Good news for many charitable organizations: charitable giving increased by 1.7% for the three months ending November 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011. According to The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving, the best results were experienced by small organizations – reaching a 5.8% gain. Medium organizations increased by 2.4%, and large organizations were up 0.5%.
The winners were:
- Environmental & Animal Welfare Organizations up 9.9%
- Human Services Organizations up 0.3%
- Public & Society Benefit up 1.2%
The down side is that some nonprofit categories fared poorly.
Since many donations come in during the month of December (during the holiday season), it will be interesting to see the year-end results when they’re available.
In the meantime, let’s celebrate the positive – giving is up! 
2 Responses to Charitable Giving is UP Overall!
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I’ve recently read posts about the best months for giving, which were May, June and September. From your research, do you agree?
Hi, Vicki. Here are some interesting facts I dug up:
In a survey by Ask Your Target Market, 57% of respondents said they do donate to charity in some way over the holiday season. Plus, the average person makes 24% of his/her annual donations between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, according to research from the Center on Philanthropy. And, Network for Good reported that the average donation amount is much higher during the holiday season. So, December is probably the best fundraising month for charities.
As for other calendar months, a lot depends on natural disasters or tragedies, which always affect giving. Giving rose during Superstorm Sandy and after the Sandy Hook tragedy.
If I discover anything else on this subject, I’ll let you know. Thanks for your question!