Hardship has been known to bring out the best in people. Throughout history, we have been able to confront challenging times together and come out on the other side, new and improved. At the forefront of many noble causes are charitable organizations that double down and continue helping others, even in the face of crisis.
A recent study analyzing the philanthropic response to COVID-19 found that most donors plan to maintain, or even increase, their charitable contributions this year. For our own study, we analyzed Google search behavior to determine the top charitable causes and organizations in each U.S. state.
Where People Prefer to Give: Every U.S. State’s Favorite Charity
The most popular charity nationwide was Shriners Hospitals for Children. Shriners Hospitals for Children was the most searched-for charitable organization in four states: Kentucky, South Carolina, Utah, and its founding state, Louisiana. The organization was founded in 1922 in Shreveport and has been helping children battle illnesses for a century now. Shriners Hospitals for Children specializes in pediatric care as well as medical research and education.
Goodwill Industries International came in second on our list by winning the hearts of people in Indiana, Oregon, and Washington. Many people recognize Goodwill as a donor-driven retailer that sells used clothing, books, and more; however, there’s more than meets the eye. Donating your clothing to Goodwill is a great way to help reduce the impact of textile production and waste on the environment. Behind the scenes, Goodwill also funds employment and training programs that assist people in finding job opportunities.
Tying for second place was the American Heart Association, the most searched-for charitable organization in Alabama, Mississippi, and Rhode Island. The American Heart Association (AHA) is best known for its research to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular diseases including heart disease and stroke. Recently, the AHA and scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham teamed up for research to improve outcomes in pregnancy and CVD health.
Charitable Causes to Get Behind in Every U.S. State
Everyone has a charitable cause they feel passionate about. Whether it’s medical research, food pantries, or museum preservation, we wanted to know which causes were closest to each state’s heart.
Religious causes came in first across the entire country, claiming a total of 24 states. When it comes to charity, it’s important to keep in mind that religious organizations cover a broad spectrum of causes. For example, the Missouri-founded Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization that specializes in children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response. One study found that over 60% of food pantries across 12 states were faith-based or affiliated with local churches.
Food banks, food pantries, and food distribution was the second most popular charitable cause across six states. Washington was one state on this list dedicated to feeding families in need. The Emerald State has a robust network of over 500 food banks, pantries, and other organizations committed to putting food on the table for those who need it most. In 2019, Washington food banks provided 148.44 million pounds of food to families struggling to put food on the table.
Comparing Revenue to Online Popularity
Next, we wanted to investigate whether a correlation exists between search interest and financial prosperity. We analyzed the combined search volume across all 50 states for each charitable organization and then compared it to revenue for the previous fiscal year.
While some patterns exist, it’s clear that money is not the ultimate indicator of a charity’s popularity. For example, the American Heart Association is the top-searched organization, but ranks #36 in terms of revenue. On the flip side, the Mayo Clinic is the most profitable, bringing in $15 billion in revenue last year, but when it comes to search interest, the medical research center is ranked #57.
Click through on the above map to visualize trends among search interest and revenue by category.
Closing Thoughts
Challenging times give all of us an opportunity to rise to the occasion and help out our neighbors in need. Throughout history, we have proven that we are able to take on hardships together and conquer anything. Charitable organizations help us by organizing our efforts and placing resources where they are needed most. What are some of the charitable causes you’re passionate about?
Shane Co. is proud to partner with Kids In Need Foundation (KINF) to help support children and classrooms by providing school supplies and other materials. We have raised over $365,000 to date, and this funding has allowed us to provide backpacks filled with essential school supplies to over 14,000 students at under-resourced schools in our local communities. We would like to thank all of our contributors and all of the generous couples that have asked for donations to their favorite charities in place of wedding gifts — your love continues to bring hope to those who need it most.
Methodology
Using Google Trends data collected from September 2021 to 2022, we were able to determine the most popular charitable causes and organizations across the country. We started with a list of the 100 top charitable organizations and 25 different charitable causes and recorded Google Trends search interest over the last 12 months for each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We acquired charity revenue data directly from Forbes.
