The ECFA - What is it?

There are a lot of organizations out there that purport to do their work in Jesus' name. There are churches, mission organizations, humanitarian organizations, medical groups, and countless others. Most of these organizations do try to do the right thing and make sure that donor dollars go as far as they can -- most, but not all. Some organizations, unfortunately, are little more than a 501(c)(3) that serves to fill the founder's pockets and support him or her in a lifestyle of conspicuous consumption; with only a small percentage of the funds going to support the given cause.

So how can the average Joe know whether an organization is on the level? Enter the ECFA -- the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (http://www.ecfa.org). Founded in 1979 with the purpose of providing independent accreditation for evangelical organizations that follow good principles of financial stewardship, the ECFA is a good place to check before making any donation.

When you search for an organization, it breaks down their revenues and expenses, and you can see how much of their funding goes to Administrative, Fundraising, and Program expenses. The "Program" expenses is where the rubber meets the road, and ideally Program expenses should be at least 70% of the overall budget, and preferably 80-90%.

For example, here is a link to the ECFA profile of one of my family's favorite organizations, World Vision:

World Vision - ECFA Profile

You can see that for 2011, their total expenses were $1,079,055,000, broken down like this:

• Program: $927,153,000 (85.9%)
• Administrative: $50,200,000 (4.7%)
• Fundraising: $101,702,000 (9.4%)

(I confess, I didn't know that World Vision was a billion-dollar organization prior to writing this post.)

In a perfect world, these organizations wouldn't need to spend anything on fundraising. It would be nice if that $100 million could be spent directly on meeting needs. But the truth is that without the emails and letters, people would forget about the work that these organizations are doing; like it or not, some fundraising is necessary.  

So if you get a solicitation from an organization that sounds good, but you're not familiar with it, check it out on ECFA. It's a quick way to help ensure you are giving wisely.

Note: Just because an organization is not a member of the ECFA, that doesn't mean it isn't a trustworthy organization. Some organizations may be too small to justify the audit & reporting requirements.

Giving – An Antidote to Selfishness

What runs through your mind when you drop some money in the church offering plate, or write out a check to a missions organization? I'd like to say that I always follow the model Paul outlines in Corinthians:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7, NIV)

but sometimes I have to wrestle with selfishness. Thoughts creep up reminding me of what else I could spend that money on: "If I just put some of that money toward paying extra on the minivan, I could be out of debt that much sooner; after all, debt is bad, right?"

Besides, God doesn't need my offerings. As it says in the Psalms, it's all God's anyway:

for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10, NIV)

But here's one thing I've learned. God doesn't ask us to give because He needs it, He asks us to give because it's good for us. God knows my heart, and by making a regular habit of giving back some of the money and resources God has graciously allowed me to receive, it is a reminder to me that it's not really mine to keep. God gives me the privilege of enjoying some of the fruits of my labor, sure; but by giving back I also have the privilege of playing a small part in God's plan for the world. By giving, "my" money helps feed the hungry, clothe the needy, defend the fatherless, and spread the Good News to my community and the world at large.

By giving regularly, I am exercising my philanthropic muscle. The more I give, the easier it is to sustain.  And the more I give, the less selfish I become in wanting to hold on to "my" money.

What Giving is All About

I don't know about you, but I often struggle with what it means to live generously. From childhood I have learned that "it is better to give than to receive", and I know that Christians should give of their time and resources to help others. But what does it really look like to put these principles into practice?

I started this blog to share my journey as I wrestle with practical questions about greed and generosity from a Christian perspective. It's been said that the proper way to manage the resources God has given us is to hold them with an open hand. God has entrusted us with time, talents, and money – in varying amounts to various people – and while we have a responsibility to mange those resources wisely, we should not hold tightly onto them. We need to be willing to share what we've been given, or even let it go. It's simple in concept; much harder in practice. I decided to call this blog "Keeping an Open Hand" because that title really captures the struggle I face with keeping my hand open rather than tightly closed.

Perhaps you have asked some of these questions:

• I know I should give, but I don't want to throw my money away. What does it look like to give wisely? 
• How discerning should we be in giving to a need; should we ever refrain from giving because it could be misused (for example, the concern about giving money to a homeless person on the street because it may just be spent on alcohol)?
• There are so many people and organizations asking for money; how do I choose where to give?
• Am I really supposed to give 10% of my income to the church?

I've asked them, too. I don't have all the answers, but God has worked in my life enough for me to know that a spirit of giving is a good thing.