By Raymund Flandez

America’s sputtering economy helped depress giving to United Ways by about $181-million last year. Nationwide, local United Ways collected $3.84-billion, a decline of nearly 5 percent from the more than $4-billion the charity received in 2008.

One promising area of growth for United Ways has been “affinity groups” of donors—including women, blacks, and Hispanic donors, who form giving clubs that contribute more than employees who participate in the charity’s traditional payroll-deduction campaigns.

Such donors contributed nearly 3 percent more last year, but the five-year growth rate of their donations was a more—impressive 70 percent.

But giving was flat among the donors who give the most. Supporters who donated $10,000 or more increased their gifts by just 0.4 percent.

Uneven Results

While some local United Ways rode the economic downturn with modest increases in giving, many local groups saw donations flatten or decrease. In Fargo, N.D., donations last year increased by 3.7 percent, to $4.9-million. Milwaukee saw a 3-percent increase, too, raising $45.5-million in 2009. But in Austin, Tex.as, donations were $15.3-million last year, up slightly from $15.1-million the year before. Columbus, Ohio, faced a precipitous drop of 16 percent in 2009, raising $43.7-million, compared with $51.9-million in 2008.

United Way has worked hard in recent years to increase donations by expanding its network of affiliates around the world. But donations to those groups were also hit hard by the downturn. Donations to United Ways outside the United States dropped by 3.7 percent, to $1.2-billion.