How are Large Christian Ministries Responding to Economic Turmoil?

I had a conference call last week with a group of friends who lead marketing and development for many of the largest Christian organizations in the U.S. Here’s a summary of that call:

Income — The two relief and development organizations were up over last year. Even major donors came through, surprisingly. (Incidentally, over half our clients’ income is up for 2008. Most of those are humanitarian ministries.)

Of those who were down, all were down a much smaller percentage than they had expected. There seemed to be a soft period for everyone from mid-November until mid-December when things picked up.

Special Strategies — Most organizations went to unusual lengths to contact donors with purely relational touches. Some called thousands of donors just to thank them for their support. One sent out a postcard asking for prayer requests. There was general consensus that we must be more relational, even though we can’t measure the ROI.

Contingency Plans -– Only one is cutting staff, although this fits with some new direction in their ministry model and isn’t purely driven by finances. Others are cutting discretionary expenses that have no demonstrable ROI, like travel. No one is cutting donor acquisition. In fact, just as they were in October, the group is united in thinking they will increase acquisition as much as possible, in hopes of doing better while others are cutting back.

Messaging -– There was general consensus that it’s time to stop talking about the U.S. economy. In October, everyone intended to acknowledge the economy in their appeals. Now, the sense is that people are tired of hearing about it, and it may lower response.

Ministry to Donors -– Two large organizations are considering the responsibility they have to teach donors about stewardship, since most churches shirk this responsibility. This idea went over well with everyone.

No one in this group is operating in fear. There’s a sense that this economic situation will not impact them too severely and will actually push some positive changes in how they relate to donors.