How much you decide to give to a charity of your choosing, or not, is a personal decision that should come from your heart. However, as the ever growing wage disparities create tension between the classes here in America, some charities are taking note of surprising new statistics that point to where most of their donations are coming from.
Since the recession has lifted, there is stunning new evidence that the poor and middle class Americans, who are earning less than they were pre-recession, are reaching into their pockets and have become more benevolent than their more wealthy counterparts. The wealthy have seen a significant wage hike since the recession; however, their contributions have shrunk based on percentage of income.
Recently, The Chronicle of Philanthropy conducted a study, using IRS data to track charity donations, and found that on average, Americans give about 3% of their total income to charity. Even though this is a base average, the percentage varies wildly when you switch focus from the wealthy to the poorest Americans. Just in the years between 2006 and 2012, upper class citizens who make at least $200,000 a year dropped their charitable contributions by about 4.6%, while Americans who grossed under six figures raised theirs by 4.5%. However, charities are still mainly interested in high income donors because their total contributions still increased by $4.6 billion due to their wage hike during the last 6 years.
Other statistics that caught our eye included:
-Utah is the most generous state, giving $16.50 to charity for every $1,000 earned, making its rate of giving 6.56%.
-Texas came in at no.12 with a 3.42% overall rate of giving. Lipscomb was also named our state’s most generous county.
-Houston had an overall average 3.2% giving rate in 2012 but, it has increased +1.6% from 2006
You can use the How America Gives Tool at to zoom in and see numbers all the way down to your personal zip code and all around your city as to where the most donations come from by income bracket. Knowing that even those of us who aren’t experiencing income increase at a great level are still making an effort to be more conscious of organizations and charities in need makes me very proud to be a part of this country. The numbers are staggering as to how much people are willing to give for causes they support, even with the changes in giving patterns. I hope these charities do great things with all of these donations and that we continue to work hard to help others and change the world.
You can help donate your time, energy, items, or money to many fabulous charities by navigating our blog. Whether you are looking for a charity you can lend a helping hand to, or somewhere have a fantastic time while supporting a good cause, we have all the information you need to support charitable organizations!
No comments yet.