Americans Say Time, Not Money, Most Important Gift to Charity.

Lifestyle Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2004

Thrivent Financial study finds prayer dramatically

influences volunteer behavior

Twice as many Americans believe it is more important to volunteer one's time than give money to charity, according to a nationwide Thrivent Financial for Lutherans survey. The survey also found Americans' relationship to faith groups and faith practices dramatically influences Americans' giving of time and money to nonprofit organizations. Support of nonprofit organizations is primarily driven by Americans' belief in the organization's mission, the survey revealed.

Half (50 percent) of Americans believe that giving one's time is more important than giving money. Twenty-two percent say money is the most important gift to charitable causes while 23 percent say time and money are equally important.

Young adults, aged 18-34, and seniors, aged 65 and older, hold decidedly different views about the importance of volunteerism. While 58 percent of young adults say giving time to a charitable cause is most important, just 28 percent of seniors agree. Conversely, 29 percent of seniors say "money" is the most important gift one can give to a charitable organization, while 23 percent of young adults and 18 percent of those aged 35-49 agree.

Despite their different perspectives, young Americans and seniors volunteered in 2003 at about the same level. Forty-four percent of young adults reported they had volunteered with a nonprofit, school or church over the past 12 months, while 39 percent of seniors did so. This compares with 54 percent of those aged 35-49 and 52 percent of those aged 50-64.

"This research suggests that there's an emotional, visceral connection to volunteering that just cannot be duplicated by writing a check," said Brad Hewitt, Thrivent Financial senior vice president of charitable programs and volunteerism. "Smart nonprofits can tap the goodwill of the American public by offering opportunities for their supporters to gain new experiences and develop relationships while doing good for others."

Volunteerism tends to increase with income and education levels, as well. Two-thirds (67 percent) of college graduates reported volunteering in the past 12 months compared with 35 percent who have a high school diploma or less. Similarly, 62 percent of those earning $75,000 or more reported volunteering compared with 30 percent of those earning less than $20,000, 40 percent of those earning $20,000 to $34,999, 52 percent of those earning $35,000 to $49,999, and 54 percent of those earning $50,000 to $74,999.

A Matter of Faith

Those committed to prayer and regular attendance at religious services are most likely to report having volunteered with a non-profit organization, church or school during the past 12 months. Below is the percentage of Americans who have volunteered in the past 12 months among those who:

-- Pray daily (58 percent)

-- Pray frequently (39 percent)

-- Rarely or never pray (28 percent)

-- Attend religious services weekly (66 percent)

-- Attend religious services once or twice a month (47 percent)

-- Attend religious services a few times a year (36 percent)

-- Never attend religious services (25 percent)

Those who pray and attend religious services also reported that they are more likely to increase the amount of money they will donate in 2004 to nonprofit organizations. While 22 percent of all respondents said they planned on giving more to nonprofit organizations in 2004, 30 percent of those who attended religious services every week said they would do so versus 12 percent of those who never attend services. Similarly, 25 percent of those who pray every day reported that they will donate more money in 2004 versus 17 percent of those whom rarely or never pray.

Faith Groups Receive Financial Support

Faith groups--churches and synagogues--are most likely to receive financial support from Americans. Fifty-seven percent of all Americans say they financially support faith groups. Pre-retirees, aged 50-64, are most likely to give to faith groups while young Americans, aged 18-34, are least likely to do so (66 percent versus 48 percent). Women are slightly more likely than men to give money to faith groups (62 percent versus 53 percent), while those in the South (62 percent) are slightly more likely than those in the Northeast (50 percent), West (54 percent) or Midwest (59 percent) to fund faith groups.

Other types of charitable organizations that Americans report funding include:

-- Schools, colleges and universities (33 percent)

-- Medical research (30 percent)

-- Social service organizations (27 percent)

-- United Way (27 percent)

-- Environmental organizations (17 percent)

-- Political organizations (12 percent)

-- Arts organizations (11 percent).

Every type of tax-exempt organization saw a decline in the percentage of Americans providing them financial support in 2003 compared to five years earlier (1998), with the exception of political organizations, which held steady at 12 percent. Support for the United Way declined 13 percentage points from 1998 to 2003 (40 percent versus 27 percent) while support for arts organizations declined just 3 percentage points.

Fourteen percent of Americans said they do not give money to charitable organizations.

Mission Matters Most

Belief in an organization's mission is the driving force behind Americans' charitable giving. Americans reported the following reasons for giving money to nonprofit organizations:

-- Belief in the organization's mission (76 percent) (1)

-- Religious beliefs (39 percent)

-- Always have/tradition (21 percent)

-- Tax deduction (7 percent)

-- Work/peer pressure (5 percent)

Those earning $75,000 or more were most likely to give for the tax deduction (15 percent) and due to the organization's mission (88 percent). Rural residents were most apt to give to charity because of their religious beliefs (47 percent).

"Americans are increasingly interested in values-driven organizations," said Hewitt. "Regardless of whether they choose to support these charitable causes through financial gifts or through the gift of time, Americans can do more through focused planning that frees dollars and hours for the organizations they care about."

Telephone interviews were conducted for Thrivent Financial by Harris Interactive(R) between November 20 and December 4, 2003 among a nationwide sample of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. Figures for age and education were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.

Thrivent Financial is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a wide range of financial solutions and have $60.6 billion (Sept. 30, 2003) in assets under management. Thrivent Financial and its members provide approximately $200 million annually for charitable outreach programs. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com.

Securities are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave., S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55415-1665, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member NASD. Member SIPC.

(1) Totals add to more than 100 percent on this question as respondents could identify multiple "main reasons" for supporting various charitable organizations.