Total charitable giving by individuals, bequests, foundations, and corporations increased to $384 billion in 2014, higher than pre-recession levels, according to the Giving USA 2015 report. It marked the fifth consecutive year of increased giving. The 2014 total jumped 7.1 percent in current dollars and 5.4 percent when inflation-adjusted over the estimated $339.94 billion that Americans donated in 2013.
Although total giving has exceed its previous peak, Patrick Rooney of Giving USA recommends caution: "As three of the four sources of giving have not yet exceeded their previous peak levels, with only foundation giving reaching its prior high, it is still too early to tell if total giving will sustain above the pre-recession level."
Giving USA is a collaborative effort of Giving USA Foundation/ The Giving Institute and Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Read more findings here.