Houses of worship and other charities often aren’t in competition
for dollars but instead tend to reap donations from similar donors, a new study
shows.
Slightly more than 50 percent of people who financially
supported congregations also gave to at least one charitable organization in
the last year, according to a study conducted by Phoenix-based Grey Matter Research
Consulting.
Researchers also found that the more Americans give to a
house of worship, the more they donate to other groups. And the trend continues
with the generosity of the donor.
For example, donors who gave less than $100 to a house of
worship also donated an average of $208 to other charities. Those who gave between
$100 and $499 to a congregation gave an average of $376 to others. Donors of
between $500 and $999 to places of worship gave an average of $916 to others.
“Americans who give to their church or place of worship are
more likely to give, period — including to charitable organizations,” said Ron
Sellers, president of the Phoenix-based research firm, formerly known as
Ellison Research “Rather than be in competition for the donor dollar, it seems
that giving fosters giving.”
The study, which was commissioned by the nonprofit
fundraising firm Russ Reid Co. of Pasadena, Calif., was conducted last May by
telephone and online among a nationally representative sample of 2,005 American
adults. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
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