INDIANAPOLIS—About six in 10 U.S. households contribute to charity
routinely, according new findings from the Center on Philanthropy Panel
Study (COPPS) released today by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
The ongoing survey asked the same 8,000 families about their charitable gifts made
in 2000, 2002 and 2004. While the total percentage of households that gave was
similar in all three years (67 to 69 percent*), it was not always the same
households. The study found that a fairly large proportion of all U.S.
households—nearly one third—shift between donating and not donating.
Because COPPS asks the same families about their giving in different years, for the
first time researchers can determine the proportion of people nationwide who switch
back and forth between giving and not giving.
"Nonprofits' ability to encourage donors to keep giving is vital to raising needed
funds. Finding that a sizeable portion of people who give in one year do not make
any gifts at all the following year opens the door to greater understanding of the
factors that influence people’s giving, and what causes those behaviors to
change." said Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy
at Indiana University.
"The more we understand these factors, the more we can help donors, nonprofits and
policy makers understand philanthropy and their roles in shaping it," Tempel
added. "We will continue to examine the COPPS data in greater detail to ascertain
motivations for changes in giving."
Center researchers found that 56 percent of households gave donations in each of the
three years. Another three in 10 households (29 percent) contributed to charity in
some but not all years studied. Just under 15 percent did not contribute at all in
any of the years studied.
The study found a large difference in amounts given by households who give routinely
and those who give intermittently. Persistent donors, those who gave in each of the
three survey years, made total charitable gifts averaging $2,659 in 2004. Occasional
donors (who gave in one or two of the three years and who donated in 2004) contributed
an average of $820.
These and other COPPS findings about giving in 2004 released today represent the
latest nationally representative information about annual household giving
available. The Center on Philanthropy Panel Study is the largest and most accurate
study of charitable giving by U.S. households over time ever conducted.
Overall, 68 percent* of U.S. households donated $25 or more to charity in 2004, the
most recent year for which household giving data are available. Among households that
gave, the average total amount given in 2004 was $2,045.
"The new data also give us important insights into the ways in which people give, such
as the fact that the average donor household gives money to two or three different
types of nonprofits," said Patrick M. Rooney, director of research for the Center
on Philanthropy. "About 45 percent of households give to religious organizations
such as houses of worship, while 60 percent give to secular organizations and 37
percent give to both types."
Other key findings about giving in 2004 include:
- The largest percentage of households gave to religion, donating an average of $1,858.
- 28 percent gave to meet others’ basic needs, giving $482 on average.
- 27 percent made contributions totaling an average of $502 to "combined purposes" such as United Way, Jewish federations, and other charities that raise funds to redistribute to a variety of recipient organizations.
- 23 percent donated to health causes, giving an average of $257.
- Just over 24 percent of households gave in late 2004 or in 2005 for relief efforts related to the 2004 Asian tsunami, with an average gift of $121.
- Higher income donor households, those with incomes of $100,000 or more, give a lower percentage of their income on average (2.2 percent of income) than do those with incomes under $50,000, who give 4.2 percent of their income.
- However, higher income households are more likely to give: 93 percent of higher income households reported donations of $25 or more to charity, compared to 56 percent of lower income households.
COPPS is conducted every two years (beginning in 2001) in conjunction with the Panel
Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), a landmark recurring survey by the University of
Michigan's Institute for Social Research initiated in 1968. COPPS data and analysis
help the nonprofits that depend on charitable giving understand how and why people
give and strengthen their operations to raise vital resources to meet human needs
and enhance the quality of life in communities. They also allow policy makers to
evaluate the potential impact of tax law changes that could stimulate or hinder
giving by changing tax rates, tax brackets, or the types of donations that can be
deducted from income taxes.
Key results of the latest survey, including percentages of households giving in
2004, average amounts contributed broken out by type of recipient organization, such
as education or arts, and other findings are available under the Center on
Philanthropy Panel Study
section at
http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/Research/giving_fundraising_research.aspx.
Working papers by scholars using COPPS data are also available from the Center
on Philanthropy. Topics include how parental giving is linked with their adult
children's giving; the amounts and percentage of income given to religion by adherents
of different faith groups; and the relationship between living in an ethnically
diverse community and charitable giving.
Scholars and nonprofit professionals who would like to access the COPPS dataset
free of charge online in downloadable formats may contact
Melissa Brown at
msbrown@iupui.edu or 317-278-8964.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, a part of the Indiana University
School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is a
leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of
philanthropy, improving its practice, and enhancing participation in philanthropy
through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in
philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.
* More detailed analysis conducted since this press release was issued indicates that 70 percent of households donated in 2004.
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