Charities don't need a poll: Giving is down

Friday, November 5, 2010  02:53 AM

By Rita Price

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH 

Maybe they're saving what little they can spare for the holidays. Or maybe charitable feelings went the way of the economy.

Whatever the precise reason, an online poll by Harris Interactive released yesterday found that the number of respondents who say they give nothing to charity has doubled.

The last time Harris asked Americans how the economy affected their giving, in January 2009, 6 percent of respondents said they made no donations. In September, 12 percent said they weren't giving to any organizations.

Experts aren't surprised.

"We do know that there's profound uncertainty about the future of the country," said Melissa S. Brown, of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. "And that depresses giving in and of itself."

Brown, who also compiles "Giving USA," an annual report of the Giving USA Foundation, said that while researchers obviously know that recessions affect donations, they are less sure about the psychology behind some of the shifts.

Not everyone who stops giving, or never gives, has lost a job. So does that mean anger, fear and apathy are other relevant triggers?

Brown said researchers know far more about the benefits that come from helping a cause.

"If you start giving, you feel better about the world," she said. "There is research to back that up."

The Harris Poll also found that 36 percent of respondents said their charitable behavior - giving money or volunteering - had not changed because of the economy. In 2009, about 45 percent of donors and volunteers said they hadn't been affected.

Respondents also said they are giving smaller amounts. About 31 percent had reduced the size of their donations, the same as last year. Only 4 percent said they are giving more, a decline from 5 percent in 2009.

Local charities feel the pinch.

"Our cash donations are down," said Barbara Packer, director of Food Pantry Services for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio. "It's tough out there, and I'm a little worried."

Nationwide, estimated total charitable contributions fell about 3.6 percent in 2009 to $303.7 billion, down from about $315 billion in 2008, according to the Giving USA Foundation and the philanthropy center at Indiana University.

Analysts had expected a bigger decline, but donations apparently surged in December. And they might again, Brown said.

People who support a charity or help someone else, however modestly, tend to improve their own moods, too.

"Look around and find something you can do," Brown said. "If you want to feel better, give."