Alive and well in the U.S. despite recession

Given the financial challenges of 2008, many experts on philanthropy suspected that charitable giving would decline significantly. And total giving did indeed go down, but according to a survey conducted by the GivingUSA Foundation, a group that publishes data and trends on charitable giving, Americans were still quite generous in 2008, donating an estimated $307.65 billion during the year.

That's just a 2 percent drop from the $314.07 billion given in 2007, and it was the first decline (in inflation-adjusted dollars) since GivingUSA began publishing its annual report on philanthropy in 1956. Still, 2008 marked the second year in a row that Americans gave more than $300 billion; as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that's 2.2 percent, a slight decrease from the 2.3 percent given in 2007.

In other words: Americans are a very generous bunch! And what do they give to?

• Religious institutions received approximately 35 percent of all donations (and half of all individual giving).
• Educational institutions received about 13 percent of the total.
• Foundations garnered about 11 percent.
• Health care organizations received about 7 percent.
• Organizations that focus on public/society needs received about 8 percent of all 2008 giving.
• Groups involved in arts, culture, and the humanities took in approximately 4 percent of total giving.
• International affairs groups (engaged in relief efforts, direct aid, or other international issues) received about 4 percent of all charitable giving.
• And environmental and animal groups received about 2 percent of the year's total donations.

The decision to give is a highly personal one, but remember: your financial donations (money and appreciated stock) are tax-deductible, as are donations of goods (clothes, books, etc.) to qualified charities. More and more people are using donor advised funds as vehicles to handle their charitable giving. And if you volunteer, some of your expenses may be deductible.

The needs remain immense. So if you're interested in charitable giving, find a cause that moves you, and make a donation.

For more information on philanthropy in America, go to GivingUSA.org; for information on the efficacy of specific charities, go to CharityWatch.org.