February 27, 2009
By: The NonProfit Times
Most evangelical parachurch ministries exceeded, met or came very close to their 2008 fourth-quarter contributions goals, despite the downturn, according to a new survey by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).
In a survey of ECFA members, 72 percent of responding organizations reported they exceeded, met or came within 10 percent of their goals. 28 percent reported they were more than 10 percent below their goals.
Parachurch ministries are organizations that work outside of and across denominations to promote evangelism and social welfare, relying heavily on charitable contributions to launch and sustain vital programs and initiatives.
"Many of the parachurch ministries we surveyed reported small donations of $10 to $100 were relatively unaffected, and in some cases, donations in this category increased," said Dan Busby, acting president of ECFA. "In fact, some of our members had the strongest fourth quarter they've had in years and ended the year debt-free."
Some ministries attributed steady or increased contributions to increased prayer and widespread humanitarian interest in supporting organizations that help the poor and disadvantaged.
When asked what specific measures were taken to support fund-raising during the downturn, 53 percent said they increased one-on-one contact with key donors. More than 30 percent reported changing their messaging to donors and developing materials on how their organization is responding to the changing economy.
Although most ministries exceeded, met or came close to fourth-quarter 2008 goals, 50 percent reported their investments lost 15-30 percent of their value. In addition, many have concerns about how the ongoing economic crisis may affect 2009 contributions.
To navigate through the downturn and recoup or minimizes losses, some ministries implemented strategies to keep operating costs and spending down. Some of those moves include:
Other less common strategies reported included: renegotiating office leases, asking staff members to raise support for specific projects, borrowing money from restricted funds or considering a new loan.