Charitable donations increasing

Monday, Oct. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Americans gave $23.5 billion to the nation's 400 biggest charities last year, giving most generously to the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and Catholic Charities USA.

Giving was up 5 percent from a year earlier, The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual survey of the 400 nonprofit organizations receiving the most private money showed. The 1994 increase was 6.3 percent.

Although donations to the Salvation Army dropped by 11.3 percent, that organization topped the list for the fourth consecutive year with collections of $644.3 million.

The American Red Cross, No. 2 for three years, raised $456.6 million, which represented a 7.9 percent drop from 1994.

A 25 percent increase in giving to Catholic Charities USA boosted that organization from No. 7 to No. 3 on the list, as it raised $419.4 million last year.

In Southern Nevada, donations are down for the three organizations.

The Clark County chapter of the Salvation Army raised $558,664 in contributions and $879,276 in what it calls "special appeals" responses for $1.44 million in total public donations for fiscal 1995, which ended June 30.

That figure, however, was down from fiscal 1994 when the organization received $664,801 in donations and $996,102 in special appeals for $1.66 million in total contributions, Salvation Army spokesman Sumner Dodge said.

Catholic Charities, which operates the St. Vincent Shelter and provides other charitable services, received $820,757 for fiscal 1995, which ended June 30. That was down from $1.23 million in fiscal 1994.

However, Catholic Charities Comptroller Lloyd Williams said both years were relatively even in public donations. He noted that in 1994, the organization received a bequest of $400,000.

The Las Vegas chapter of the American Red Cross raised $153,152 in public contributions for fiscal 1995, which also ended June 30, compared with $184,569 for 1994.