The Giving Season

We're entering the giving season, and 45 percent of experienced donors in a new survey said they expected to increase their charitable giving this year. Only 7 percent expected to give less than last year, according to Exponent Philanthropy, an association of some 2,000 funders.

This is truly the charitable time of year: Thirty-two percent of survey respondents said they would give at least half of their full annual contribution during the last two months of the year. An additional 27 percent they would give between 26 percent and 50 percent in November and December.

The survey also asked which factors contributed to their 2017 giving decisions. Among the most important:

•   Community needs: 43 percent
•   Market performance: 31 percent
•   Desire to maximize impact: 28 percent