to 10 charities, and only five percent give to more than 10 charities.
• Forty-seven percent of respondents said they gave to religious groups.
• For those 65 and older who gave to religion, only six percent did not give to another group.  This is compared to 21 percent of seniors who did not give to religion.

Other numbers from the survey showed that, once again, religious groups are getting the lions share of giving.  This is consistent from data in recent years, such as the 2010 Giving USA numbers, which showed that religious giving made up 35 percent of the $290 billion in total giving.

It's clear from these numbers that, for whatever reason, religious donors tend to give to more charities than secular donors.  Why this is happening is not so clear.  Perhaps the religion they follow encourages giving?  One theory, which is explored in the article, is that a large percentage of religious donors come from high-income families.  In fact, 97 percent of respondents with households incomes of $100,000 or more said they gave to other groups in addition to their religious charities. 

What are your thoughts on this study?  Do you have any theories as to why religious donors give more than secular ones?

NPTtv Summary: A Chat With Nora Ortiz Frederick

Note: This is a summary of a story from the newest webcast of The NonProfit Times TV. To view the video of this story in full, follow the links in this post.

Religious donors are one of the biggest contributors in the country and, as a result, religious charities are receive some of the biggest contributions.  However, this doesn't mean that religious donors only give to these types of organizations.  Nora Ortiz Frederick, Associate Director of Stewardship and Development at the Archdiocese of Anchorage, recently talked with The NonProfit Times TV about how secular charities can attract this important donor base.

According to Frederick, for every dollar that a religious donor gives to a religious charity, they give 86 cents to a non-religious organization. She goes on to say that as long as this individual feels that contributing to a particular secular charity will help them act on some of their deeply held beliefs, they will be "more than happy" to donate.  So how, exactly, can these organizations convince them of this?

Luckily, Ms. Frederick has some tips to help secular nonprofits get on the right track to accomplish the goal of getting religious donors. First of all, she says that it’s important to treat religious donors as just another segment of the population. With this in mind, secular organizations need to figure out ways on how they can market themselves that would appeal to religious donors. She uses the example of Christian donors, who make up about 86% of that group, and how a non profit should try to see how their organization might be viewed as a ministry to them. She also suggests that they should let donors list their place of worship in their relational database, as this will make them feel like that the organization is open to their beliefs.

To view the full interview with Nora Ortiz Frederick, visit the NPTtv website.

Observing trends in religious donations in the USA

This is a summary of an older story from the Nonprofit Times TV.  Want to see the story in full?  Click here.

When it comes to giving and fundraising in the nonprofit sector, religious giving has always topped the list as the main component of the overall donation total. In 2009, religious giving experienced a slight decline of 1% as compared with the previous year, whereas the nonprofit sector as a whole experienced a 7% decline over the same period. This video shares some interesting insights about the challenges that religious institutions face when it comes to attracting the attention of donors. The presentation is clear and well presented.



Challenges facing religious giving figures in the current economy

Sharing some of his thoughts on this issue is Bill Wildey, director of funds development and marketing with Church World Service. Bill says that a growing number of congregations have a growing proportion of people who are battling with unemployment, salary cuts and the loss of stability. This of course has a direct impact on the kinds of resources that are available to and in the religious sphere. One area that Church World Service is involved in heavily is that of refugee relocation and resettlement within the United States, and dealing with the associated immigration challenges can sometimes be tricky when trying to assist refugees in this way.

The business of attracting the attention of potential donors is made more challenging in light of tough economic conditions. One of the difficulties also being experienced is persuading people to exercise compassion and generosity as it relates to various humanitarian endeavors that they themselves are not impacted by. People remain far more inclined to give towards causes that they or a loved one are personally affected by. The prediction is that this will probably not be changing in the near future, with the current trend continuing well into 2011 and beyond. Have a look at this video to learn more about the fundraising challenges faced by religious organizations.