Givelify Report Finds $25B Consistency Gap in Church Giving
A new 2026 Giving in Faith report from Givelify Philanthropic Research & Insights estimates a consistency shortfall costing the religious charitable sector $25 to $30 billion annually.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy
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Givelify Philanthropic Research & Insights released its 2026 Giving in Faith report, which estimates that the religious charitable sector, which receives more than $150 billion annually, loses $25 to $30 billion each year to a shortfall in consistent giving. The report finds that about 27.4% of congregants qualify as consistent givers.
Why it matters
The report attributes the shortfall to an intention-action gap, in which donors struggle to turn giving intentions into a sustained monthly habit. It also finds that church leaders overestimate the share of congregants who give consistently, which could mean missed chances to help donors build steadier giving.
Givelify's report puts the religious charitable sector's annual receipts above $150 billion, and estimates a typical congregation could add about $50,000 per year if consistent giving rose. The observed consistent-giving rate of 27.4% sits well below the 53% that church leaders estimated on average.
The players
Givelify Philanthropic Research & Insights
The research arm of the faith-based giving platform Givelify, which produced the 2026 Giving in Faith report on congregational donation patterns.
The details
The report defines consistent giving as giving that occurs in most months and lays out a Consistent Giving Model with three phases: Opportunity, Intention and Action. It groups givers as devoted, steady, awakening or unengaged, and notes that most donors do not use automatic recurring giving. Faith-based donors using Givelify's Champions of Good program increased the frequency and total amount of their giving relative to a matched group.
Timeline
• November 4, 2026: Givelify released the 2026 Giving in Faith report.
Market Landscape
The findings sit within the faith-based giving platform market, where Givelify's Champions of Good program has been used to measure changes in donor frequency and total giving. The report's data on consistent giving frames that program's results against a sector-wide gap between leader estimates and observed donor behavior.
For congregations, the report suggests that encouraging monthly giving could materially expand what a community can sustain, with an estimated $50,000 in additional annual income for a typical congregation. Leaders who assume more members give consistently than actually do may be missing chances to help donors form steadier habits.
The takeaway
Congregations that review how many members give in most months, rather than relying on leader estimates, can better target support toward building steady giving habits. Automatic recurring giving is one practical step the report highlights as underused among donors.
Further reading
For more on how charitable giving patterns are measured, explore Philanthropy coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Christian Post.
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