Is Palo Alto Stingy or Generous?

Peninsula residents gave nearly $1 Billion in one year alone, according to new statistics released by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The Bay Area and the Los Angeles Area are unsurprisingly two major philanthropic hot-spots, leading California to take its place as the philanthropy capital of the country.  

While Bay Area communities perform well when it comes to total contributions, when it comes to giving away a large percentage of income, the numbers fall short.  

Palo Alto residents give a higher percentage of their income than most other peninsula cities, with residents giving on average 6.3% of their discretionary income to charity. That compares with the 4% given by Santa Clara County residents and the 4.4% given by San Mateo County residents.  

The studies also rebuke the idea that Democrats are more generous than Republicans. While ‘blue states’ gave more money as a total sum, residents in Republican states gave a greater percentage of their income.

These numbers have given rise to a constantly recurring debate in the philanthropic world: whether people should be judged on their donations as a total contribution or as a percentage of the money they have.

On the one hand, giving more money total to charity can make a larger impact, yet on the other hand, people who give a higher percentage of their income are likely undertaking a greater sacrifice to do so. 

What do you think people should be judged on? Total contributions, or contributions as a percentage of income?  Tell us in comments.

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