Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research released the findings in a report titled "How Donors Think: Evangelical Giving Perspectives." The study surveyed 604 evangelical Protestant donors in early 2024.
The research found that 74% of evangelical donors prefer supporting commonly used, proven methods for addressing needs, while only 26% are willing to fund new, unproven but potentially beneficial approaches.
“These findings raise critical questions for ministries and nonprofits,” Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, said. “It’s hard for organizations to innovate when most donors want to stay in their comfort zone. At the same time, we have to ask: Are ministries prevented from trying new things because donors resist funding them, or are donors resistant to innovation because this is how organizations and fundraisers have conditioned them to think?”
The report also found that donors favor providing tangible assistance—such as food, clothing, medical care, and water aid—over intangible support. Only 15% of respondents preferred donating toward causes like spiritual growth, education, human rights, or legal advocacy.
Additionally, 66% of evangelical donors prefer contributing to efforts that address broad issues affecting many people, compared to 34% who would rather see their donation directly impact an individual.
The study also revealed that 71% of donors prefer giving to a familiar organization and allowing it to decide how to allocate funds, whereas 29% want some level of control over how their financial gift is used.
Donors responded to appeals through various channels, including direct mail (30%), email (22%), social media (20%), podcasts, videos, or websites (16%), television (14%), phone calls (14%), text messages (9%), and radio (6%).
The research also showed that 65% of evangelical donors believe God will bless their giving, though only 10% expect to receive a financial blessing in return.
“One message that is quite clear from our research: Know your donors,” said Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO of Infinity Concepts. “Your donors may be more inclined to give through direct mail than email, or they may support innovative new programs, even though the majority of evangelicals prefer the tried and true.
“Each organization must develop a research-based understanding of who donates to them so they can more effectively create strategies and messages that will engage donors and expand their impact on people’s lives.”
