January 11, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund had a strong fourth quarter, which pushed its fund-raising tally for 2009 ahead of the previous year’s total.
Donors contributed $1.1-billion to the organization’s donor-advised funds in 2009, up from $1.05-billion in 2008, a 4.8 percent increase.
For the third year in a row, the fund’s donors directed more than $1-billion in gifts to charity. The more than 298,000 gifts made represented a 1.8 percent increase over 2008.
The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund is ranked No. 3 on the Philanthropy 400, The Chronicle’s list of the charities that raise the most money from individuals, foundations, and corporations.
Fidelity had a lot of ground to make up as it entered the final months of 2009.
During the third quarter, contributions to its donor-advised funds were down 27 percent compared to the same period in 2008, and earlier in the year giving was down by as much as 40 percent.
Fidelity typically receives 57 percent of its total contributions during the final quarter of the year. In 2009 donations during the fourth quarter accounted for 64 percent of all giving.
About half of the $1.1-billion contributed in 2009 came in during December alone. Appreciated stock accounted for 43 percent of all contributions to the organization in 2009.
