News Release
For Immediate Use
November 12, 2002

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(Tucson, AZ) – Results of a study released today indicate that an overwhelming majority of Pima County residents support charitable organizations. The release of the study coincided with the announcement of a launch of a new website whose purpose is to encourage more local giving. 

The announcement was made by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, in partnership with the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

“The numbers confirm what we have long known – that this is a giving community,” Steve Alley, President/CEO, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, says.  “We are blessed to live in a caring community and one that provides charitable support for a broad range of issues.”

Highlights of the study include:

•  Pima County residents support charitable organizations, both with their donations, (85.6% contributed in the past year) and in their belief that those donations are put to an appropriate use (84.4% agree).  However, slightly fewer residents of Pima County (70.9%) believe that charitable organizations are honest and ethical in their use of funds than residents of all other Arizona counties (74.1%).

• Pima County residents not only give, but they give to a wide range of causes.  Nearly 70% of those who give contribute to four or more organizations.

• Over 40% of residents say that, “most charitable organizations are wasteful in their use of funds,” while 84% believe their “donation is put to an appropriate use” when they give to a charity.

• The statement “Generally, charitable organizations make very little difference in dealing with major problems,” resulted in both agreement and strong disagreement from an almost equal number of residents.

• Nearly two-thirds (61.8%) of Pima County residents agree that giving through their will is “an effective way of ensuring that my money gets to causes that are important to me.”  While no figures are available locally, national statistics indicate that only 6% of Americans actually follow this practice.

The Pima County results are part of a statewide study commissioned by the Arizona State University Center for Nonprofit Leadership and Management during the summer of 2002.  The total number of survey participants was 1,004, with Pima County residents comprising approximately 15% of that number (n=153).  Random digit dialing was used in reaching households.

“The study views charitable giving in its most basic context, so giving to individuals in need is also included.”  Alley says.  The following chart illustrates this point.

 Top 5 Recipients of Charitable Donations (% donating to)

Respondents were asked about their giving patterns in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.  “People gave in a variety of ways in response to the attacks and are still planning to give to other organizations.”  Alley continued.  “There has been a concern that giving locally might have been impacted by September 11 and the softer economy.  It’s part of the reason Give4Tucson.com was created.”

Download the study (Adobe Acrobat format, 411 KB )

Give4Tucson.com

The purpose of Give4Tucson.com is to provide donors with a way to find organizations serving the causes they care about.  The website provides a mechanism to contribute to those organizations, and also provides tips for donors to help them make decisions about their giving.

“We are asking non-profits to sign up on the site now in preparation for a media campaign that will kickoff in January,” Steve Alley, President/CEO, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona says.  “The national response to 9/11 in particular made one fact startlingly clear: people realized that each of us can personally make a difference in the lives of others.  That’s why Give4Tucson.com was created, to provide a way for us to make a difference in our community, today.”

Give4Tucson.com is offered as a free service to the community by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, thanks to a partnership that includes the Gannett Foundation, Tucson Citizen, Tucson Newspapers, Clear Channel Communications and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The website is designed and hosted by Imagine Internet.

“There are so many great local organizations working to make Tucson and Southern Arizona a better place to live,” Alley continues.  “These organizations are rebuilding lives, giving kids a better start, enriching our culture, caring for our health needs and taking on countless other essential projects.  We hope the site will enable donors to connect to these organizations.”

Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to sign up on the site at www.give4tucson.com.  The website provides basic information about the organization, and has search capabilities that can assist donors in finding organizations either by name, or under a specific category.  The site also provides links to enable donors to give directly to organizations, either through their existing website, or by using Network For Good.  Network for Good is a not-for-profit organization that facilitates on-line contributions to tax exempt charitable organizations.  It is a free service and was created by AOL Time Warner.