The Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday that Heart of Florida United Way -- which covers Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties -- raised $19.4 million dollars through a fundraising campaign for the past year. That number is nearly $2 million more than the year before and also represents the highest total since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The money raised was $1.6 million more than the organization's goal.
These numbers would seem to indicate that charitable giving is on the rise after the low points of the Great Recession. Indeed, a recent report by Charleston, S.C.-based software firm Blackbaud indicated that charitable giving increased more than 3 percent for the three months ending January 2012.
Another positive sign is that, as The Sentinel reported, charities in the Orlando area have launched capital campaigns in the last year to construct new facilities or expand programs. A study by the Community Foundation of Central Florida (CFCF) showed that of the 600 central Florida nonprofits tracked, 136 were involved in a capital campaign in 2011, and 86 percent were on target to bring in a collective $561 million through those campaigns.
About 400 companies participated in Heart of Florida United Way's fundraising campaign, which targets employees to donate through regular paycheck deductions and asks executives and corporate foundations to give at least $1,000.
How is the fundraising in your area? Have you seen similar results as United Way?
You can read the full article in The Orlando Sentinel.
