Starting in 2012, Giving Tuesday has become a major movement for global charitable giving. In 2018, more than 400 million dollars was raised online in the United States with 3.6 million gifts. The mean gift size was $105.
An exhaustive 2017 report from the Charities Aid Foundation, a UK-based charity service and assistance organization, found that the United States was the third most charitable country in the world, with nearly half of the country donating time or money to charities. Only Indonesia and India rank higher.
The website GivingTuesday.com has numerous reports on charitable giving trends in the U.S. and around the world. They have found that in a nationwide survey of Americans, 37% are now aware of the annual giving day, up 10% from last year – though only 20% of respondents plan to donate on the big day. Of those that plan to give this year, nearly 40% plan to give more than they did last year.
They also looked at the top causes Americans donate to. For the most part, they remain consistent year after year. Generally, it involves natural disaster. Tragic hurricanes and wildfires were among the top causes last year and look to be similar this year. Nearly 50% of respondents to the survey said they would be donating to disaster relief causes this year. Among those planning on giving, 90% plan on donating to the same groups they did last year.
Georgia is frequently ranked in the top 10 in the country for charitable giving. More religious states such as Georgia, or heavily Mormon Utah, dominate the top 10 for giving. The website Insider.com looked at data from the IRS that tracked itemized deductions and ranked Georgia third, behind Alabama and Utah. Of those that itemized their taxes, 85% of them donated to charity and on average, donated $6,862.41.
In Georgia, the Secretary of State’s office oversees the rules and regulations governing charitable operations – and there are approximately 8,000 charitable organizations in Georgia. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger wants to be sure Georgians are aware of some of the best practices to use when considering charitable giving.
“Georgians planning to donate to charitable organizations should do their best to make sure donations are solicited honestly and used appropriately. We encourage you to do your homework to make sure your donation will reach the intended recipients,” said the Secretary.
The Secretary of State’s office lists several specific recommendations:
– Research charities before you contribute.
– Take the time to make sure that your money is really going to help those in need.
– Be wary of telephone solicitors asking for contributions
– Be careful of email solicitations.
– Do not give your credit card, debit card or bank account information to a telephone solicitor.
– If a tax deduction is important to you, make sure the organization has a tax-deductible status with the Internal Revenue Service.
– Review the organization’s financials.
– Not all organizations with charitable-sounding names are actually charities.
To learn more from the Secretary of State: https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/charities
