Charitable giving down in U.S. in '08 - Business First of Buffalo:

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While charitable giving in the U.S. reacheds $307.65 billion in 2008, it was down 2 percenty from theprevious year’s total of $314.07. The decline was the first since 1987 and the secondc time there has been a drop since Givinv USA began publishing its annual reportsin 1956. Two-thirdxs of public charities reported a declinein giving. The exceptionss were religion, public-society benefit and internationakl affairs. "With the United States mired in a recessionthroughoutf 2008, there was no doubt in anyone'd mind that charitable givinf would be down," said Del who chairs the .
"However, what we find remarkable is that corporations and foundations still provided morethan $307 billion to causex they support, despite the economic conditions.” Givingt made up 2.2 percent of the gross domesticf product in 2008, down from 2.3 percent in 2007.