According to Ellison Research, new study data shows six out of ten Americans believe charities and non-profit organizations spend more than is reasonable on overhead (fundraising, administration, etc.). The average American believes non-profits typically spends over 36 cents out of every dollar on overhead, while at the same time saying just over 22 cents out of every dollar is a reasonable proportion to spend on overhead. See the results of the report here. What's been your experience? Do they spend too much on overhead? ... read more

There's been a lot of interesting discussion here lately on the scandals, alleged misconduct, and outright stupid behavior from some pastors and Christian media leaders. It brings up an interesting point, not the least of which is the wave of problems, all happening at the same time. There are some common themes with the criticism, and one that bothers me a bit is the tendency to compare a major, international ministry with a local pastor. The truth is, ... read more

There have been some interesting conversations on this blog lately about criticism of different people and organizations, and the actual purpose of the blog. I've written before about our purpose, and I have to admit, the posts dealing with scandal and problems among ministries and non-profits seem to be the most popular. People do respond to criticism, and for whatever reason, seem to gravitate to those posts. My blogs about Randy and Paula White's divorce, Bishops that sell anointed soap, or Juanita Bynum getting in a fist fight with her husband in a hotel parking lot always seem to get people worked up. ... read more

Here's an update from The Associated Press on the crisis at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. This story adds some new first person accounts from the inside. ... read more

In the religious world, branding often focuses on a single personality. After all, people watch Joyce Meyer to hear Joyce Meyer. The commercials are nice, the music is good at her meetings, and the interviews are interesting, but without question, without Joyce, there wouldn't be a program. The positive side is that ... read more