Dear Members and Friends –

• People who are religiously affiliated are more likely to make a charitable donation of any kind, whether to a religious congregation or to another type of charitable organization. Sixty-two percent of religious households give to a charity of any kind, compared with 46 percent of households with no religious affiliation.
• Although the percentage of people who give to religious congregations is declining, those who give to religion are giving at steady rates. Contrary to popular belief, younger generations do give to religion, and those who give are doing so at a similar rate as earlier generations did at the same point in their lives.
• Frequent attendance at religious services is linked to both the likelihood of giving to religion and making larger gifts to religion. People who attend religious services on a monthly basis are 11 times more likely to give to religious congregations, and they give an average of $1,737 more to religion per year than people who attend less than once a month.
• Donors to religious causes between the ages of 40 and 64 give the largest amounts, giving an average of $2,505 per year. Donors to religious causes who are younger than 40 years old give an average of $1,892 and donors who are 65 or older give an average of $2,338.
• Giving to religion increases as donors’ income increases, but donations decrease as a share of donors’ overall income. Households with an annual income greater than $100,000 give an average of $1,600 more to religion per year than households with an income of less than $50,000.
• Religiously affiliated households give as much or more to other types of charities as non-religiously affiliated households do.

September 8, 2022 – Faith and Fundraising
Presenter: David P. King, Ph.D

October 6, 2022 – The Changing Landscape of Faith and Giving
Presenter: David P King, Ph.D

November 17, 2022 – Religion and Donor Motivation
Presenter: Meredith McNabb

January – February 2023 – The Practice of Religious Fundraising
Presenter: David P. King, Ph.D 

We hope you’ll join us for these insightful sessions. Registration information will be forthcoming for the final, 2023 seminar in the series.

Warm regards, 

Nancy J. Ackerman, CFRE
2022-2023 President

With over 25 years of experience in nonprofits, Michele Wray Khateri has been a valuable addition to the Greater San Fernando Valley chapter. This year, she was selected as a Chamberlain Scholar and invited to attend this year’s annual AFP ICON, a conference featuring a coming together of fundraisers from around the world. 

Thanks to the support from Be The Cause, our chapter is able to support members like Michele in their professional development journeys. We got the opportunity to sit down with Michele and hear her thoughts on the conference and the opportunities she was able to access at the event.

AFP: Michele, so great to speak with you about your experience at AFP ICON. For the uninitiated, can you tell us more about the event?

MICHELE: Definitely! AFP ICON is an international conference held every year with fundraisers from all over, from development assistants all the way to VPs. It’s an incredible opportunity to engage with professionals from across the world, learn about upcoming products and databases, and discuss all things fundraising. This was the first time since 2019 that the event was held in person.

AFP: And thanks to support from Be The Cause, you were able to attend the conference as a Chamberlain Scholar.

MICHELE: Yes.

AFP: What was your experience like as a Chamberlain scholar at the conference?

MICHELE: At the conference, AFP brought all the Chamberlain scholars from across all the chapters, which gave us the opportunity to get to know one another. It was nice to connect with the scholars–I found out that a lot of other people have been in fundraising for a while, too. We also had the chance to write thank you notes to people who directly supported Be The Cause which provided us the chance to attend. 

AFP: Can you talk about why opportunities like the Chamberlain Scholarship are important?

MICHELE: The Chamberlain Scholarship supports first-time conference attendees by supporting Scholars’ registration. Supporting Be the Cause provides professional fundraisers the opportunity to attend this conference where they may not otherwise be able to.

AFP: What does Be The Cause mean for you, as a scholarship recipient?

It took me many years before really realizing what the direct impact of Be The Cause is. We’re supporting the professional development of many fundraisers. Many of us work in silo, and the only way we can find support is through other fundraisers. Having those opportunities to connect one-on-one was incredible. 

This experience was a great reminder to pay it forward- somebody else has helped you to get to where you are. By making a Be The Cause donation, you know your money is going to directly support current and future fundraisers in growing their professions.

AFP: Thanks so much for talking with us, Michele. It was wonderful to hear from you about your experience.