Switzerland: Donations to churches in Geneva fell sharply
Contributions to the Protestant Church of Geneva (EPG) have been reduced by 40% in six years. It is a continuous decline that could force a review of the structure because, unlike the other Romanesque churches, with the exception of Neuchâtel, the EPG is only financed by donations from its members and various foundations. The Catholic Church also recorded a drop in donations.
“Donations have decreased by 40% compared to the average of the last six years,” told Joël Rochat, treasurer of the EPG protest info on October 14, 2022. In 2021, the EPG spent 9.1 million francs on its payroll accounting, i.e. three quarters of its budget, while this year it is only 8.7 million donations. “Our community members are getting older and fewer and fewer,” states Secretary General Stefan Keller.
Silvana Bassetti, head of information at the Roman Catholic Church in Geneva (ECR), told the Swiss agency cath.ch that donations in 2021 fell by CHF 335,000 compared to 2020. “For around five years, the number of donors has been declining,” she explains.
Nevertheless, income from participations and extraordinary products (including legacies) as well as income from real estate led to a positive end result of 2.7 million francs in 2021. For 2022, however, the committee presented a deficit budget of 945,000 francs. The operating result for the third quarter of 2022 shows a deficit of 1,450,000 Swiss francs.
“Operating costs are within budget, as are the property results. But in general, it’s the donations and grants that are falling sharply,” notes Silvana Bassetti. Financial investments are also in crisis. The result for the third quarter is CHF 600,000 below budget.