Changes in Charitable Giving

A recent study shows that between 2006 and 2012, the wealthiest Americans became less generous with charitable donations, while lower and middle-income Americans donated more. 

The Chronicle of Philanthropy examined $180 billion in donations to charity in 2012 by taxpayers who itemized their deductions and discovered that the share of income donated to charity by Americans who earned $200,000 or more decreased by 4.6 percent since 2006.  Those earning less than $100,000 gave 4.5 percent more of their income to charity.  “The wealthiest aren’t being persuaded to up their share of giving in the same kind of way the poor are.”

Rates of giving fell in many of the biggest cities; however, there were noticeable increases.  For example, in Las Vegas, the share of income donated grew by 14.9 percent, which the study’s authors attributed in part to a rise in smaller donations from people concerned about the economic downturn. 

See Jess Bidgood, Study Finds Shifts in Charitable Giving After Recession, The New York Times, Oct. 6, 2014.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.