Do you donate?

[Odin]

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Americans set record for donations in 2006 By VINNEE TONG, AP Business Writer
Mon Jun 25, 12:31 AM ET

Americans gave nearly $300 billion to charitable causes last year, setting a new record and besting the 2005 total that had been boosted by a surge in aid to victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma and the Asian tsunami.

Donors contributed an estimated $295.02 billion in 2006, a 1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation, up from $283.05 billion in 2005. Excluding donations for disaster relief, the total rose 3.2 percent, inflation-adjusted, according to an annual report released Monday by the Giving USA Foundation at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy.

Giving historically tracks the health of the overall economy, with the rise amounting to about one-third the rise in the stock market, according to Giving USA. Last year was right on target, with a 3.2 percent rise as stocks rose more than 10 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis.

"What people find especially interesting about this, and it's true year after year, that such a high percentage comes from individual donors," Giving USA Chairman Richard Jolly said.

Individuals gave a combined 75.6 percent of the total. With bequests, that rises to 83.4 percent.

The biggest chunk of the donations, $96.82 billion or 32.8 percent, went to religious organizations. The second largest slice, $40.98 billion or 13.9 percent, went to education, including gifts to colleges, universities and libraries.

About 65 percent of households with incomes less than $100,000 give to charity, the report showed.

"It tells you something about American culture that is unlike any other country," said Claire Gaudiani, a professor at NYU's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and author of "The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism." Gaudiani said the willingness of Americans to give cuts across income levels, and their investments go to developing ideas, inventions and people to the benefit of the overall economy.

Gaudiani said Americans give twice as much as the next most charitable country, according to a November 2006 comparison done by the Charities Aid Foundation. In philanthropic giving as a percentage of gross domestic product, the U.S. ranked first at 1.7 percent. No. 2 Britain gave 0.73 percent, while France, with a 0.14 percent rate, trailed such countries as South Africa, Singapore, Turkey and Germany.

Mega-gifts, which Giving USA considers to be donations of $1 billion or more, tend to get the most attention, and that was true last year especially.

Investment superstar Warren Buffett announced in June 2006 that he would give $30 billion over 20 years to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Of that total, $1.9 billion was given in 2006, which helped push the year's total higher.

Gaudiani said that gift reflects a growing focus on using donated money efficiently and effectively.

"I think it's also a strategic commitment to upward mobility exported to other countries, in the form of improved health and stronger civil societies," she said.

The Gates Foundation has focused on reducing hunger and fighting disease in developing countries as well as improving education in the U.S. Without Buffett's pledge, it had an endowment of $29.2 billion as of the end of 2005.

Meanwhile, companies and their foundations gave less in 2006, dropping 10.5 percent to $12.72 billion. Jolly said corporate giving fell because companies had been so generous in response to the natural disasters and because profits overall were less strong in 2006 over the year before.

The Giving USA report counts money given to foundations as well as grants the foundations make to nonprofits and other groups, since foundations typically give out only income earned without spending the original donations.

Sadly a great deal of this money goes abroad to foriegn causes which is a horrible mistake. 300 billion I donate to charities regularly with the stipulation that the charity only disperse the money in the United States.

Do you donate to charity? If you do do you know where it is going? If your one of the millions who do, please make sure your money is spent on americans.

Any thoughts and data on donations within america would be appreciated.

[Proletariat]

I don't have any problem donating to causes outside the US. Don't understand why I should, really... I'd side a little more with you if you were saying the government ought to spend less of our tax dollars on other countries, but as for what causes I decide to take up personally, I don't see the problem.

[Odin]

I don't have any problem donating to causes outside the US. Don't understand why I should, really... I'd side a little more with you if you were saying the government ought to spend less of our tax dollars on other countries, but as for what causes I decide to take up personally, I don't see the problem.

My point is, do you know where your money is going? Also if you chose to donate outside of the country thats your choice, but I would strongly urge you to reconsider and to make donations that serve americans first.

the government shouldnt spend any tax dollars on charity or foriegn aid at all, that should be dictated by market forces.

[Proletariat]

Alot of America's diplomatic strength comes from our massive ability to buy other governments off. Some foreign aid is necessary.

To the first bit, no, I don't know where every penny ends up, but I look into as much as can be reasonably done on my own. I'm not donating unmarked envelopes of cash to militant mosques tho, so I feel safe enough, even if there's some inevitable waste getting to the cause of the charity.

[Odin]

Alot of America's diplomatic strength comes from our massive ability to buy other governments off. Some foreign aid is necessary.

that isnt a good thing, but my political views of the US federal government and its foriegn policy since the end of WWII is not positive. I dont want to be involved abroad, and every bit of that aid we send elsewhere can be used at home for any number of things.

To the first bit, no, I don't know where every penny ends up, but I look into as much as can be reasonably done on my own. I'm not donating unmarked envelopes of cash to militant mosques tho, so I feel safe enough, even if there's some inevitable waste getting to the cause of the charity.

thats noble, yet when we look at the big picture we are talking about 300 billion dollars in 2006, thats a lot of envelopes. Is 10% (30 billion) to much to spend abroad? what if its 5%? or 1%? suppose its 1% abroad thats 3 billion dollars not being used in the U.S. to improve your life and mine.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

suppose its 1% abroad thats 3 billion dollars not being used in the U.S. to improve your life and mine.

Is your life really that bad that you need the money? I can understand you wanting to help the homeless in your country, but I honestly doubt you need the money personally.

This raises the question of government. Why doesn't your government do more to help homeless (which is what I presume you are talking about, since average American lives are, on a relative basis, quite good) people in America? Should it really be left to private charity alone?

Of course, these questions can only be answered by the American people, and their government. However, I don't think giving a bit of aid to Africans (for example) unwittingly is a bad idea, unless the charity is being deliberately fraudulent (saying your money is going only to Americans, but shipping it to Africa). Your money is still going to a human being in need of aid. I believe the greater concern is the amount of aid money lost to corruption.

[Don Corleone]

When I first started donating, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of legitimate and valid charities out there. I actually had trouble paying my bills cause I couldn't say no.

Who's more deserving of my money, the local animal shelter, a battered women's shelter, or the Jimmy Fund (childhood cancer)?

Then I started learning that not all charities are equal and some pay their executives a lot of cash. Others throw fancy balls and call it fundraising (guess it's not just the UN). There's a few websites out there that rate various charities. Do a Google Search, I don't want to implicitly endorse one over any others.

For the record, I don't see what's wrong with donating money to people overseas. I'm a Christian. When people need my help, the last question out of my mouth should be what passport they hold.

[Proletariat]

I dunno, Odin. I have a great job, live a very comfortable lifestyle, and it wasn't that hard to achieve. I got most of my education in return for serving in the Army Reserve, something that in and of itself wasn't a very challenging accomplishment. Maybe if my life sucked, and I felt frustrated being an American, I'd be more upset about US dollars being spent on other people. But all in all, I'm grateful. That might sound a little feckless or blase, but I just don't think people here in the US have it bad enough where it's a crime to help out in other parts of the world.

Even our poor have air conditioning and cable tv here. Americans don't need the help. I know what it's like to be one, and it's pretty easy to make money in this country. This isn't to say I don't donate to causes that help Americans though, just to say that I don't feel like I'm hurting the country by donating to international causes.

If the angle was more on the corruption and waste involved with alot of international charities, I agree. Obviously it's counter productive to aid African warlords and so on. But if it's a 'Americans need it more' thing, I don't really buy it.

[Husar]

suppose its 1% abroad thats 3 billion dollars not being used in the U.S. to improve your life and mine.

So you donate to improve your own life? Why don't you just keep the money then?

I agree with Prole here.

[Louis VI the Fat]

please make sure your money is spent on americans.

That would be a bit too extreme for me. Does your compassion, your sense of justice, your desire to make a difference really end at America's borders?

I know that you would like America to build a big fence around itself and isolate itself from the rest of the world, but here are some arguments:
From a Christian point of view, like Don said, when people need help they need help, regardless of passport.
From a utilitarian point of view, $200 makes a much bigger difference in the life of a Sri Lankan than an American. $5 of healthcare aid could save some poor kids life in some countries.
From a liberal point of view, an American is born with more opportunity than most. Not all people are poor through their own working, they simply are born vastly underpriviliged. It's what Prole explained.
From a strategic point of view, developed societies are less prone to fundamentalism, make better trading partners, create less immigration pressure, and make you save on defense spending.

[Odin]

That would be a bit too extreme for me. Does your compassion, your sense of justice, your desire to make a difference really end at America's borders?

Compassion, no, sense of justice, no, desire to make a difference, yes, when money is involved.

I know that you would like America to build a big fence around itself and isolate itself from the rest of the world, but here are some arguments:
From a Christian point of view, like Don said, when people need help they need help, regardless of passport.

the church, Christ, and god will provide for them, at least thats what I thought the whole gist of the myth was.

From a utilitarian point of view, $200 makes a much bigger difference in the life of a Sri Lankan than an American. $5 of healthcare aid could save some poor kids life in some countries.

Fair point.

From a liberal point of view, an American is born with more opportunity than most. Not all people are poor through their own working, they simply are born vastly underpriviliged. It's what Prole explained.

yes and if I didnt acknowledge her valid point I appologize, but it dosent negate the fact that the terms "vastly underprivilidged" is subjective. Additionally, the theory also assumes that one person needs is greater then anothers.

From a strategic point of view, developed societies are less prone to fundamentalism, make better trading partners, create less immigration pressure, and make you save on defense spending.

In theory, but it hasnt panned out that way has it?