Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE

– Churches raised $135.78 billion in 2021 (GivingUSA)

– Churches in the US received 27% of all donations in 2021 (GivingUSA)

– 44% of US adults are digital donors (Barna)

– An average congregation records a yearly income of $242,910 (Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion)

– Congregations in the US collect around $74.5 billion each year (Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion)

– 49% of all donations to churches comes from credit cards or other electronic means (Enterprise Apps Today)

– 40% tithe by means of cash (Enterprise Apps Today)

– 60% are willing to give to their church digitally (Enterprise Apps Today)

– Churches that accept tithing online see a 32% increase in overall donations (Nonprofits Source)

– 37% of regular church attendees don’t give money to church (Nonprofits Source)

What is the average giving per person in church? Studies show that churches of different sizes experience varying rates of per-person giving. Generally, the larger the church, the lower the per-person giving rates for both weekly and annual donations.

For example, ChurchSalary found that churches with 50 attendees had an average annual per-person giving of $2,589, while churches with 5,000 attendees reported an average annual per-person giving of $2,340. The lower rates of giving in larger churches are understandable, considering that 37% of churchgoers do not contribute financially to their church. As attendance increases, the number of individuals who do not give also rises.

– 5% of churchgoers tithe regularly

– 50% of those who donate give about 2% of their income

– Regular attendees give $1,737 more per year than those who attend less than once a month 

– Giving USA™Key findings from Giving USA 2024: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2023, reports that individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations gave an estimated $557.16 billion to U.S. charities in 2023.

– Average charitable donations by income: The average charitable donation is $2,588 for those making less than $50,000 per year, $3,305 for those making $100,000 to $500,000 annually. (The Giving USA 2024 Report)

People give to their churches and charities based on what they have available. Americans do not give more than they can afford; they give from their resources. Churches and nonprofits are expected to operate within the confines of the donations they receive or the services they provide. Once their funds are exhausted, they must wait until more donations come in.

Many Americans donate according to their perceived needs and emotional connections to a church or charity. If there is no emotional investment in the cause, financial support is likely to be minimal.

For example, Vice President Kamala Harris raised over $1 billion since entering the presidential race – the fastest an amount that large has ever been raised by a presidential candidate, according to The New York Times. Former President Donald Trump raised about $350 million, and President Joe Biden raised over $600 million before dropping out of the race, according to Forbes.

(Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools including Georgetown College and Southern and Lexington Universities in Kentucky. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.)