2008 U.S. Charitable Giving Estimated to be $307.65 Billion

"It would have been easy to say 'not this year' when appeals came their way," she added, "and we definitely did see belt-tightening. This drop in giving meant that nonprofits have had to do more with less over the past year, but it could have been a lot worse."

Giving remains core component of GDP
In the context of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), giving is as strong historically as it's ever been. The estimates for 2008 indicate that giving was 2.2 percent of GDP. In 2007, giving was 2.3 percent of GDP.