DALLAS, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- There is a strong likelihood that gifts to charitable organizations will decrease should President Obama win re-election, according to a national study sponsored by Dunham+Company.
The survey of donors conducted by Campbell Rinker found that more than 1 in 5 donors (21 percent) would decrease their giving if President Obama wins Nov. 6. This compares to 16 percent should Romney be elected.
"The survey also showed that giving from the most generous households in America could take a significant hit depending on the election result," said Rick Dunham, President and CEO of Dunham+Company. "Forty-five percent of conservative donors, which have been shown to be the most generous donors per capita in America by numerous studies including one recently by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, say they will give less if Obama is re-elected. And one in three donors age 60 or older, another key demographic, says the same."
According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, three in four households (75 percent) of individuals over age 65 participate in philanthropy, compared to only one in two (52 percent) in households where the age is 40 years old or less.
The survey asked donors if they would give more, less or the same in response to factors like the election, implementation of Obamacare, rising gasoline prices and action on the federal debt limit. Compounding the concerns about the presidential election, 21 percent of respondents said they would give less if Obamacare was allowed to stand versus 11 percent who said their support would decrease should it be repealed.
Romney supports repealing Obamacare, reducing federal spending and keeping gasoline prices in check by stimulating oil production, things that donors say would encourage them to give more – or at least not cause them to give less.
After rising gas prices, donors say eliminating the charitable tax deduction would have the greatest negative impact on their giving. Thirty-three percent of donors said it would cause them to reduce their giving and only 2 percent said it would increase their giving. Romney has been vague about how he will treat the charitable tax deduction for all earners, and Obama says he wants to limit the deduction for high-income earners.
The Dunham+Company study was part of a Campbell Rinker Donor Confidence Survey conducted Sept. 7-18, 2012 among 454 U.S. adult donors who had given at least $20 in the previous year. The online responses were weighted by age to reflect the general U.S. population per the 2010 census. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.6 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
Dunham+Company is a global consulting firm specializing in helping nonprofits with their fundraising and marketing. For more information, visit http://www.dunhamandcompany.com.
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SOURCE Dunham+Company