Most Americans Plan No Decreases in Their 2001 Donations, Poll Finds

Seven in 10 Americans have donated money, given blood, or volunteered their time

in response to the attacks of September 11, according to a national survey. And nearly three in four of those donors say they still plan to give as much or more to other charities than they usually do.

Many nonprofit organizations fear that the year’s final quarter, which traditionally is their biggest fund-raising season, may be a bust, given the faltering economy and the massive amount — more than $1-billion so far — raised for victims of the attacks.

But a poll of 1,009 Americans conducted October 5-8 for Independent Sector, a coalition of major nonprofit organizations and grant makers, indicates mixed prospects for giving.

Only a quarter of the Americans who supported the relief and rebuilding efforts say that those gifts have depleted their resources to the point where they plan to cut way back on other donations.

The economic slowdown, however, is having a much larger effect: About half of all those polled say they expect the worsening economy to affect their giving decisions. Ten percent of Americans say they would give no money to charity because of the state of the economy, and another 10 percent say they would greatly reduce their donations.

“The convergence of three factors — the terrorist attacks, a shaky economy, and rising needs — has made this a precarious time for charities as they work to serve their communities,” said Sara E. Meléndez, president of Independent Sector. “However, the results of this poll indicate that most Americans are thinking of their giving to September 11 charities as over and above their normal giving.”

Indeed, some Americans say they plan to increase their giving to other charities. They include 30 percent of large donors (those who give $5,000 or more a year), 28 percent of young Democrats (age 18 to 34), 23 percent of people under age 36, and 23 percent of single Americans.

Those who feel that they must restrict additional giving, on the other hand, include 27 percent of those age 65 and older, 26 percent of those with at least four children, 26 percent of those living in the Great Lakes region, and 22 percent of retirees.

Wealthy Least Affected

Any dip in giving because of a cooling economy may be mitigated by the fact that it is least likely to affect wealthier Americans, who give the most to charity, according to Independent Sector’s report. Those who predicted that an economic slowdown would have virtually no effect on their giving included 65 percent of people with a post-graduate degree, 56 percent of women with a college degree, 55 percent of men age 15 to 54, and 57 percent of people who reported giving to the arts in the past year.

Americans who have given to environmental or conservation causes in the past year, by contrast, were most likely to report that economic hard times would curb their charitable giving.

Americans from all regions and walks of life responded to the September 11 attacks with donations of time, blood, or money. Most (58 percent) gave money, but 13 percent donated blood and 11 percent volunteered.

Americans age 35 to 54 were most likely to donate money, while Americans below age 35 were the most likely blood donors. African-American women were disproportionately more likely than other demographic groups to have donated their time.

People who gave money in response to the attacks included 80 percent of people who otherwise give at least $5,000 a year, 76 percent of New England residents, 74 percent of those who have previously supported disaster relief, 68 percent of married women, and 67 percent of women age 35 to 54.

Supermarket Coupons

A plurality (39 percent) of Americans responded to the September attacks through on-the-job appeals. Other common forms included appeals by religious groups (to which 32 percent of donors responded), in-person solicitations (23 percent), and impulse appeals, such as coupons offered at supermarkets (22 percent).

Solicitations that received fewer responses included advertisements on radio (14 percent) or television (13 percent) or in newspapers or magazines (20 percent), telethons (9 percent), online appeals (8 percent), and direct mail (7 percent).

The report, “A Survey of Charitable Giving After September 11th, 2001,” is available online at http://www.IndependentSector.org or by calling or writing to Chanda Ijames, Executive Assistant, Public Affairs, Independent Sector, 1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 467-6100.