Posted on 06/25/2007 4:23:23 PM PDT by keat
NEW YORK -- Americans gave nearly $300 billion to charitable causes last year, setting a new record and besting the 2005 total that had been boosted by a surge in aid to victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma and the Asian tsunami.
Donors contributed an estimated $295.02 billion in 2006, a 1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation, up from $283.05 billion in 2005. Excluding donations for disaster relief, the total rose 3.2 percent, inflation-adjusted, according to an annual report released Monday by the Giving USA Foundation at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy.
Giving historically tracks the health of the overall economy, with the rise amounting to about one-third the rise in the stock market, according to Giving USA. Last year was right on target, with a 3.2 percent rise as stocks rose more than 10 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis.
"What people find especially interesting about this, and it's true year after year, that such a high percentage comes from individual donors," Giving USA Chairman Richard Jolly said.
Individuals gave a combined 75.6 percent of the total. With bequests, that rises to 83.4 percent.
The biggest chunk of the donations, $96.82 billion or 32.8 percent, went to religious organizations. The second largest slice, $40.98 billion or 13.9 percent, went to education, including gifts to colleges, universities and libraries.
About 65 percent of households with incomes less than $100,000 give to charity, the report showed.
"It tells you something about American culture that is unlike any other country," said Claire Gaudiani, a professor at NYU's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and author of "The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Then the next time some lib starts bitching about how we do not do enough, whip out the stats and tell them to stick it!
It isn’t clear to me whether this “charitable” giving includes what the federal government doles out in our name, giving which, while usually commendable is different from that given due to personal motivations.
It includes charitable giving from individuals and corporations, not government agencies. It includes all giving, domestic and international.
Charitable giving would be twice this much if the government didn’t milk us for so much in taxes.
This statistic doesn’t include all the undeclared cash donations people give out to help others in need or donated goods (undeducted) offered. I wouldn’t be surprised if all were known, this figure would be astronomical. It also doesn’t include the untold hours people sacrifice (volunteer church and hospital work, Meals on Wheels, disaster help, etc.). Americans are very generous.
Good points. Out of gratitude for all the blessings we have received we should be generous, and I do not refer only to material blessings.
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