The 1999 INDEPENDENT SECTOR Giving and Volunteering in the United States is the sixth in a series of biennial national surveys that report trends in giving and charitable behavior. The biennial surveys act as barometers of how socio-economic conditions and tax laws affect the charitable behavior of Americans. They also chart public attitudes about a variety of issues that affect the climate for giving and volunteering, and explore behavioral and motivational factors that influence giving and volunteering.
For 1.6 million charities, nonprofit organizations and religious congregations in the United States, giving and volunteering is at the heart of citizen action and central to their operations. American society as a whole benefits from the financial support, commitment, skills and enthusiasm of those who give and volunteer. Public participation, volunteering, and financial gifts to causes people believe in make for a vibrant civil society.
Methodology
In May 1999 the Gallup Organization conducted in-home personal interviews with 2,553 adults 18 years of age and older for INDEPENDENT SECTOR. The sampling error for this sample was +/- 3%. Respondents were asked a series of questions about the total giving of their households. Then, as individuals, they were asked about their own volunteering, motivations for giving and volunteering, and opinions and attitudes about nonprofit organizations.
Date References
This study assessed contribution levels in 1998, volunteering activity from May 1998 to May 1999, and public attitudes at the point the survey was conducted in May 1999. For purposes of this report volunteering is dated 1998.
