Charitable giving as a form of civic engagement in the United States attracts greater participation than many other types of civic involvement – even voting. For more than fifty years, the annual publication Giving USA has documented who gives what to whom. But 2010 was no ordinary year. How did charitable giving fare amidst the economic crisis? What shifts took place in giving by individuals, corporations, and foundations? More importantly, what do the results tell us about who we are, where philanthropy is going, and what fundraisers can expect of 2011?
On June 23—only three days after the release of Giving USA 2011 Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University joined forces to host Indiana University’s Patrick M. Rooney, Ph.D., a member of the team that researches and writes Giving USA, to discuss the questions raised by the latest numbers.