VENTURA, Calif-- Americans continue to be generous, but not necessarily to their churches. A new report from The Barna Group indicates Americans donated significantly more money to non-profit organizations in 2003 than they did in 2002.

Overall, 80 percent of all households donated some money to at least one non-profit organization during 2003.

The survey showed just five percent of households tithed. Even among Christians who claim a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, only 7 percent tithe. Twice as many born again adults gave no money at all to a church last year (18 percent).

Those born-again Christians who do give averaged $1,411 to their churches, up from$1,220 the year before but below the previous year's totals.

The Barna Group survey found that evangelicals were most likely to tithe, as were adults with an active faith exhibited by church attendance, prayer and Bible reading during the previous week.

Catholics were least likely to tithe (1 percent) as well as non-evangelicals, adults under 35, and those from households with a gross income of $40,000 to $59,999.

The average amount each household placed in the collection plate in 2003 was $824. That was 14% higher than the giving level in 2002. Contributions represent about 2.2 percent of a household gross income.

George Barna, whose company conducted the tracking survey, commented that church giving will likely remain flat until church leaders address people's motivations for giving.

"Once a church establishes itself as being trustworthy in people's minds, it will raise a minimal amount of money from attenders," he said. "However, to significantly increase people's willingness to give generously, a church must speak to the issues that get people excited.

"The leader, first and foremost, must present a compelling vision for the ministry - not simply keeping the doors open and the programs running, but a clear and energizing goal that describes how lives will be transformed by the church if people contribute their time, money and skills."

Barna said organizations that raise large amounts of money successfully do so because they understand their purpose and how to motivate donors toward that purpose.

The data for the annual tracking survey on donations conducted by The Barna Group are based upon telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1,014 adults conducted in late January and early February of 2004. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.