Houston Slips a Notch As America’s “Most Charitable,” But Still Leads the Nation in Growth

It’s not a big slip, but Houston’s ranking as the #1 most charitable city fell in 2012-13 to San Diego, according to the latest national annual survey of America’s by Charity Navigator

The report compiled yearly by the nonprofit watchdog website, is the only comprehensive report on the performance – both Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency – of the 30 largest philanthropic marketplaces in America. And although Houston lost its standing at the top overal, it still shows us with some of the nation’s fastest growing charities.

In its study, Charity Navigator compared the median performance and size of the largest nonprofits in the 30 largest metropolitan markets   These markets account for 52% of the more than 6,300 charities evaluated by Charity Navigator and they generate 67% of the total revenue and 67% total spending.  The study revealed that regional factors, such as the cost of living, a market’s maturity and a city’s tendency to support one or two specialized causes, greatly influence the ability of the charities in each city to raise money, manage costs as well as their adherence to good governance policies and procedures. Here is an overview of the Houston picture compared to national averages.
Charitable-Sector-HOU-2012

Read more on the 2013 Market Survey at Charity Navigator.