Some religious charities buck lower giving trends

Several of the nation's largest religious charities reported increases in private support as nonprofits overall saw decreases in donations last year, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported.

Feed the Children, which ranked fifth in the annual Philanthropy 400 donor profiles, had a 1.2 percent increase in private support, which totaled $1.19 billion. World Vision saw a 4.5 percent increase in its private support, which totaled $870 million, giving it the no. 9 rank on the list.

Catholic Charities USA was ranked third, with a 5.2 percent increase from the previous year. According to the Chron­icle, Catholic Charities' private sup­port totaled $1.28 billion.

Overall, donations to the country's largest charities dropped by 11 percent last year.

The Salvation Army, which ranked second, saw a decrease of 8.4 percent in its private support, which totaled $1.7 billion. Food for the Poor, which ranked sixth, had a 27.6 percent drop in private donations, which totaled $1.07 billion.

Other religious organizations in the top 25 included:

• Habitat for Humanity Inter­national, 3.8 percent decrease
• Operation Blessing International, 16.4 percent increase
• Campus Crusade for Christ, 2.3 percent decrease

The publication bases its rankings on charities' reports of cash and other gifts received from private sources.  —RNS