Charitable giving is trickling back up as the economy heals, but it could take years to return to pre-recession levels, nonprofit leaders say.

Giving totaled $291 billion in 2010, according to the 2011 annual report by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. That’s up 3.8 percent from 2009 and follows two consecutive years of declines.

This year shows little change. Charity Navigator, a Glen Rock, N.J., organization that evaluates nonprofits, anticipates donations will be flat during the holiday season.

About 35 percent of nonprofit contributions come from state, federal and local government grants and contracts, and those gifts are declining, CEO Ken Berger said. Only 15 percent is from individuals.

“Staying the same is generally not a great place to be when you’ve got increases in demand and operational costs because of inflation and so on,” said Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy.

If the recuperation continues at its current rate, it will take U.S. charities six years to return to where they were financially in 2007, Rooney warns. “We are not out of the recession, and we are not recovered from the recession,” he said.

Some leaders in the nonprofit world see the glass as half-full. An American Red Cross survey of 1,020 adults this fall found that although 80 percent of respondents said their finances were the same or worse than the same time last year, 57 percent plan to give to a charity during the holidays. Almost seven in 10 say that because of the economy, it is important to give to charity.

“Despite the difficult economy, Americans want to give to help others in need,” said Gail McGovern, Red Cross president and CEO.

The Center on Philanthropy report said Americans contribute 2 percent of their disposable income, a figure that has remained constant for decades.

Nonprofit leaders agree that charitable organizations must think innovatively to keep the cash coming in.

Berger of Charity Navigator said organizations should avoid duplicating services. He said nonprofits should adjust to meeting the public’s need for openness about finances and organization.

Some organizations try to grow by making sure potential donors feel engaged, while others have been reaching out to young people to stay viable.

The Jewish Communal Fund, a New York group that allows people to donate to various causes through investment funds, began its outreach to adults 35 and under just as the economy began to slide.

The group has actively recruited younger adults onto its board and lowered minimum contributions from $5,000 to $1,800.

“We didn’t want to be struggling like some organizations are with an aging membership,” said Ellen Israelson, vice president of marketing and donor relations.

There are other innovations for charities to consider, such as making sure they use social media for outreach and technology for accepting donations, Rooney said.

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Pope Benedict XVI expressed regrets last Friday, during a visit to a Spanish monastery, over the “amnesia” that prevails about God, on the second day of his visit to the country.

The pope, who will be in Spain until Sunday for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth Day, was greeted by hundreds of nuns who waved flags and cheered as he spoke at the 16^th-century El Escorial monastery.

At the UNESCO world heritage site Benedict said, “This is all the more important today when we see a certain eclipse of God taking place, a kind of amnesia which albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity,” the AP reported.

As pope, it has been a priority for Benedict to seek to revive Christianity, particularly in previously, staunchly Catholic Spain, where he has already made three papal visits.

The pope’s speech was also significant because El Escorial was the seat of power of King Philip II in 1559 when Spain was an international force bent on defending Catholicism from the Reformation and Protestantism.

Benedict also met withSpain’s royal family earlier in the morning. He is scheduled to have lunch with youth volunteers, talk to university educators, meet the prime minister and head the Way of the Cross, which re-enacts the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

Economic recession

The day before, upon the pope’s arrival, Benedict encouraged the youth to stay faithful amid Spain’s economic recession. He also said the government must consider the common good and protect the least fortunate when forming economic policy.

Benedict slammed economic structures that prioritize profits over people saying, “The economy cannot be measured by the maximum profit but by the common good. The economy cannot function only with mercantile self-regulation but needs an ethical reason in order to work for man,” Reuters reported.

Protests

The pope said this even as elements have protested the pontiff’s visit. On Wednesday night, prior to the arrival of the pope, 5,000 rallied in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol Plaza. Eleven people were injured and eight were arrested in clashes with pilgrims and the police.

On Thursday, only 200 congregated at the Plaza. Four demonstrators experienced light injuries in a skirmish with police. No arrests were made. Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims were at Plaza Cibeles, waving flags and cheering as the pontiff arrived.

The pilgrims came from 190 participating countries. Just before Benedict arrived, he met with Madrid’s mayor, who gave him the keys to the city.

There was a much smaller crowd of demonstrators on Friday, but the gathering also ended in a clash with police with more injured and some detentions.

Economic recession

Spain has an unemployment rate of some 21 percent, or one out of five unemployed, and its economy is in recession. People are upset about the anti-austerity measures of the government, and angry at the $72 million cost for World Youth Day.

A young protest movement, Los Indignados, was joined in by lesbian and gay organizations, secularists and even Catholic priests to protest the cost of the pontiff’s visit.

The church says it is shouldering part of the cost, with the remainder coming from participants and donors.

In his speech, Benedict expressed support for the youth and sympathized with their unpredictable future in terms of employment. At the same time, he spoke out against consumerism, hedonism and those who “create their own gods, believe they need no roots or foundations … letting themselves be led by the whim of each moment,” Reuters reported.

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Democrats suffered two surprising defeats in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races yesterday.

In spite of much campaigning by President Obama himself, New Jersey’s incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine was still defeated by the GOP candidate, Chris Christie. New Jersey is considered a blue state so this was a big upset.

Cristie, a former attorney general with a reputation for busting corruption, is the first Republican in twelve years to win a state office in New Jersey. Corzine, a one-term governor, ceded the election when Cristie was winning 49 to 45 percent.

In Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds by a 20 point lead. President Obama had also campaigned for Deeds. (Side note: this makes President Obama 0 for 3 in his ability to influence vote outcomes recently, if we include his heavy campaigning for the Olympics to be held in Chicago which was also defeated.)

Although one would hope that Christian Americans were waking up to trusting their faith rather than their economy, these two Democratic defeats were probably more a sign of citizens’ dissatisfaction with failing economy and the threat of more taxes.

In New York, Democrat Bill Owens defeated the Conservative Party’s hope, Doug Hoffman by just three percent; this could be because the people who have “always voted Republican” went with the party’s decision to support Democrat Owens when the very liberal Republican Scozzafava dropped out. 

It is a mystery why the Republican Party threw their support behind Owens. The option to support the Conservative Party’s Hoffman  was a lost golden opportunity. Democrats would never throw their weight behind a conservative. Republicans lose ground every time they make this type of compromise.

According to UPI, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele didn’t see this as a prediction of 2010 Congressional upsets yet; saying the party has a lot of work to do.

In Maine, the gay marriage amendment did not pass – not by the voters, that is. According to what has happened in other states, gay marriage advocates will probably take this to the Maine Supreme Court and try to get the vote overturned as a violation of the Constitution. 

After all this analysis, did the voters really decide who won? It isn’t Democrats and Republicans that matter—there are Christians in both camps. What matters is whom God feels are the appropriate officers for the appropriate times, according to what He sees his people indulging themselves in.  

“For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Romans 13:1 NASB

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Will Christians vote for their Economy or their Faith in 2012?

Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is on  Republican voters’ wish list for the 2012 election, according to an October 19 Rasmussen poll. Huckabee carried 44 percent of the telephone survey respondents with Mitt Romney at 39 percent. Where were these voters in 2008? Why was the prospect so gloomy that these men had to leave the race early?

How did Mike Huckabee—an avid, kind, fun-loving and sincere Christian—lose the 2008 primaries so quickly when many now see him as a viable 2012 contender? But the biggest question is, will Christians still trust their pocketbooks more than their God in 2012?

In this reporter’s church experience over 22 years, the split between Democrats and Republicans in various church denominations is nearly 50/50. They continue to vote a certain way simply because “they always have” or “their families always have.” Should this determine who the next leader of the Free World is? It doesn’t matter whether you vote Democratic, Republican or something else…just know why you’re doing it.

In 2008, a common excuse from Christians for not choosing Huckabee was “I heard he wasn’t good for taxes in Arkansas.” And from churchgoing Obama voters it was, “Well, he’ll be good for the economy. I know he’s basically pro-choice, but maybe he’ll do the right thing for pro-life once he’s there.” Both reasons depended on money.

President Obama’s intents toward “pro-life” are now quite clear. Among his appointees to high government posts are:
-Kathleen Sebelius, Director of Health and Human Services. While Governor of Kansas, Sebelius vetoed nearly every pro-life bill from 2003-2007 including a bill strengthening the ban on late-term abortion.
-Dawn Johnsen, Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel (Department of Justice), was former legal counsel for NARAL (Pro-Choice America).
-Ellen Moran, White House Communications Director, a former executive director of Emily’s List, an organization whose goal is to fund the election of only pro-choice Democratic women.
-David Hamilton, President Obama’s first federal pick for a judge (Seventh Circuit Court), whose record demonstrates a strictly anti-Bible, pro-choice stance.

The latest Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll for the President’s approval rating from various voters (not just Republican) shows President Obama’s disapproval rating at 40 percent to only 27 percent approval. This may be due to the dismal results of our desire for “Change” and the continuing economic downturn.

The bulk of companies that closed and laid off American employees did so after the election, not under President Bush. This shows such a lack of confidence in the new President that these companies couldn’t even stay open for a few months after the election to see what would happen. So much for voting our trust in the economy.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” and follows it closely with Matthew 6:33: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added [or given] to you.” When will we start voting like we trust God?

Mike Huckabee has gained popularity this year with his new Fox-TV show “Huckabee.”  His guests include well-known political personalities, but also the few outspoken Hollywood conservatives  like Chuck Norris, Jon Voigt who aren’t afraid to bring frightening but well-founded facts to the table about the new administration’s direction. Perhaps this will help at election time, if he runs.�
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As for the 33 percent of undecided voters making up the huge disparity in Obama’s poll popularity, they need to start growing some conviction and know their voting reasons instead of mindlessly following a crowd at the last minute.

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Scriptural Principles & Healthy Mindsets to Live By

So the secret has been revealed. The cat is out of the bag. America is in the midst of strained and struggling economic conditions. I know you’re shocked. Please refrain from gasping in utter surprise, as hyperventilation is not particularly the healthiest means of expressing one’s “flabbergasted-ness.”

You certainly don’t have to be an avid news junkie to realize the weightiness of the financial demise our country has become immersed in. Job loss and home foreclosures are at an all-time high. Small businesses and even corporate conglomerates are closing their doors left and right. Families are cutting back on grocery bills and even the most devoted of churchgoers are steadily placing less and less into the Sunday offering plate. Across the country, Americans are wondering: “What will be the ultimate outcome of the poor economy? Is there a leader who can turn things around?”

Almost in synchronization with the recent poor economy has come a wave of increasing depression statistics. According to Depression Guide:

• Approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a depressive disorder.
• Major depressive disorder affects 9.9 million American adults, or about 5.0 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.

We’ve all been there. We’ve all had those days. It is certainly easy to adopt a negative or pessimistic outlook on life during such financially unstable time. All too often, however, it is these very outlooks that lead to such staggering depression percentages among adults. So where is the hope? What in life is worth clinging to? What in life can give us the strength to keep going?

In such poor economic times, how can we truly not worry about money issues?

We desperately need to be reminded, as a nation, who our God is. We need to be reminded of His grace and eternal sovereignty. I believe the Psalmist David got it right when he said:

“The nations have sunk down in the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is their own foot caught…The Lord made Himself known; He executes judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands…[But] the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the expectation and hope of the meek and the poor shall not perish forever.” (Psalm 15-16a, 18: Amplified Bible)

In case you were wondering, it is the Lord God Himself who is not forgetting the needs of the poor and the meek referred to by David in the aforementioned passage. How often we limit our Creator! How often we downsize His limitless, unfathomable mercy, might, and majesty! May we always remember that He remembers us!

In his excellent book My Heart’s Desire: Living Every Moment in the Wonder of Worship, renowned Christian author, pastor, and speaker Dr. David Jeremiah says, “Life has its holocausts—that’s not news. The real story is the persistence of glory rising from the ashes. How is it that within the context of the worst life can dish out, many people come to love and to glorify God more deeply? I don’t know the whys and wherefores of the evil that is allowed to afflict us. It’s an enigma whose answers won’t be unraveled in this lifetime. But the worst of misery is overshadowed by the wonder of faith; we marvel when people can look into the sky after it has fallen upon them with a crash and whisper, ‘Praise the Lord anyway!’”

There is indeed something to be said for maintaining an outlook and lifestyle reflective of true joy, even during the most uncertain of times. It is a trait very much lacking in our current culture. But in exercising an attitude and mindset of joy, we must simultaneously remember not to worry. As busy, hardworking Americans, how often do we worry and fret over monetary issues? Perhaps the words of Jesus Himself are needed to address this particular warning:

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:25-27, New American Standard-updated ed.)

What indeed will it profit a man to worry about that which he cannot control? Why not walk, live, rest, hope, and trust in the all-sufficient grace and plan of Jesus Christ? It won’t always be easy. The days will be long and the road will be hard. But, in keeping with the words of David, we have not been, nor are we being overlooked by our loving Creator.

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