Sid and Jean were heartbroken. They had intended to give a meaningful early inheritance that would say, “I love you.”
Let’s Increase Giving Among the Masses
Giving has grown in popularity among wealthy Americans, as evidenced by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and the Giving Pledge. On the other hand, the number of givers reporting gifts on their income tax returns has dropped by as much as 7% with only 24% of all people reporting making a charitable gift. What would happen if that number rose …
What Are Your Thoughts on the Church of the Future?
The church is changing . . . again. Throughout history, the church has adapted, evolved, grown, and shrunk. Where will it go in America in the next 20 years? Some have pronounced the church’s demise, while others tout its growth. I’d like your opinions. To stir your thoughts, I’m giving you Carey Nieuwhof’s “10 Predictions about the Future Church and …
Can Money Buy Happiness?
It’s an age-old question. Some researchers sought to end the debate. Two researchers from the University of British Columbia studied whether those who make frequent material purchases are happier than those who make experiential purchases. They focused upon the momentary happiness that people get from material purchases like skateboards, speakers, coffee makers, etc. in contrast to experiential purchases like spa …
How Giving Is Changing in 2018
With 2017 now in the books, we look ahead. How will giving fare in 2018? There’s little doubt that we’ll continue to face the same storylines: how the stock market fares, how the economy grows (or doesn’t), the confidence level of the consumer, and the general good feeling (or lack thereof) toward the charitable world. But underneath these issues, there …
Are We Losing the Charitable Habit?
Every year Giving USA touts the new numbers for charitable giving. Each year those numbers cross the $300 billion mark, and 2017 tallies are likely to be even higher. At first blush, the $300 billion number sounds impressive. But there’s something hiding beneath the numbers that is not good. There are fewer people giving—or at least so it appears. From …
Where Is Giving to the Church Going in 2018?
In January 2017, Dr. David King wrote an article titled “The Future of Philanthropy Looks Bright: 2017-2018 Charitable Growth Predictions.” He wrote on behalf of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, which is part of Indiana University’s Lilly School of Philanthropy. There, he noted that charitable giving was expected to grow by 3.6% in 2017 and 3.8% in 2018. …
Where Is Giving Going in 2018?
Anytime you want to look ahead, it’s often helpful to look back. With 2017 in the books, we won’t know for quite some time the final results for charitable giving. The last full year of numbers (2016) from Giving USA was reported in the July 2017 Chronicle of Philanthropy. What did 2016 tell us? Total giving: $390 billion dollars. For …
Faith-Based Groups Bring Relief to Disaster
In our world today, there’s little doubt that faith-based groups sometimes receive criticism for following the Bible and seeking converts. That news sometimes is overshadowed by the real work of these faith-based organizations. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, USA Today (September 10, 2017) reported on a little-known fact in their article “Faith Groups Provide the Bulk of Disaster Recovery, …
Christmas—The Baby Was Only a Sign
Have you ever caught this? Okay, Jesus is born. And it’s pretty sparse. No nurses. No bright lights from hospital lights. There are no phone calls out to waiting grandparents. The siblings don’t get a text message. No Facebook posts are made. No cute little video announcements. It’s just Joseph, Mary, the manger, and the baby. Sure, I suppose the …