5 Key Findings on the Charitable Giving of the Wealthy

5 Key Findings on the Charitable Giving of the Wealthy

by Bill High

I received a phone message from a ministry that simply said, “Bill, I’m sure that all your wealthy donors just need to hear about us–we’re a great ministry!” His statement was bold, but was it true?

A U.S. Trust/Lilly Family School of Philanthropy 2016 study of high-net-worth philanthropy contained some surprising findings:

  1. While they want help in identifying volunteer opportunities (42%), they also want help in engaging the younger generation in giving (20%).
  2. Sixty-seven percent said they need help in identifying causes to support, but 50% also needed help in understanding how much they could give.
  3. They support a wide variety of causes–basic needs 63%, religious 50%, health 40%, youth 36%, and so on. Arts and education were 27% and 31%.
  4. They are unsure of the impact of their giving–54%. But 78% said they don’t keep track of impact.
  5. Only 24% of the wealthy are also politically motivated in their giving.

Not surprising: 84% want to maintain their privacy, and 61% still want a “thank you.”

Related articles:
6 Facts for Understanding High Net Worth Giving
10 Key Statistics on Family Legacy
50% of High-Net-Worth Families Have Not Disclosed Wealth to Their Children

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Published May 14, 2018

Topics: Giving Trends

Charitable GivingFamily WealthMajor Donors

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