Philanthropy: Religious Faith: Firm Foundation for Charity

Charitable giving and volunteerism are on the rise in this country, thanks largely to the generous character of religious people, according to a new Independent Sector/Gallup survey.

“The caring spirit is alive and very much growing, even [among] the so-called me generation of baby boomers,” said Brian O’Connell, president of Independent Sector, a coalition of 650 corporate, foundation, and voluntary organizations.

The report, released at a Washington, D.C., press conference last month, found that 75 percent of American households are contributing an average of $734 annually to charitable causes. That dollar figure represents a 20 percent increase (after inflation) from two years ago. Similarly, the number of Americans volunteering their time and talents to charitable endeavors is at 98 million, up 23 percent from 1987.

One of the most significant findings in the survey was that religious belief is a major factor in contributions of time and money. Over half of the respondents surveyed reported having made contributions to religious organizations. Moreover, 80 percent of those affiliated with a religious institution reported household contributions to charity, and nearly 60 percent volunteered.

Those who attended religious services weekly “were clearly the most generous givers of both time and money, compared with all other groups,” said the report. It continued, “People who attended church regularly were far more likely to give a higher percentage of their household income to charitable causes.”

In addition, survey respondents specifically identified religion as a major motivating factor. Fifty-three percent of all givers said their motive was feeling they should “help those who had less,” and 43 percent said “such behavior met their religious beliefs or commitment.” Those listing such motives were also significantly above the national giving averages.

“Religious organizations have been a major, if not the greatest, influence in developing the tradition of giving and volunteering to both spiritual and secular causes,” the report said.

According to O’Connell, a particularly encouraging sign is that much of this increase can be attributed to the “baby boom generation,” which in previous studies had not indicated strong giving values. Noting that people usually tend to give more as they age, O’Connell said the trends “make the picture for future giving and volunteering in this country very bright.”

O’Connell added he is confident that even a severe economic downturn in this country would not harm charitable giving, given the reasons respondents cited for giving.

Among other findings in the report:

• The wealthiest are among the “stingiest” demographic group. Those with household incomes of $100,000 or more contributed 2.9 percent of their income, while households having incomes of under $10,000 gave 5.5 percent.

• Strong increases in both giving and volunteering were recorded in the African-American community, with 61 percent of all blacks contributing to charities, up from 51 percent in 1987.

• Nearly 90 percent of all respondents agreed that charities are needed more today than in the past.

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