The Giving USA Foundation released new information about their much anticipated 2009 report today.
Although charitable giving in the U.S. still exceeded $300 billion for the second year in a row in 2008, there was a 2% decline in current dollars over 2007.
“With the United States mired in a recession throughout 2008, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that charitable giving would be down,” said (Ms.) Del Martin, CFRE, chair of Giving USA Foundation. “However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions.
“It would have been easy to say ‘not this year’ when appeals came their way,” she added, “and we definitely did see belt-tightening. This drop in giving meant that nonprofits have had to do more with less over the past year, but it could have been a lot worse.”
For more on the information released today, view the Giving USA press release. Pre-orders for the full report, to be released in early July, can be purchased at the Giving USA Online Store.
-Cary Walski, MCF Web Communications Associate
