The Rev Canon Dr Neil Mancor is the Congregational Development Officer for the Diocese.
COVID-19 has had a dramatic effect upon charities and communities of faith all over the world. The economic model with which we support our Churches has been drastically challenged.
As we begin to re-open, we will need to adapt to a very different environment. This will pose challenges but also hold possibilities for us. there are important trends that will benefit the local church if we take advantage of the opportunities. The Canada Helps 2021 Giving Report has vital information that I believe will be a source of hope and direction for us.
The hard news: in 2020 overall giving to charities declined by 10% to 2016 levels. There are a number of reasons for this. For one, as the pandemic took hold people tended to hold onto their resources in an uncertain situation. Secondly, traditional ways to give in-person were not accessible. The lesson here is that as we begin to build back most of us should think in terms of starting from this level.
The good news – and there is a lot of good news. First, online giving skyrocketed by 86% over 2019. This was, of course, a direct effect of the pandemic but also of the Black Lives Matters protests and Giving Tuesday.
As the pandemic took hold and we were confined to our houses, there was a noticeable uptick in online commerce as well as charitable giving. When you think about it this just makes sense. I had never ordered food via Uber Eats before the pandemic, though my Gen Z kids certainly had. But once we were sequestered this was the only way to eat “out” while staying “in”. Plus it felt like my house became Grand Central Station for Amazon as parcels arrived on a regular basis. We might not like lining Jeff Bezos’ pockets, but ordering items online was the only way to go get some of the items we needed (or, I admit, wanted!).
In the same way, many donors switched to digital forms of giving and were motivated by a strong sense of altruism brought on by the shared experience of the pandemic. This means that churches that provide digital forms of giving have and will benefit from this trend. If you do not already offer a digital means to engage donors you need adapt to this NOW.
As 2020 progressed there was another sharp uptick in online giving beginning with the BLM protests, particularly from younger donors. Then towards the end of the year Giving Tuesday strongly impacted digital and online generosity.
The Canada Helps 2020 Giving Report points to three major areas of donor generosity; Indigenous issues, racial justice and the environment. Indigenous issues, though still comparatively small in overall donations, is the fastest growing area of interest for donors. THE BLM protests mobilized the generosity of donors in a major way. Likewise donors are typically very concerned about the environmental crisis.
The point here is that these are the issues that Canadians care about. They recognize that when Indigenous communities go without safe water it brings shame upon our country. They are very concerned about systemic racism in our society. And they are very focused on the environment. Though not overtly Christian, they are very important to us as people of faith. Our Scriptures strongly encourage us to care about these issues. This means that there is strong alignment between what we care about as Anglicans and what we care about as Canadians. This is our opportunity now. Each one of our churches has the potential to take up a common cause with their local community. Discuss amongst yourselves where you want to focus your energy and then invite the interest and engagement of those who live near your church.
For example, say you decide you want to raise money to support Pikangikum to gain access to safe water. Make that a project not just for your church but for your community. Hold information sessions; get the word out, partner with local service organizations. Work with others to raise the funds and make it a campaign. Have a bake sale, not for your church but for Pikangikum. That way you will create constructive engagement and positive energy between your church and community. If you are known as the Church that cares about Indigenous justice and does something about it you are showing leadership in your community around issues everybody cares about.
There are significant opportunities for all of our churches to engage in a positive way with the communities in which we live to the benefit of everyone. Now is the time to take those opportunities, and show just how relevant our churches can be.
For more information contact me at [email protected]
