America’s big charities expect fund raising to rise in 2011, but the increase won’t come close to making up ground they lost in the downturn.

Have we bounced back from the Great Recession or are we still languishing (and due for another fall backwards)? This is a hot topic in political and economic circles, let alone around kitchen tables. It’s also a question of importance in the world of philanthropy. As the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports, America’s biggest charities are expecting modest growth in 2011, but face challenges in rebounding from the 2008 tumble.

One way the Chronicle charts the world of charitable giving is through the Philanthropy 400, tracking the largest 400 charities. Think of it as the Forbes 400 of charities. Out of these 400, the expectation is that charities will see a modest median rise of 4.7% by the end of 2011.

That is good news because this will be a net rise over 2010 growth, when charities were able to gather up an additional median gain of 3.5%. Nevertheless, those charities are still below 2007 levels and much of the gains have been in the form of donated medicine, food, and services rather than monetary funds.

The Chronicle counts the 400 as a barometer of the charitable world. As such, it is a reminder of the many needs out there. The article also charts some patterns in charities of interest to the savvy philanthropist.

There is a bit of promising news for the charitably inclined, too, as headway has been made on the worldwide malaria problem, with charitable organizations at the forefront of vaccine development. However, these charities need more funding to eradicate the disease.

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Reference: The Chronicle of Philanthropy (October 16, 2011) “America’s Top Fund-Raising Groups Face Big Struggles