Economy impacts charitable giving, survey says

The economy is impacting American’s charitable giving, according to a new survey by World Vision, an international Christian relief and development organization. Three out of four adults now say the economy has impacted their giving, and one in three giving less.

21 percent, one in five, said they’re less likely to sponsor a child, and more than half, or 54 percent, said they would be more likely to sponsor a child if they had more money.

"The sputtering economy has made it more difficult for hard working Americans to give what's on their hearts. As the economy gets better, we believe Americans will step up to meet the urgent needs of children and families around the world,” said Lana Reda, World Vision's VP for donor engagement, in a news release.

By comparison, a year ago seven out of 10 Americans said while the worsening economy meant they would probably spend less on holiday shopping, half said they were more inclined to give or receive a charitable gift for the holidays. The poll was conducted between Aug. 28 and 31 among 1,006 U.S. adults over the age of 18.

Honolulu residents are making donations to nonprofits, but not as generously as residents of other cities, according to another new report from Convio Inc, which ranked Honolulu No. 159 out of 273 large cities for online donations. The rankings are based on the online donations Convio processed on behalf of thousands of nonprofit organizations between January and August.

During that period, Honolulu residents made 7,204 donations totaling $456,661. The average gift was $63. The 10 most generous cities in the U.S. are Alexandria, Va.; Cambridge, Mass.; Minneapolis; Arlington, Va.; Seattle; St. Louis; Austin, Texas; Bellevue, Wash.; Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh. Click here for the complete list of rankings.