Full of charts and graphs, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability has produced a free 24-page report on the state of giving in 2020. Warren Bird Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Equipping, served as project manager and primary writer. Michael Martin, ECFA President, contributed guidance and expertise.
Michael notes the basis for the report:
What is the state of giving to Christ-centered nonprofits and churches?
That’s the purpose of this report, which analyzes patterns across ECFA’s membership for cash giving (cash, checks, electronic monetary contributions, etc.).
He also cites the solid basis for the numbers:
The unique findings from ECFA State of Giving 2020 draw information compiled by ECFA.
A further distinctive is that all numbers are based on actual results (CPA-prepared financial statements)—not on estimates. This is ECFA’s 11th annual State of Giving report.
The download includes a section on Defying the Odds: Giving Grows Despite the Pandemic • November 2020. Warren writes:
The title Defying the Odds aptly summarizes what ECFA learned in recent weeks from 1,289 Christ-centered nonprofits and churches. We wanted to know how they have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also wanted to know their revenue outlook for the rest of 2020 and for 2021.
Bottom line: Despite incredible challenges, 2020 has seen remarkable resiliency and significant forward motion among ECFA members and other like-minded ministries. We were impressed by their strong optimism that God will continue to provide the funding needed to fuel gospel-motivated ministry.
