New Study: Donations Grow at Slow�Pace - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -

New Study: Donations Grow at Slow�Pace - Online Fundraising, Advocacy, and Social Media -: Nonprofits raised $298.4 billion in 2011, according Giving USA, one of the largest studies conducted in the nonprofit sector. While $298.4 billion might seem like a lot of money, it’s only about 2% of the GDP. The study also shows how much charities are still struggling to raise money in a bad economy. Charitable giving only grew by 0.9%. At this rate, philanthropic giving would not recover until 2022, said Patrick Rooney, Executive Director of the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, which coordinates the Giving USA study.