There has been much concern about the effects on giving because of the Sept. 11 attacks, the weak economy and the downturn in the stock market. According to the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, total charitable giving reached an estimated $212 billion in 2001. These dollars helped support the efforts of more than 1.2 million charities and churches nationwide. The number of registered nonprofits has been growing 5 to 6 percent a year.

Looking at the trends in giving can give us a better understanding of the importance of philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. The AAFRC Trust breaks down charitable contributions into four sources: corporations, foundations, bequests and individuals. As has been the case since 1959, living individuals gave more than three-quarters of the total charitable contributions in 2001. Most individual gifts in the wake of 9/11 were less than $100. Bequest giving through wills and estates represented about 7.7 percent of the total. Foundations made grant payments that comprise 12.1 percent, and corporations gave 4.3 percent.

Total giving grew in 2001 by an estimated 0.5 percent over 2000. That is the second-lowest rate of growth since 1959. Of the four sources reported, giving by individuals and foundations increased, and giving by corporations and bequests dropped. It is believed that the dollar value of gifts received by bequests, many of which contain negotiable securities, might have been lower because of the stock market declines.

Surveys conducted in 2001 on giving and volunteering tended to confirm trends found in previous surveys. These indicate that those of us who volunteer our time give substantially more financially than those who do not volunteer. Households that participate regularly in religious services give, on average, about twice as much as other households. They also are more likely to volunteer.

Nearly 95 percent of us who are asked to give make a contribution. Donors say the most important factor affecting their contributions is that someone asks. Those of us who volunteered or made contributions when we were young are more likely to give and at higher levels than those of us who were not involved as youths.

A weak economy, a downturn in the stock market, increasing workloads, declining revenues — the nonprofit sector is once again under pressure to do more with less. Unlike other sectors of the economy, the nonprofit sector cannot disguise its deficits by ignoring future liabilities, changing the start of its fiscal year or eliminating unprofitable product lines. The nonprofit sector will do what it has always done: work harder and longer with less.

While the nonprofit sector gives many a chance to accomplish something worthwhile, it also needs the resources to do so.

Over the years, philanthropy has become an important factor in providing a vast array of needed services to our communities. The nonprofit sector has become a growing segment of our economy — providing more and more services, employing more and more people, and providing hope for many. You too can give hope by saying yes when asked to make a charitable gift.

Cain, president and CEO of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, is one of the Gazette’s contributing columnists.