Throughout 2012, charitable giving growth has been limited to single digits with a slightly downward trend, but this is the first time since March 2011 that giving has been negative. This was due to the spike in disaster giving related to Haiti relief work during the same period in 2010. Setting aside the slight negative (-.8%) in March 2011, the last time the Index dropped into negative territory was in July 2010.

The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving, comprised of actual revenue data from 1,978 nonprofits representing $406 million in yearly online giving, reported that online giving rose 2.4% for the three months ending August 2012 as compared to the same period in 2011. High levels of giving to International Relief organizations in 2011 in response to a record number of natural disasters impacted the Index of Online Giving. Excluding International Relief organizations, online giving was up 7% for the three months ending August 2012.

The Blackbaud Index of Charitable Giving and The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving are updated on the first of each month (or the next business day) and are based on a three-month moving average of year-over-year percent changes in US-based charitable giving. They represent the most comprehensive and timely sources of charitable giving available.