Make No Little Plans

Several institutions in Chicago that depend on donated funds are running their largest philanthropic drives ever right now. What's behind these megacampaigns?

By Tom Mullaney

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How We Compare

Chicago was recently named the most philanthropic city in the United States by Noza, a California company that tracks charitable giving. Chicago edged New York in total number of gifts received, 719,512 to 712,985. Zooming out to the state level, Illinois households gave at a higher rate (77 percent) than U.S. households as a whole (67 percent). Here's how the Chicago area gives, by income level:

Average Annual Giving by Chicag-Area Community and Income Group

Source: Donors Forum; 2005 statistics, published April 2007