Top 15 Charities for 2014 Fundraising

Donor-advised sponsors have elbowed their way into the top ranks of U.S.-based charities, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of the 400 nonprofits that raised the most private support in fiscal 2014.

Five DAF managers, plus one community foundation that derives much of its support from DAFs, are among the new list's 15 biggest charities.

Over the 25 years of the Philanthropy 400, DAFs and community foundations grew from 2% of total giving in 1991 to 18% in 2014, research showed.

The Chronicle compiled results from data derived from a survey sent to some 750 tax-exempt organizations and from information collected from Form 990 informational tax filings filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

In order to make the 2014 ranking, charities had to have raised a minimum of $64.3 million. Donations could include cash, stock, land, or in-kind gifts such as donated pharmaceuticals or food. Government grants were excluded.

The Chronicle's research showed that community foundations, public broadcasting and universities experienced big growth in fiscal 2014 — up 24.8%,19.7% and 13.5%—while education, social services, and arts and culture groups contracted — down 19.3%, 7.6% and 5.8%.

Overall, the 400 big charities' support grew by 5.1% last year, compared with 2013, according to the report. This was two percentage points below giving to all charities noted in the 2014 Giving USA study, suggesting that recovery from the recession continues to be uncertain.

Una Osili, research director at Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy where Giving USA was written, said the tepid growth reflected larger shifts in philanthropy, including a resurgence of big gifts, but not smaller ones.

Osili told The Chronicle that research at her school pointed to both continued strong giving by foundations and big gifts from individuals. Corporate giving, she said, is moving away from cash support to things like cause marketing.

Other trends, she said, are a more female and diverse donor base, and the arrival of millennials who are approaching the age when they will start to increase their donations.

Fundraisers, Osili said, should educate themselves about the giving vehicles that are gaining traction with donors — specifically, DAFs and online giving.

Following are The Chronicle's top 15 charities by private support raised in fiscal 2014.