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Giving USA 2017: Highlights and Presentation

Charitable giving hit a record high for the third straight year in 2016, reaching $390.05-billion, according to Giving USA. However, donations rose at a slower rate than in recent years — 1.4% — as key economic indicators grew modestly and a divisive election season sowed uncertainty.

Giving from living individuals, which for years has made up more than 70% of donations, rose to $281.9-billion, a 2.6% increase from 2015. That growth rate, though modest compared to recent years, helped offset a 10% loss in giving from bequests, which totaled $30.4-billion last year.

Giving by foundations is the highest it’s even after adjusting for inflation, but companies have yet to reach a pre-recession high of $18.7-billion in donations, set in 2005.

Giving USA 2017: Giving by Nonprofit Sector

  • Environmental and animal-welfare organizations experienced the biggest growth, with donations rising to $11.1-billion last year, a nearly 6% increase.
  • Giving to arts and culture groups grew by 5.1%, the second-biggest jump, reaching $18.2-billion.
  • International-affairs nonprofits saw a 4.6% increase to $22-billion. Researchers said the growth in donations may have been driven by the giving to organizations active on issues that generated heated debated during the presidential campaign.
  • Donations to health nonprofits and hospitals rose 4.4%, reaching $33.1-billion, while human-services groups saw a 2.7% increase in giving to $46.8-billion.
  • Religious institutions saw gifts rise 1.8% to $122.9-billion. Although faith groups have represented the largest portion of total giving for decades, their share of donations has dropped as fewer Americans attend services and claim a religious affiliation.

Fundraising expert David King, President and CEO of Alexander Haas, presented the Giving USA 2017 results recently. You can view his presentation of the results here: