No abstract

Every 4 years, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University conducts a telephone survey (called Indiana Gives) of the giving and volunteering behaviors of Indiana citizens. In preparing to conduct Indiana Gives for 2000, a larger methodological question was asked: How much does survey methodology matter in generating accurate measures of giving and volunteering? In this most recent wave of the Indiana survey, conducted inOctober and November 2000, eight groups of approximately 100 randomly selected Indiana residents were asked to complete one of eight surveys related to giving and volunteering. It was found that the longer the module and the more detailed its prompts, the more likely a household was to recall making any charitable contribution and the higher the average level of its giving. These differences persisted even after controlling for differences in age, educational attainment, income, household status, race, and gender. There is growing value and interest in measuring philanthropy at both the national and local levels. This is amply demonstrated by recent research at the state and national levels, such as studies on giving in

This study examines the effects of race and gender on philanthropy and interaction effects between race or gender and survey methodologies. Results indicate differences in philanthropic behaviors by gender but not by race. We also find significant interaction effects between survey methodologies and race and gender, which may have important implications for social science research in which race and/or gender explain or predict behaviors. Economic theory dictates that public goods and goods with large externalities can lead to market failures that can be ameliorated by taxes, subsidies, or regulation. Private philanthropy can play an important role in addressing these market failures, especially for smaller, less politically powerful groups (Weisbrod, 1975) whose preferences are not reflected in the outcomes of majority voting. Conditional on their ability to overcome free riding, marginalized groups, such as women and minorities, can use the nonprofit sector as a substitute for government-supplied public goods. We test whether race and/or gender affects charitable giving by American households as measured under commonly adopted survey methodologies.

Service learning, which integrates community service into coursework, provides a pedagogical intervention that can promote the civic growth of students in unique and powerful ways. Research is reviewed that documents the capacity of service learning to meet learning objectives associated with a conceptual framework that focuses on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a civic-minded college graduate. The outcomes of service learning should facilitate these students assuming influential roles in helping others become empowered, and thereby are important for enhancing the quality of life in communities. We also review research that focuses on the impact of service learning for community outcomes. Finally, we present implications for teaching community psychology, and recommendations for future research on service learning and community engagement.