The Giving USA 2016 Annual Report is officially here. This annual report provides an overview of what happened in charitable giving in 2015. We know you’re busy, so rather than diving into the full report we want to give you the “fast facts” of Giving USA 2016.
Here’s what you need to know.
Giving USA 2016 Fast Facts
- Total estimated U.S. charitable giving increased by 4.1 percent to $373.25 billion.
- The single largest contributor to the increase in total charitable giving came from individuals. An additional $9.77 billion was given by individuals in 2015—67 percent of the total change between 2014 and 2015.
- All but one of the charitable subsectors saw increases in contributions last year.
- In 2015, per capita giving by U.S. adults reached $1,101, and average U.S. household giving reached $2,124.
- For the year 2015, it is estimated that giving by non itemizing individuals grew 2.5 percent and giving by itemizing individuals grew 4.1 percent.
- Between 2005 and 2015, total giving increased by $80.82 billion in current dollars, or $18.35 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars.
- Institutions of higher education received a number of multiple-hundred-million-dollar gifts in 2015, some in the form of appreciated assets such as artwork and rare books.
The Giving USA findings show that 2014 and 2015 were very strong years for charitable giving. However, monthly reports from the Atlas of Giving are forecasting a weakened market for 2016. These new numbers mean that having a strong fundraising strategy has become more important than ever. Connect with a Pursuant digital fundraising practitioner today.