Study: Huge Increase In Charitable Giving Among Wealthy

by Gary Snyder

Among wealthy households, the average amount given to charity last year increased 28 percent, according to the 2014 U.S. Trust® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy. Through an ongoing partnership with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the fifth in this series of biennial studies reveals a strong commitment to charitable causes among high net worth households. This positive trend is seen in several findings, including:

•       Last year, virtually all (98.4 percent) high net worth households donated to charity, compared to 95.4 percent in 2011. This marks the highest rate of high net worth participation in charitable giving since the study began in 2006. This high rate of giving among the wealthy compares with 65 percent of the U.S. general population who donate to charity.
•      The average dollar amount given to charity by wealthy donors increased 28 percent, from $53,519 in 2011 to $68,580 in 2013. Average giving as a percentage of household income decreased by one percentage point, as increases in income levels slightly outpaced increases in giving levels among this demographic.
•        Eighty-five percent of wealthy donors plan to give as much (50 percent) or more (35 percent) in the next three to five years (through 2018) than they have in the past – up from 76 percent who said they planned to give as much (52 percent) or more (24 percent) when asked in 2012. The top reasons cited by those who plan to increase their giving are “increased financial capacity” (85 percent) and the “perceived need of the nonprofits or causes” they support (48 percent). (article: HERE)

Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)