Facts and Predictions: How Will Giving Perform This Year?

How will giving fare in 2009? To explore that question, Lucy Bernholz summarizes on her blog Philanthropy 2173 what we know, what is being projected, and what we don’t yet know about how giving might perform this year.

We know, for example, that giving dropped by 2 percent last year, based on Giving USA’s figures. We also know that some charities are benefiting from stimulus money and that there will be more scrutiny of nonprofit groups as a result of investment changes, the Madoff scandal, and other factors.

Ms. Bernholz notes some projections: For example, the Foundation Center and Guidestar are projecting that foundation and individual giving could decrease between 9 and 13 percent this year, and again in 2010.

Among the many things we don’t know: details of foundation giving in the first two quarters of this year; whether gifts from donor-advised funds were especially generous in response to the economic crisis; how much smaller the charity world may be this year; and the impact of state budget cuts.

Ms. Bernholz, a consultant to foundations and individual donors, asks people to share their thoughts and experiences. “That’s the national story,” she says. “What are you experiencing?”