"Giving USA" Estimates Total Giving at $203.45 Billion

According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel Trust for Philanthropy's new "Giving USA" estimates, U.S. charitable contributions in 2000 totaled $203.45 billion, an increase of 6.6 percent over the previous year.
Charitable contributions represented 2 percent of gross domestic product in 2000, a slight drop from the 28-year high of 2.1 percent achieved in 1999 and the same percentage as recorded in 1998.