Giving USA Report

Below is a report I found from GIVING USA about trends in contributions from different sources. The article was also in this quarter’s ECFA Newsletter.

Americans donated $306 billion in 2007 according to the Giving USA report released in July 2008. This was a one percent increase after inflation.

Among other key findings from the Giving USA report:

• Individuals donated an estimated $229-billion, a drop of 0.1 percent from 2006. Individuals who died donated $23.2-bilion through their wills, or 4 percent more than in 2006.All told, donations by individuals, including contributions to family foundations, made up 88 percent of donations last year.
• Corporate gifts declined by 0.9 percent, to $15.7-billion. Those contributions accounted for 5.1 percent of all donations.
• Giving by foundations increased by 7.3 percent to $38.5-billion, accounting for 12.6 percent of all donations. The growth was fueled in part by a nearly 12 percent rise in the value of foundation assets last year, according to the Foundation Center. But new money is not flowing into foundations at those kinds of rates: Gifts to family and other foundations declined by 11.9 percent to $27.7-billion. That could be the effect of the stock market’s ups and downs, researchers say, since many people donate stock to their foundations and are deterred from giving by market volatility.

Short Term Mission Trip Research

I found this great research from The Barna Group about involvement in short term mission trips. Hope you find this beneficial.

Despite Benefits, Few Americans Have Experienced Short-Term Mission Trips

It’s called Perspective Enhancement

Debo recently got back from Cape Town, South Africa where she and a group lead Vacation Bible School. Others did some construction and landscaping. They were also worked with The Living Hope Community Centre.

It takes some time to process the reality of living in this great and prosperous country after being on a mission trip to a country that has so much poverty. I call it re-entry into “The Empire.” Please don’t misunderstand me. We live in what I call the modern-day Roman Empire. I’m not saying that we are conquering and enlarging our territory like the Romans. I am saying that our country has as much, if not more, cultural influence than what Rome ever had.
I’ve loved hearing her stories of the kids she ministered to and developed relationships with. I’ve loved seeing all the pictures of people, animals, and phenomenal scenery. What I’ve loved more that anything is hearing her talk about her perspective. She didn’t have a bad perspective before. If there’s anyone that has a great perspective, it’s Debo. But what I’ve seen and heard is a perspective enhancement. Her perspective has been broadened.
Like anyone that goes on a life-changing mission trip, her perspective enhancement is now part of her reality. Everything she says and thinks will be influenced by her reality.
The challenge is not to eventually be clouded by the reality at home and always remember the perspective enhancement that was developed during the trip with the anticipation of going back.
These are exciting times right now.

Let’s put it in perspective

A friend of ours, Leigh Ann Swords, has a blog. If you click on her name you’ll be able to get to it. She has always had a political commentary. She always knows what’s going on in the world of politics. Who stands for what. Who voted which way on a certain issue. Leigh Ann put it all perspective the other day. I hope you’ll take time to read it.

Leigh Ann’s Blog

Debo’s back from South Africa

Debo (my wife) got back today from a 10 day mission trip to South Africa. The team she was with did VBS and some construction. She was on the VBS team but wanted to do construction as well. I so glad she got to go on this trip. When you go on a mission trip, you come back being blessed more than you expected but I can promise that she was a blessing to those kids she came to know.

She’s already said that we all need to go. Meaning all 4 of us. She also has said that I need to go next. It’s very possible. I don’t know the plan that God holds for my future but with all I’ve heard and seen, I’m very comfortable if He calls me to be involved in the ministry in Cape Town. Availability is all that’s needed.