Stephanie Jacquier: Faith-based Philanthropy

Faith-based philanthropy – The mobilization capacity of religion





Stephanie Jacquier Partnerships Specialist


20 January 2020




The UNICEF Global Philanthropy team is pleased to share the findings of a feasibility study conducted between July and January 2020 to explore the opportunities for expanding partnerships with faith-based organizations (FBOs) and faith-inspired organizations (FIOs).


UNICEF's historical engagement with FBOs


UNICEF has been engaging with FBOs and religious communities in programmatic and advocacy work for decades and has enjoyed positive relationships with these actors at global, regional and country levels.[1]


UNICEF's commitment to upholding the inherent dignity of every child, as expressed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, reflects values embedded within all the world's major religious traditions. These values – shared with faith-motivated actors – have translated into support, including financial, for UNICEF's.

A tradition of giving


Many of the world's religious traditions have a formal religious obligation to give financially to others (tithing in Christianity, tzedakah in Judaism, zakat in Islam), especially to the most vulnerable. Their faith directs religious individuals to be compassionate and calls on them to support those in need. This call to action aligns with UNICEF's mission to aid the most vulnerable children.


Several UNICEF National Committees have entered into successful fundraising partnerships with FBOs, totalling $15 million in 2018. These include partnerships with Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has supported the U.S. Fund for UNICEF with $55 million since 2013. In Japan, the worldwide Buddhist movement Rissho Kosei-kai has been supporting the Japan Committee for UNICEF with $63 million since 1979.


Study approach and conclusions

Recognizing the role, influence and potential giving capacities of FBOs and FIOs, ED Fore asked PFP to explore the opportunities for engagement in a feasibility study.


Conducted between July and January 2020, this study assessed the overall landscape and the trends of faith philanthropy, collected feedback and guidance from a wide range of actors, and supported the development of a global partnership strategy with clear recommendations on ways to engage further.


The key findings were:


• The world is becoming more religious, with 84 per cent of the global population identifying with a religious group. Between 2010 and 2050, the global growth of religious populations is projected to be 23 times larger than the growth of religiously unaffiliated populations.[2]


• While faith-based philanthropy remains understudied, available data clearly illustrate the vast fundraising potential. In the Gulf region, for example, religion serves as the primary motivation for giving and Zakat donations are estimated to be between $232 billion and $560 billion globally.[3] In the United States, religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity, and faith-inspired donations represent 31 per cent ($127 billion) of all giving.[4]


The mapping and assessment of UNICEF's engagement with FBOs in 53 markets has helped to determine UNICEF's readiness and to build an initial global donor prospect list of 60 organizations. The valuable insights collected in 103 interviews, including with FBO/FIO representatives and religious leaders, provided a clear outline of opportunities UNICEF should be exploring, such as a global interfaith fundraising initiative.


There is broad consensus among FBOs/FIOs that UNICEF has a competitive advantage in mobilizing resources in emergency situations and delivering humanitarian responses. UNICEF brings added value and unique reach, efficiency and expertise in delivering life-saving assistance, and should consider prioritizing humanitarian response as an entry point with FBOs/FIOs.


Other opportunities include creating pathways to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, pledge donors and leveraging UNICEF's global reach.

PFP's vision for 2020


Unlocking the fundraising potential of FBOs/FIOs is one means to advancing the goals of UNICEF's Private Sector IMPACT Plan 2018–2021, and the organization will allocate further resources to accelerate fundraising from these actors.


FBOs/FIOs tend to run their own humanitarian programmes, with some being UNICEF implementing partners. It is crucial to not approach them with direct fundraising ask but from a partnership lens demonstrating UNICEF's added value and uniqueness. PFP will continue to collaborate with CSP and establish a value-based dialogue and find common grounds when engaging diversely engaging all faiths.


To assist UNICEF colleagues and offices interested in engaging in successful partnerships with FBOs and to mitigate potential misperceptions of risks, PFP has developed a framework with recommendations for engagement. It complements existing UNICEF due diligence policies and procedures, and sets parameters for engaging in partnerships.[5] . For more information, please contact Stephanie Jacquier (sjacquier@unicef.org) or Kieran O'Brien (kobrien@unicef.org).


[1] The DOC/Civil Society Partnerships unit serves as UNICEF's focal point on working with religious communities at the country and regional level. For more information, visit . [2] Pew Research Center, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050. [3] High-Level panel on Humanitarian Financing Report to the Secretary-General, January 2016. [4] Giving USA 2018 Annual Report. [5] As of January 2020, the note is going through the last review by the PFP Partnership Advisory Support Services unit.