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 2011 was no ordinary year. How did charitable giving fare as the economy struggled to recover? 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 2012?
On June 29th 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. Joining Dr. Rooney on the panel was The Nonprofit Quarterly‘s Ruth McCambridge, Tom Pollack of the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, and Wendy McGrady from The Curtis Group. Holly Hall of The Chronicle of Philanthropy moderated the discussion.
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Giving USA 2012 was released on June 19, 2012. Download your free executive summary online at www.givingusareports.org.
