2011 Charitable Giving Outpaced Economic Growth: Which States Gave Most? (SLIDESHOW)

The common assumption is that charitable giving trends parallel economic activity. But given the year that was, it's a good thing this wasn't the case for 2011.

Giving nationwide rose 7.5 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, a new Atlas of Giving report says. What's more, charity outpaced economic growth in 2011, which climbed just 1.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

The Atlas of Giving study cites strong stock market performance from January through July, low interest rates, moderate inflation and increased fundraising efforts by nonprofits as reasons for the increase.

The area in which giving grew the most was education, up 9.8 percent. The report states higher education received a boost in donations in the second quarter.

Donor advised fund contributions -- which receive the highest tax deduction available -- and grants to nonprofits were at record levels during 2011.

The breakdown of 2011 giving was 75 percent individuals, 13 percent from foundations and just 5 percent from corporations, the report says.

So which nonprofit earned the lion's share of these funds? United Way is the largest U.S. charity in terms of giving. The rankings are based on the amount of private donations, with United Way earning $3.9 billion, according to Forbes.

Beyond the stats, the psychometrics of giving indicate that the top reason donors give is because of a connection to a cause, according to Blackbaud, a nonprofit fundraising software company. Knowing this, organizations should encourage donors to share their stories, giving experts say.

Check out the slideshow of the states that gave the most in 2011 below.

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Comments

[suennui]

06:39 AM on 02/04/2012

What a worthless list. Of course the most populous state gave the most money.

[dtairtime]

05:57 PM on 02/03/2012

I would like to see an average per person and have that extrapolated to include income levels and donations as a percentage of income. Likely we wold have much different and at least educational results rather than this worthless story.

[ShellyintheWest]

03:06 PM on 02/03/2012

Don't you love how numbers can be manipulated. The real answer is: Utah
Since the LDS Church has no paid ministry, the money collected can be truly considered money used for charity. Google LDS Humanitarian Center. 100% volunteers and donations. It will put any charity to shame.

1. Utah
> Charitable donation per taxpayer: $2,388
> Taxpayers who donate to charity: 33.4% (4th highest)
> Average income per taxpayer: $52,027 (21st highest)
> Pct. of households earning $200,000 or more: 2.8% (23rd highest)

According to the IRS, at least a third of Utah residents donated to charity in 2009 — the fourth highest in the country. Utah is by no means the wealthiest state as income per taxpayer is just $52,027, the 21st highest in the country. Only 2.8% of residents make $200,000 or more. Nevertheless, the average taxpayer donated a remarkable $2,388 per person to charity in 2009, $600, or roughly 40% more than the next highest state.

Read more: America’s Most (and Least) Charitable States - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2011/12/15/americas-most-and-least-charitable-states/#ixzz1lLpbB0GL

[TimetoIMPEACH]

06:39 AM on 02/04/2012

Thank you for sharing the 24/7 Wallstreet link. Very interesting.

[Jim NLN]

03:04 PM on 02/03/2012

I thought the ultra-conservative Oklahoma would have been at the top of the list.

[Silverfern]

02:56 PM on 02/03/2012

One of my employees gives charity to a church that the pastor attends via helicopter and a personal bodyguard detail. I have a hard time keeping a straight face when he tells me about it.

[disporting]

02:33 PM on 02/03/2012

Total dollar amount instead of per capita? This isn't a good indicator of charity donations. They also have some of the richest people in those states who can donate millions compared to more families giving a smaller dollar amount.

[kato43]

02:29 PM on 02/03/2012

These rankings pretty much parallel the overall state population rankings. It's not very meaningful.

12 most populous states versus 10 states w/ highest charity rankings:

1. California - California
2. Texas - Texas
3. NY - NY
4. Florida - Florida
5. Illinois - Illinois
6. Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania
7. Ohio - New Jersey
8. Michigan - Ohio
9. Georgia - North Carolina
10. North Carolina - Virginia
11. New Jersey -
12. Virginia -

[quadman]

03:28 PM on 02/03/2012

HP's list is meaningless unless it does it by average per person.

[TheIndependentView]

02:29 PM on 02/03/2012

Virginia AND New Jersey are both listed as 10th most charitable.

[KIVPossum]

02:24 PM on 02/03/2012

What part of this 'charity' is to religous institutions and what part is actually to charity that helps people?

[ssnt]

03:16 PM on 02/03/2012

Like that to museums?

[empiresentry]

03:22 PM on 02/03/2012

Like that from churches to food pantries?
Like that from churches to homeless housing?
Like that from church school supply drives to low income students?
Like that from churches to immigrants for clothing, housing, healthcare, visas?

your perspective is very narrow

[ssnt]

03:25 PM on 02/03/2012

Get ready, they are gonna beat you up for posting facts.

[KIVPossum]

03:53 PM on 02/03/2012

You know for most church collection plates none, or very little, of the money goes to the things you mention. It goes to maintaining the building, salaries.

Look at your average church budget and see just how little of their income goes to help the needy.

[DrHopeful]

02:21 PM on 02/03/2012

Per capita contributions would have been more meaningful!

[captainkehoe]

02:18 PM on 02/03/2012

BS ranking - no percentages - not apples to apples - of course higher population states will have a higher total. Durrr