Arthur Brooks’ op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal makes an interesting claim: conservatives – religious or not – are more likely to give than their liberal counterparts are.
Data has long indicated that religiousness has a significant impact on if and how much someone gives, and religious individuals are less likely to lean liberal in their politics.
Here’s why this important, though: according to Brooks, “Here’s where the charity gap really starts to make a difference for the recession of 2009: Conservatives don’t just give more; they also decrease their giving less than liberals do in response to lousy economic conditions.”
Another interesting note on the data:
“Ironically, few environments are less tolerant of conservatives and their ideas than the nonprofit world. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported in October of 2008 that employees of major charities favored Democrats over Republicans in their private political contributions by a margin of 82% to 18%. Among the employees of major foundations, the difference was an astounding 98% to 2%.”
We’ve been emphasizing non-cash giving as an alternative method of fundraising which allows supporters to tap into resources other than cash (especially when cash is tight). It appears Warren Buffett is doing just that.