Giving USA released its latest report yesterday, highlighting charitable donations made in 2012. According to the report, overall giving among Americans stood at $316.23 billion, up 3.5% over the previous year (1.5% after adjusting for inflation). This number is still down quite a bit from a 2007 high of over $344 billion. The 2012 growth is attributable in a significant way to increased giving among individuals, who gave 72% of the total charitable contributions. Other notable trends: giving to religious causes remains the largest giving area, with 32% of recipient organizations falling into that category; arts and humanities causes received a boost with increased giving; and giving by corporations grew quite a bit. The report (or just its highlights) is available for download on the Giving USA site.
