The Tale of the Tape

I just organized my charitable receipts for my accountant so he can get started on my tax return. Since I have all my numbers here in front of me, I wondered how I compare to my fellow Americans.

A 2007 study on giving shows how we spend our charitable dollars, and I find I'm kinda out of step. Which is OK, really. The important thing is that we each support the causes nearest to us. I just find this interesting from an anecdotal perspective. Because I'm a geek.

Nationwide breakdown of charitable giving:

60% of money donated to charities (in 2007) went to religious groups.
9% went to health-related charities.
8% went to "meeting basic needs," like food and shelter for the underprivileged.
3% went to the education.
2.75% went to "the arts."
17.25% went to "others," including the environment, animal welfare.

Here's my personal breakdown:

54% went to "others," only mine is exclusively animal welfare.
17% went to my church.
15% went to health-related charities (MDA, St. Jude's American Diabetes Assn, and Cancer Wellness Center).
9% went to kids' charities (Toys for Tots and Girls, Inc.)
5% went to "meeting basic needs," like food and shelter for the underprivileged.
4% went to "the arts," defined by me as the public library and our PBS station.
0% went to education. (Uh-oh)

How does your giving profile compare to the national average?