Giving Compass' Take:

• An overview of the Giving USA 2018 report dives into the reasons behind the increase in charitable giving in 2017. 

• How much weight do you think the change in federal administration carries to cause an uptick in charitable contributions in 2017? 

• Read about the major findings in this year's Giving USA report. 

Americans achieved a philanthropic landmark in 2017: for the first time total charitable giving surpassed $400 billion in a single year. A booming stock market and a generally strong economy combined to increase Americans’ financial resources and their confidence in sharing those additional resources through their philanthropy.

Reflecting the diverse and wide-ranging interests of donors, all four sources of giving and all but one of the major types of charitable organizations that receive contributions experienced increases. In fact, three of the four sources of contributions and seven of the nine types of recipient organizations saw giving grow by 5 percent or more. Donations to the arts rose 8 percent.

The milestone year for giving reflected in part substantial increases in efforts by donors to set aside money for philanthropic organizations and causes, especially among donors at the top end of the economic spectrum. For many of those, increased income and wealth translated to more opportunities to give.   The rate of growth in giving to foundations—15.5 percent (derived from Foundation Center data)—was three times as large as the growth rate for overall giving, due in part to several mega-gifts.

It was also a year of unexpected changes, including some that led many in the philanthropic sector to feel unsettled and prompted widespread interest in how new developments might affect charitable giving in 2017 and in the future. Among those were the advent of a new federal administration, giving in response to a tumultuous political climate, year-end giving, and tax policy changes approved in late December 2017.

Throughout the report, our experts and advisors offer sage insights and advice for fundraisers and other philanthropic sector professionals and volunteers.

Read the full article about perspectives on Giving USA from Giving USA at GuideStar Blog