NASHVILLE (BP) — April Cooperative Program (CP) totals of 3.25% below budget goals leaves the CP at just over 2% below fiscal year-to-date targets.

However, the year-to-date totals are nearly identical to last year’s totals at the same point. Giving through April of this year is 0.14% lower than at the same point in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Designated giving totals for the year are also very close to last year’s, at 0.53% higher.

April national Cooperative Program giving:

1. Monthly budgeted amount: $15,874,000.00
2. March 2024 giving: $15,357,646.45
3. Above/below budget: $516,353.55 (3.25%) below budget

Total national Cooperative Program giving:

1. Year to date budgeted amount: $113,478,537.57
2. Year to date giving: $113,633,245.37
3. Above/under budget: $154,707.80 (0.14%) below budget

Designated giving:

1. April giving: $14,043,583.07
2. Year to date giving: $134,436,760.65
3. Previous year to date total: $133,726,435.89
4. Above/below previous year: $710,324.76 (0.53%) above the previous year

The convention-adopted budget for 2023-2024 is $195,250,000 and includes a $250,000 special priority allocation for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Vision 2025 initiative.

Cooperative Program funds are then disbursed as follows:

1. 50.41% to international missions through the International Mission Board
2. 22.79% to North American missions through the North American Mission Board
3. 22.16% to theological education through the six SBC seminaries and the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives
4. 2.99% to the SBC operating budget
5. 1.65% to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

If national CP gifts exceed the budget projection at the end of the fiscal year, the balance of the overage is distributed according to the percentages approved for budgetary distribution. The SBC Executive Committee distributes all CP and designated gifts it receives on a weekly basis to the SBC ministry entities.

CP allocation budget gifts received by the Executive Committee are reported monthly to the executives of the entities of the convention, to the state convention offices, to the state Baptist papers and are posted online at sbc.net/cp.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Laura Erlanson is managing editor of Baptist Press.)