An examination of persistence in charitable giving to education through the 2002 economic downturn

Abstract

Using three waves of the Center on Philanthropy Panel Study, a module of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, fi elded by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, we examine characteristics of donors who gave to any level of education in each of the years studied (2000, 2002 and 2004). We fi nd that these persistent donors to education are more likely to have higher income (average of US $ 142 603 in 2000) and higher levels of education (bachelor ’ s degree or above) than are less frequent education donors and non-donors to education. There is some support for a positive association between persistent giving to education and the number and age of children in the household. There is strong support for positive association between educational attainment and persistence in giving to education and in giving to other secular causes. Implications for fundraising practice and further research topics are discussed.