Does the endorsement of a pastor, a friend or a celebrity affect whether you give money to a non-profit organization? A recent study by the Barna Group says this…
• When American donors were asked what had motivated their donations during the past two years, we found that the recommendations of friends and family (49%) were more common than those of pastors and church leaders (36%).
• Hearing an endorsement from a celebrity was listed as an important motivator among one out of every eight donors (13%). An even smaller proportion (just 4%) described it as “very” important.
• Evangelicals were more likely to say their giving had been influenced by pastors (53%), but less likely to attribute influence to celebrities. Interestingly, while 12% of born again Christians and 14% of non-born agains said they had been influenced by celebrities, just 1% of evangelicals identified similar impact.
What influences you?
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celebrities don’t charm me into helping charities…
BUT, when a spiritual leader gives endorsement, i am more likely to consider supporting that organization. i think giving is an important part of the responsibility/ministry of Christians… and i assume that these pastors/ministers know the integrity of the organizations that they endorse. so, i listen to their words.
what’s a non-born again Christian?
Are evangelicals a bigger group than “born-again” or smaller?
I say the musicians I follow and personal experience influence me most in my non-church giving. Like giving to cancer research after my father-in-law died from it… or to floresta cause we’ve been down there before…
Self proclaimed soft rock stars who are addicted to country crack. Seriously – it is why I have 2 compassion kids. : )
Actually, when it comes to Compassion, first of all you Shaun and then Compassion themselves. I have as many Compassion kids as I do because you keep it at the forefront of our minds and I really like that.
Like Katherine said, personal experience. Celebrities don’t really make me jump on board with a group, but they might make me aware of a need or remind me that it exists. I’m trying to think of an example. Oh, I know! I saw Keri Russell on the View (well, I was a big Felicity fan) and she was talking about how pertussis is on the rise, and I hadn’t known that before. So it’s important that people get vaccinated when around infants as booster shots wear off over time.
Financially, I’d like to be more focused in my giving. I think that’s better over the long run. And I really wish charities wouldn’t send stuff in the mail to me. It makes me uncomfortable that they’re even spending the money to do it. How do I get taken off the list?
Interesting question. Would I love to know the answer!!!
I know for me, friends are the ones who start pointing me in the right direction. i have friends who are christian and not christians that are very aware and support some wonderful non profits. But I also am interested in what a lot of my favorite artist and pastors are saying, doing, and supporting. I think it’s a mix for me.
“Self proclaimed soft rock stars who are addicted to country crack. Seriously – it is why I have 2 compassion kids. : )”
I’d say that would definitely true of me as well. At least at the start. We actually sponsored our first child at a “Worldview Weekend” conference. Our next child was sponsored at one of your concerts. I am now an Area Advocate for Compassion because I have a personal passion for this organization after being so richly blessed by our sponsored children. I will say too though that your passion for this organization and it’s benefactors is what helps to keep my passion so strong. I am hoping that my passion will do the same for others. I know my church is more fired up about it as a result of my increased involvement and committment to the program as well. Start small and grow!
I couldn’t care less what most celebrities say about much of anything so their indorsement of anything isn’t very important to me. Politically, I’d probably steer clear of most celebrity indorsements as they are typically much more liberal than I am in my worldview. But, since I’m placing FAR LESS importance on my citizenship in America these days than I used to, the whole political arena is far less important to me as well. Not that I’m not paying attention and I will vote in the elections this year, but the significance is far less than in prior years.
Beth
I’m most responsive to nonprofits that tell moving, verifiable stories about how specific people’s lives were changed by their work.
I pay attention to what people I know are saying about their employment or volunteer work with nonprofits. I give more to Compassion than I used to because of your behind the scenes stories about the way the ministry is run, Shaun. I stopped giving to another huge ministry a while back because a friend of mine worked there and the old boys network that ran the home office treated her horribly.
Every nonprofit I want to give to–ministry or otherwise–has to check out with ECFA or Charity Navigator if they’re big enough to be listed in one of those places.
Local ministries and assistance programs for the homeless and immigrants are important to me, as are international ministries that face down danger in the form of disaster relief and rescuing people from slavery and prostitution. And national organizations that are related to health issues that friends and family deal with, like MS and diabetes also get special attention.
My initial thoughts were that in the case of a famous celebrity it wouldn’t matter, but as I pondered some more, I think that having a celebrity endorsement does give an added assurance of credibility (perhaps undeserved?)
I think the same could be said on a more local level with church leaders.
Yes, I would be influenced.