Wealthy Giving Less to Charity; Poor Giving More

A recent report by the Chronicle of Philantrophy studied charitable giving in America, and the results were perhaps surprising. The study found that, as the country struggled out of a recession, wealthier Americans are giving away a smaller percentage of their income, while poorer Americans are giving more.

According to Forbes, Americans who earned at least $200,000 gave nearly 5% less to charity in 2012 than in 2006. In contrast, Americans who earned less than $25,000 increased their charitable giving by almost 17%.

The trend was similar in Central Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reported that donors in the Columbus area gave about 2.6 percent of their income to charity in 2012, a 6.5 percent decline since 2006. This places Columbus 39th among America’s 50 largest metropolitan areas in giving, behind both Cleveland and Cincinnati. Area residents making less than $25,000 gave away 7.19% of their income; those making over $200,000 gave away only 2.43%.

Charitable giving should be carefully considered for both short- and long-term tax and estate planning purposes. Contact our attorneys for assistance.