Sacramento’s Philanthropy

As this story in the Sacramento Bee notes, the philanthropic picture is Sacramento is pretty good, but—as with many things—can certainly improve.

An excerpt.

“Residents of the Sacramento region are less likely to give to charity than their counterparts nationwide – and the average amount given per household lags behind the national average.

“These are among the findings of the Greater Sacramento Generosity Project scheduled for release today, and the impetus for a campaign this fall to boost charitable giving.

“The project, commissioned by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and the Nonprofit Resource Center, found that 62 percent of households in the four-county region — El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo – give to charities, compared with 66 percent of households nationwide. The average annual contribution per donor household in the Sacramento region is $1,990, trailing the national average of $2,355.

“Representatives of philanthropic organizations say individual giving is essential to filling the gaps left by cuts in government services.

"For a lot of nonprofits, the downturn in the economy has created a greater demand for their services," said Ruth Blank, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

"This is about individual giving," said Ann Lucas, a consultant and former executive director of the Nonprofit Resource Center in Sacramento. "A lot of the time we look to the corporate sector to give."

“But nationally, she said, only about 5 percent of charitable giving comes from corporate donors, and an additional 12 percent from foundations. Individual donations account for 83 percent.”