Giving Facts

• On Tuesday November 27, 2012 charities, families, businesses and individuals came together to create a new holiday tradition. This movement, called #GivingTuesday, aims to set aside a day dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are synonymous with holiday shopping.
• By November 2, 2012, charities raised more than $174 million for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts.
• More than a quarter of a million people devastated by Superstorm Sandy have applied for aid through the federal government.
• In a survey by Ask Your Target Market, 57% of respondents said they do donate to charity in some way over the holiday season. Of those who do, 46% said they make a monetary donation directly to an organization, 64% donate to a third party like a bell ringer or store that collects donations for a charity at checkout, 24% buy gifts for people through a mitten tree or adopt-a-family program, 63% donate items like home goods or nonperishable foods, and 22% donate time by volunteering.
• Over one million students in the United States were reported as homeless by the end of the 2010-2011 school year. The number of homeless children is actually much higher -- the count doesn't include homeless infants, children not enrolled in school, and homeless students that schools simply failed to identify. The coldest months of the year are hardest on homeless people and the most successful intervention for ending chronic homelessness is permanent supportive housing.
• 2.7 billion letters are mailed over the holidays. On December 20, the busiest mailing day of the year, 801 million pieces of mail are processed.
• Contributions are deductible in the year made. Thus, donations charged to a credit card before the end of 2012 count for 2012. This is true even if the credit card bill isn't paid until 2013. Also, checks count for 2012 as long as they are mailed in 2012 and clear, shortly thereafter.
• Here are the deadlines to ensure that your packages arrive to military and State Department post offices overseas by Dec. 25, 2012: Nov. 13 for parcel post mail Nov. 26 for space-available mail Dec. 3 for parcel airlift mail Dec. 10 for priority mail and first-class mail, letters and cards Dec. 17 for express mail military service. *Packages addressed to APO/FPO/DPO AE ZIP 093 have earlier deadlines.
• The average American gives 4.7% of their income to charities.
• Hunger is one of the most pressing issues faced by US cities. According to the Census Bureau, the nation's poverty rate for 2011 was 15%. About 46.2 million people are now considered in poverty. For just $1, food banks can provide 8 meals to men, women and children facing hunger.
• One in eight people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water. Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation kill more people annually that all forms of violence (including war). Just $20 can provide clean water for one person.
• Consumers spent $52 billion while shopping during the weekend surrounding Thanksgiving and Black Friday in 2011. Arts charities took in $13.12 billion in contributions for the entire year of 2011.
• Of the 6,000 charities evaluated by Charity Navigator, the vast majority spend at least 75% of their budgets on the programs and services that they exist to provide, 10% or less on fundraising fees and 15% or less on administrative costs.
• Giving by Americans with annual incomes of $200,000 or more dropped $30 billion during the Recession.
• Even with the recent economic decline, over 50% of the organizations evaluated by Charity Navigator have increased their programs and services while also increasing their primary revenue.
• Donations to the nation's 400 biggest charities increased by a median 7.5 percent last year, but those charities don't expect giving to grow much in 2012.
• Women of the Baby Boom and older generations give 89 percent more than their male counterparts, Women's Philanthropy Institute research shows.
• Charity Navigator rates the Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency of over 6,000 charities.
• Charitable giving by America's biggest companies is expected to remain flat, despite gains in 2011.
• 52% of the organizations evaluated by Charity Navigator have accumulated at least a year's worth of working capital to fall back on during economic downturns, up 27% from three years before.
• The average person makes 24% of their annual donations between Thanksgiving and New Year's, according to research from the Center on Philanthropy.
• In most developing countries, public school is not free. The costs of books, uniforms, and teachers' salaries are borne by the students' families. A pledge of $75 a month can provide a young woman with a full year's room, board, fees, books, supplies and uniform, giving her an education she would otherwise not receive.
• More than 13.3 million people—greater than the combined populations of New York City and Los Angeles—are in need of immediate assistance due to the food crisis in the Horn of Africa.
• You must keep a bank record or written communication from a charity including the charity's name, along with the date and amount of your contribution, in order to deduct a cash contribution.
• There are more alcohol-related deaths during the Holiday season than any other time during the year in the US.
• Network for Good reported that the average donation amount is much higher during the Holiday Season: in December 2010, the average gift was $142 versus an average of $91 for the year.
• Charitable giving has declined by about 1.3% during each of the five most recent national recessions.
• One million additional tons of garbage are produced each week between Thanksgiving and Christmas— a 25% increase in total waste during the holiday period then any other time of year.
• More than 30% of annual giving via Network for Good's donation processing system is during December.