The economic downturn has done little to deter corporate giving in recent years.
Giving in Numbers, 2012 Edition, a survey by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and The Conference Board of 213 major corporations found that those companies gave nearly $20 billion in donations in 2011. That came in the forms of direct cash donations, cash donations through their foundations, noncash donations and matching employee donations.
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The median giving of all corporations that responded was $21 million, according to the survey. For the 62 respondents in the Fortune 100, median giving was more than $57 million.
Nearly 30 percent of the donations went to health and social service programs, and more than one-quarter went to educational programs stretching from kindergarten through the university years, the survey said.
The survey also found corporations had narrowed their focus, giving larger contributions but to fewer organizations as they became more strategic in their giving.
Susan Ladika is a writer based in Tampa, Florida. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com. Follow Workforce on Twitter at @workforcenews.
