Wealthiest Donors Gave 9 Percent of Their Income in 2007, Study Finds

By contrast, educational institutions, which were the second-most-common type of organization to which wealthy households gave, received average contributions of $27,379.

Mr. Rooney said that more wealthy people may turn to support charities that serve basic needs as the economy worsens.

“If my portfolio is going down, then I probably feel like I need to be more strategic in my philanthropy,” he said. “And if my portfolio is going down, then the economy may be going down, and I may feel like I need to give more to help the needy.”