Have you given much thought to the role that religion plays in philanthropy?
According to a recent Gallup poll, 93% of weekly or nearly weekly churchgoers say they donated money to a charity, compared with 82% of those who seldom or never go to church. This trend has been echoed in research from Independent Sector and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
Dale McGowan, an author and self-described secular humanist living in Alpharetta, Georgia, has been interested in the role that theology plays in a person’s life purpose for some years. In a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, McGowan talks about what he has done to close the charitable giving gap between those with religious affiliations and those without. Earlier this year, McGowan established Foundation Beyond Belief, a nonprofit that aims to encourage charitable giving by the unaffiliated, such as atheists, agnostics, and others who do not follow organized religion. The foundation, for an annual fee of $9.00, allows members to select from a variety of vetted charities and to give monthly or one-time gifts to the organizations selected. According the Chronicle, the organization has raised over $12,000 to date and admitted more than 300 members, with a goal of raising $500,000 and signing up 4,000 members by the end of the year.
You can read more about Foundation Beyond Belief in the AJC and the New York Times. McGowan also be participated in a discussion (archived transcript) hosted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, in which he commented on what charities can do to increase their appeal to secular donors.
On a related note, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has released a new survey providing statistics on religion in America. The findings are too numerous to detail here, but those with an interesting the topic may want to check it out. For more resources that discuss the role of religion in charitable giving, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature for the subject “Religious giving“.
What are your thoughts on the role of religion in charitable giving? Let us know in the comments section below.
Posted by Pattie Johnson, director, Foundation Center-Atlanta.