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The Pig Give

Valley businesses give big, but what about you?
Use these tips to tap your inner-philanthropist.

Philanthropy in Phoenix is alive and well, says Laurel Kimball, principal of the Phoenix Philanthropy Group.
“There’s a lot of hand-wringing that we don’t have many corporate headquarters and that we have a lot of new residents or winter visitors who only give to where they came from,” she says. “But I think there are a lot of very generous companies or individuals here, and I’m not sure how much the hand-wringing is justified.”
There are approximately 18,950 nonprofit organizations on file with the Arizona Corporation Commission, including civic clubs, country clubs, labor unions, etc. The biggest group, however, includes charitable nonprofits with 501 (c)3 designations. There are an estimated 11,504 charities in Arizona.
According to the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University, Arizona’s charitable giving is not far behind the national average. The average Arizonan donates $1,572 per year, the center reports; the national average is $1,620. According to the center’s Arizona data, the amount of giving usually increases with household income and higher education levels. 
The 31-to-45 age group has the highest rate of giving, and people who live in urban parts of Arizona give slightly more than people in rural areas.
Religious organizations receive by far the highest amount of donations. They get more than 62 percent, followed by education groups, which receive 43 percent.