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By Tom Watson

Those who don’t seek charitable donations for a living can usually be forgiven for one of the most common misperceptions in ������Ƶn��: that foundations and corporations represent the “big money” in nonprofit fundraising. They do not. Year after year, individuals in the U.S. are responsible, in the main, for contributing the steady 2% of GDP that constitutes giving in this country.

And as the U.S. nonprofit sector finally approaches levels of top line support not seen since before the Great Recession, it is once again ������Ƶn individuals powering that comeback, according to the annual analysis����produced��by the��Giving USA Foundation.

“We are seeing clear gains in the��total��amount given by individuals in the last couple of��years,” said Gregg��Carlson, chair��of the Giving USA Foundation. “Of special interest is the rise in contributions by individuals between 2011 and��2013 – it represents 73% of the growth in total giving during that time frame.”

According to the Giving USA numbers released tonight, total��estimated charitable giving in the United States rose 4.4% between 2012 and 2013, to $335.17 billion in contributions.��Giving by individuals totaled an estimated $240.60 billion, rising 4.2% in 2013 (an increase of 2.7%, adjusted for inflation). Itemized��giving comprised 83% of the��total��estimate for giving by individuals��in 2013. The��total��for giving by individuals also includes $272 million in��contributions to support disaster relief efforts in 2013.

The single largest contributor to the increase in��total��charitable giving in 2013, over��2012, was an increase of $9.69 billion in giving by individuals (in current dollars). In other key highlights: