Positivity: American Charitable Donations Increased Dramatically in 2004
The 2004 increase over 2003 was double-digit dramatic (HT Good News Blog), and 2005 appears on its way to another surge in contributions:
Americans donated more in ‘04
NEW YORK - Americans gave more money to charity in 2004 than the year before, and it looks like that generosity is still growing.
The 400 largest U.S. charities saw donations rise 11.6 percent last year from 2003, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper that tracks philanthropy and charitable organizations. The United Way of America was the top fund-raising group in 2004, the Chronicle said.
The publication’s Philanthropy 400 list, released today, ranks the nation’s biggest nonprofit groups by private donations. Money given to the top 400 organizations accounted for more than a quarter of the $248.5 billion raised in the U.S. last year.
Charitable giving has seen a turnaround since 2002, when donations declined for the first time since the list debuted in 1990.
“People are more confident about the economy,” said Stacy Palmer, editor in chief of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She added that charities have been aggressively seeking out larger donations from wealthier donors.
Nearly 80 charities on the list already are reporting figures for 2005, most of which take into account the surges in donations after the Asian earthquake and tsunami of December and after Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in August. Those charities are showing a median rise of 7.3 percent.
Absent from the top 10 list for the first time was the American Red Cross, which fell to No. 11 from No. 8 last year after raising $557.1 million in 2004.
