The Philanthropy 50 list reveals that the top American donors gave over seven times as much money to charities than in 2010 Wealthy Americans have become more charitable as the economy has improved, but giving has yet to reach pre-recession levels, according to a new study. The annual Philanthropy 50 list reveals that donors gave $10.4bn in 2011, up from $3.3bn the previous year – the lowest level of giving since the Chronicle of Philanthropy began publishing the report in 2000.