Posted , by Wendy McGrady, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Topic: Fundraising.

What Are the Key Takeaways of Giving USA 2024?

GUSA 2024 cover 2

According to Giving USA 2024, U.S. charitable giving in 2023 reached a new high in current dollars at over $557 billion (growing by 1.9%). Nevertheless, with inflation rates higher than average for another year, giving did not outpace inflation (dropping 2.1% when adjusted for inflation).

The U.S. Is Resilient, Generous and Cares about the Nonprofit Sector
  • Even facing the headwinds of inflation and on the heels of six years of very unusual circumstances, giving reached a new high in current dollars.
  • The number one takeaway is that relationships matter. Strengthen your case for support and share your vision with your individual, foundation and corporate donors. Invest in staff, volunteers and technology that will enable you to build relationships, steward your donors and expand your pool of prospects.
2023 Was Better Than Expected
  • Dismal economic projections were revised upward during the year. GDP, S&P 500 and Disposable Personal Income all grew in 2023.
  • Stock market growth, which grew at one of the highest rates on record last year, has a strong correlation to giving by high-net-worth individuals as well as corporate and foundation giving. For more information on what motivates high-net-worth household giving, check out this recent blog post.
  • While the predicted recession did not occur, the threat of recession weighed on donor sentiment and giving behavior, especially among mid-level and low-level donors. Be sure to emphasize the impact of every donation.

Bequest Giving Is Strong and Has the Potential to Grow

  • Demographic and economic factors indicate bequests will continue to be an important area of giving. ​
  • ​According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 77 million Americans ages 60 or older. Furthermore, there is a concentration of wealth in older adults. Yes, it is important to invest in the next generation of givers, but the Baby Boomer generation has the vast majority of wealth in this country.
  • ​As donors diversify the methods they use to make charitable gifts, familiarize yourself with their options – stock transfers, bequests, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions and more. While we do not recommend that you give tax or financial advice to your donors, you should be able to have informed conversations in order to assist your donors with identifying the best possible avenue to maximize their impact. For more details, watch our webinar about the range of giving vehicles.

Where Did the Generosity Come From?
2023 Contributions by Source

(in billions of dollars – rounded)

Giving USA 2024 recipient

Takeaways for Sources of Giving:

  • All four sources of giving grew in current dollars (but declined when adjusted for the higher-than-average inflation rate).
  • Corporations and foundations experienced positive two-year growth, even when adjusting for inflation.

 

Where Did the Charitable Dollars Go?
Contributions by Nonprofit Recipient

Giving USA Recipients 2024

Takeaways for Nonprofit Sectors:

  • After a more uneven division of giving in 2022, giving to most recipient categories grew in 2023.
  • Giving to religion is declining as a share of giving over time, with an accelerated decline in the last five years.
  • Giving to human services has continued to increase.
  • Giving to education, foundations, public-society benefit, and arts, culture & humanities had the highest rates of increase in 2023. These segments are often associated with wealthy donors.

To learn more about how you can leverage these national trends and incorporate them into your fundraising strategy, check out our webinar on Giving USA 2024 or reach out to us today. For full access to the trends and takeaways as well as other timely research on trends in philanthropy, purchase a subscription to Giving USA.

The Curtis Group is a proud supporter of Giving USA and the Giving Institute. We are honored to be active contributors to this annual report and to be able to share these findings virtually and in-person throughout the country. The Giving USA: Annual Report on Philanthropy is now available. Visit givingusa.org to purchase your subscription.
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