Five-year giving experience of individual donors by income level

Using 5-year panel data, this study examines the various dimensions of the variability of individual charitable contributions at all income levels: the variation in the generosity of individuals and the variability of the individuals' giving over a five-year period. The study finds considerable variability of both kinds. One consequence of the variability of generosity is that it is substantially greater at the higher income levels. Another consequence is that variability is substantially less pronounced by observing a 5-year period of an individual's generosity than by observing annual behavior. Another finding is that a relatively small proportion of donors account for a large proportion of total giving. The popular reputation of the wealthy for generosity is actually due to the execeptional generosity of a minority rather than widespread generosity among the wealthy. Results of the study have implications for research on charitable giving, for predicting the effects of tax policy changes on giving, and for fundraising. An earlier paper by the authors focused only on the variability of giving by the wealthy.