Contact IS Media Relations Matthew Briggs Associate, Media and Communications 202-467-6134 matthewb@IndependentSector.org Bill Wright Interim Vice President, Communications and Marketing 202-467-6131 bill@IndependentSector.org Need Independent Sector Media Relations after hours? Call 202-641-1202 or 202-744-4781.

(Washington, DC, January 30, 2004)—Independent Sector Giving and Volunteering surveys reveal that across the country three common characteristics influence philanthropic behavior: volunteering with or without family members, attending religious services weekly, and homeownership. Of note, Independent Sector’s latest survey, A Nation of Givers: Regional Patterns in American Giving and Volunteering, finds that each of these characteristics slightly vary in their importance in different regions.

A Nation of Givers, funded by MetLife Foundation, looks at ten characteristics such as college attendance, involvement in volunteering as a youth, homeownership and marital status to determine what roles these characteristics play in philanthropy in each region of the country.

The report demonstrates that households in the Northeast give the most when they volunteer as a family. Weekly attendance at religious services influences how much households in the South give more than it affects the giving by households in other regions. The relationship between marital status and charitable giving plays a major role in its influence on Midwestern household giving. And in the West, homeownership influences annual giving more than in the other three regions of the country.

“American generosity in all its many forms is a common thread that helps bind the country together. A Nation of Givers provides nonprofit leaders with insights into the characteristics that resonate in different regions of the country,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO, Independent Sector.

Findings from the Northeast:

• More than in any region, households in the Northeast with a volunteer in the family give twice as much as those Northeastern households who do not ($2,657 versus $1,009).
• Being asked to give and attendance at religious services are also closely tied to how much households in the Northeast give.

Findings from the South:

• Households in the South that attend religious services on a weekly basis give 143 percent more than Southern households that do not, the highest percentage difference of all the regions.
• College attendance and weekly attendance at religious services play a significant role in volunteering in Southern households.

Findings from the Midwest:

• The relationship between marital status and charitable giving for Midwesterners is the strongest among all the regions. Married couples in the Midwest give 124 percent more than single households.
• The influence of having been a youth volunteer is stronger in the Midwest than in any other region.

Findings from the West:

• Homeowners in the West give 174 percent more than non-homeowners within the region. Western homeowners also give more than homeowners in the Midwest, Northeast and South.
• The strongest factors that influence volunteering behavior in the West are being asked to volunteer, followed by college attendance and weekly attendance at religious services.

A Nation of Givers: Regional Patterns in American Giving and Volunteering is the sixth report in Independent Sector’s Giving and Volunteering Signature Series. The Signature Series is made possible by the generous support of MetLife Foundation. The report is based on analysis from Independent Sector’s Giving and Volunteering in the United States, 2001 national telephone survey of more than 4, 000 adults.

Independent Sector members may access the report (PDF) in the members-only section of the IS website or purchase hard copies for a special price of $11.95. Media may request complimentary copies by contacting Patricia Nash at 202-467-6132 or emailing patricia@IndependentSector.org. The public may purchase copies for $15.95 by contacting the IS Publications Center at 888-860-8118.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the charitable community.