Indian-Americans donate $1 bn a year, less than potential

Indian-Americans, who are among the ethnic groups with the highest per capita income, donate about $1 billion per year, far less than their potential of $3 billion philanthropy in the US, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind survey.

The survey, which assessed the giving habits of Indian Americans, concluded the community donates in the range of 1.5 per cent of their income per year, compared to the average American donation rate of four per cent per year. With a strong 4.1 million members, Indian Americans have one of the highest median household incomes of any ethnic community in the US, and it is recognised as being well educated and socially aware.

Released during the Indiaspora Philanthropy Summit at Georgetown University in Washington on Tuesday, the Indiaspora-Dalberg Community Engagement Survey found Indian-Americans volunteer at nearly double the national average but give substantially less financially.

“Today, we are discussing what lies next for Indiaspora in our role as a philanthropic catalyst, one of the core pillars of our mission. We are in the early stages of strategically planning what we should do to move the needle – which is to increase the amount of Indian-American philanthropic giving in US and to India, and make it more effective,” said MR Rangaswami, Indiaspora founder.

Released during the Indiaspora Philanthropy Summit at Georgetown University, the In diaspora Dal berg Community Engagement Survey found Indian-Americans volunteer at double the national average but give substantially less financially.