How charitable is Austin compared to other cities in the U.S.? In 2015, overall charitable giving in the United States increased 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Additionally, online giving grew 9.2% in 2015 as compared to 2014 (Blackbaud “2015 Charitable Giving Report”). How does Austin’s giving trends compare to those nationally? Currently, the giving ratio in the Greater Austin area is 2.71%. This means that the average person living in our community donates 2.71% of their annual income to charity. In comparison, Dallas’s giving ratio is 3.77%, Houston’s is 3.48% and San Antonio’s is 3.29%–making Austin the “least charitable” out of the largest four cities in Texas. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s 2012 analysis, Austin ranked 36th out of the largest 50 cities in the U.S. in terms of charitable giving. The amount Austinites give has decreased over time too; from 2006 to 2012, the amount donated to nonprofits dropped by 3.3%. Of course, these studies don’t account for other ways people often contribute to their communities: through volunteer work, serving on nonprofit boards and committees, donations or in-kind gifts from corporations rather than individuals, etc. Still, it seems strange that while people around the country as a whole are giving more of their income to nonprofits, Austinites are giving less–especially when you consider that Austin has the most nonprofits per capita than any other major metro area in Texas and the Southwest United States region. Some say having too many nonprofits is part of the problem. Donors do not know where […]
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