According to a report from the Giving USA Foundation, Americans gave $307.65 billion to charity during 2008, down 2 percent from a revised estimate of $314.07 billion during 2007.

About 75 percent—$229.28 billion—of the total came from individuals. Foundations donated $41.21 billion, which was up 3 percent from 2007; giving by bequest was $22.66 billion, which was down 2.8 percent; and corporations gave $14.5 billion, which was down 4.5 percent.

The largest amount of donations, $106.89 billion, went to religious organizations, which experienced a 5.5 percent increase in giving. The public-society benefit subsector and international affairs organizations experienced increases of 5.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Education received $40.94 billion, which was a decrease of 5.5 percent. Other charity categories that experienced decreases in donations include a 19.2 percent decrease for foundations; 6.5 percent decrease for health organizations; 6.4 percent decrease for arts, culture and humanities organizations; and 5.5 percent decrease for environmental organizations.

"With the U.S. mired in a recession during 2008, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that charitable giving would be down," says Del Martin, chair of the Giving USA Foundation. "However, what we find remarkable is that individuals, corporations and foundations still provided more than $307 billion to causes they support, despite the economic conditions."

"It would have been easy to say 'Not this year' when appeals came their way, and we definitely saw belt-tightening," she continues. "This drop in giving means that nonprofits have had to do more with less during the past year, but it could have been a lot worse."

This Web exclusive information is a supplement to Roofing to the rescue.