Investing with Faith / Elisa Smith
Does attending Mass regularly make you a more charitable person?
According to a recent report, “Giving USA Special Report on Giving to Religion,” the answer to the above question in the headline is “yes.”
In an age where church attendance and religious affiliations are falling nationwide, this study makes me hopeful that the values we continue to embrace as part of our Catholic faith will help sustain our archdiocesan parishes, Catholic schools and ministries in the future.
The report, researched and written by the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, with support from the Giving USA Foundation™, showed that 62 percent of religious households give to charity (both religious as well as nonreligious causes) versus 46 percent of households with no religious affiliations.
In fact, frequent attendance to religious services makes someone 11 times more likely to give to a religious congregation, and those who give to religious causes give at steady rates.
Clearly, the lessons we learn each week at Mass about loving one another, sharing what we have with others and embracing our roles as stewards—not owners—of God’s creation continue to take root in our hearts. This is wonderful news.
The data also implies that, as they mature, younger generations will give to parishes, schools and ministries in our archdiocese at nearly the same rate as their parents and grandparents. Yet, as Catholics, we must not become complacent about our giving.
According to another research organization, the Pew Research Center, the number of millennials will surpass that number of baby boomers next year. Yet only the first millennials will reach the prime giving age (between 40 and 64) three years from now in 2021. The peak of the millennials’ wave won’t occur until 2036.
This means finding ways to fund the long-term needs of parishes, schools and ministries of the Church in southern Indiana until these younger generations are able to give at the same rate as the baby boomers is worth considering. One of the most wonderful methods of accomplishing this is to make a legacy gift through the Catholic Community Foundation.
If this is something you feel called to do, my colleagues and I are always happy to tell you more about legacy giving and explain all of your options. You’re welcome to contact me at ccf@archindy.org or by phone at 1-800-382-9836, ext. 1482. Our website, archindy.org/CCF, also has lots of helpful information about legacy giving.
(Elisa Smith is director of the archdiocesan Catholic Community Foundation. Tax information or legal information provided herein is not intended as tax or legal advice and cannot be relied on to avoid statutory penalties. Always check with your legal, tax and financial advisors before implementing any gift plan.) †