Cover Story: Faith-based Fundraising

Certain factors — scandals that shook the sector to its core; a “separation of church and state” mentality that choked important funding sources; a clarion call for accountability, for example — might have led some organizations to downplay their “God connection” in the past. But the success of films such as The Passion of the Christ and books such as The Purpose-Driven Life and even those ubiquitous “What Would Jesus Do” bracelets are evidence that America is ready to embrace its spirituality again. We rediscovered our faith on Sept. 11, 2001, and it looks like we’re holding on to it.