Money follows feet. If you want generous contributors, you need to show them that your institution's work is helping them. The Encyclopedia Britannica is in trouble. Sales have fallen by more than half since 1990, with no end in sight. Britannica ignored the coming of the information revolution and fell quickly from the top of its field.
Congregations are in the information business.
We rely on trust and name recognition to attract contributors and volunteers. At one time, congregations could expect to be the sole source of religious services for their own members. Today and in the future, multiple channels offering packaged pieces of religion will compete in a broadening marketplace. Like scholars who once relied on Britannica because it was all they had, individuals now hunt for the best value in a global market. Consumers expect to have immediate, interactive access to information anywhere on the planet.