Giving by Fidelity Donors Expected to Remain Fairly Flat in 2009

With the stock market stagnating and unemployment climbing, will wealthy people still give this year?

That’s the big question on fund raisers’ minds — and one that Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund tried to explore by surveying people whose gift funds it manages.

The majority (55 percent) said they planned to give out the same amount to charities through their funds this year. About one in three donors said they would award less in 2009, and one in 10 said they planned to donate more.

Nearly 600 people participated in the study, which was conducted in late March and early April.

Almost half of those surveyed said they would put the same amount of money in their funds as they did in 2008. Forty percent said they plan to give less, and 12 percent said they would put aside more.

Last year, of course, was no banner year for philanthropy. Fidelity’s fund received $1.05-billion from its donors, $800-million less than in 2007.

Donors also gave out slightly less through their funds, $1.08-billion in 2008 compared with $1.17-billion the previous year.