December 18, 2008
Corporate Giving Showed Small Gain In 2007, Report Says
By Caroline Preston
Giving by U.S. companies increased only slightly between 2006 and 2007, to just under $11-billion in 2007, compared with $10.2-billion the previous year, according to a new report by the Conference Board, in New York.
Most of the 197 companies included in the survey, which took place between March and June of this year — before the Wall Street collapse — said they did not anticipate increasing their grant making in 2008.
All types of organizations saw an increase in corporate contributions in 2007, according to the report, with the exception of environmental charities, which recorded a drop of 4.4 percent. Health and human-service groups received the largest share of corporate donations, as they have in five of the past years the survey has been conducted.
Focus on Europe
The total giving to international causes in 2007 was roughly the same as in 2006, approximately $2.35-billion.
In 2007, companies reported that they spent more of their contributions (26 percent) in Europe than in other parts of the world. The Asia-Pacific region, Latin America and the Caribbean, Canada, and Africa received the next-largest shares of donations.
Pharmaceutical companies remain the biggest donors, giving away $3.84-billion in cash and products. They were followed by banks, technology companies, and energy companies.
Non-cash donations, such as products and services, made up 54.2 percent of total giving in the United States. A higher share of gifts made overseas (66.2 percent) were non-cash donations.
Highlights from the study are available on the Conference Board’s Web site.. The complete study can be purchased for $495, or $125 for members.
Click here to read about The Chronicle’s survey on corporate giving in 2007, and here to read about the 2006 survey.
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