10 Most Generous U.S. Cities for Online Donations in 2012

Overall charitable giving in the U.S. last year was relatively flat, but online giving saw double-digit growth, according to research released Thursday.

Blackbaud issued its fifth annual ranking of the most generous American cities based on 2012 online giving data provided by its customers, which support higher education, health care, human services, arts and culture, faith, the environment and other charitable causes.

The analysis ranked 265 U.S. cities with total population of more than 100,000 based on per capita online giving. Donors in those cities gave some $509 million online, a 15% increase from 2011.

The current rankings come from donations processed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2012.

Following are the top 10 most generous online U.S. cities, based on per capita online giving in 2012.

10. Minneapolis

2012 Donation amount/1,000 people: $15,721

Pop. 387,753

Donations: 73,122

Amount: $6 million

2011 Rank: 14

9. St. Louis

2012 Donation amount/1,000 people: $16,632

Pop. 318,069

Donations: 82,594

Amount: $5.9 million

2011 Rank: 10

8. San Francisco

2012 Donation amount/1,000 people: $17,385

Pop. 812,826

Donations: 129,319

Amount: $14.1 million

2011 Rank: 8

7. Berkeley, Calif.

2012 Donation amount/1,000 people: $17,800

Pop. 113,905

Donations: 23,937

Amount: $1.8 million

2011 Rank: 7

6. Cambridge, Mass.

2012 Donation amount/1,000 people: $20,202

Pop. 106,038

Donations: 23,984