Donations on the Rise

People who signed off on their tax forms earlier this week might be wondering if it's time to ramp up their charitable donations for next year. If you've considered that, you're not alone: According to American charities surveyed by the Nonprofit Research Collective, 53 percent of them saw their contributions increase in 2011. Another 16 percent said their donations were flat, and less than a third saw contributions drop during the year.

As recently as 2009, nearly half of all charities - 46 percent - said their contributions dropped during the year. In contrast, the survey found that in 2012, some 70 percent of the charities expect their take to increase.

In addition to the improving economy, a big reason for the growth in charitable donations is the rise of online giving. Almost 60 percent of the charitable institutions surveyed said their number of online donations had increased in 2011.