Latest Data Release from “Connected to Give” Finds Jews More Likely To Have Wills and Charitable Bequests

Jumpstart has released Connected to Give: Jewish Legacies, the first in a series of topical reports based upon the wealth of data from the National Study of American Jewish Giving, a survey of nearly 3,000 American Jewish households.

The key findings:

1. A large majority of Jewish respondents report having a will or estate planning document, but of those who do, only a third have made a charitable bequest.

2. Jews are significantly more likely than other Americans to have a will, to have charitable provisions in their wills, and to have provisions for causes affiliated with their own religion.

3. Among Jews who have a charitable provision in their will or estate planning document, a large majority have a bequest to a Jewish cause.

4. As household income increases, the likelihood of being a planned giver increases – and the increased likelihood of leaving a bequest to a Jewish cause is even more pronounced.

5. Similar to other results throughout the National Study of American Jewish Giving, connectedness to Jewish community is an important factor in planned giving behavior. Among planned givers reporting Jewish bequests, all (100%) have moderate to high levels of Jewish social engagement.

6. Planned givers – regardless of whether they do or do not have bequests to Jewish organizations – currently contribute to both Jewish and non-Jewish causes, but planned givers who do not have a Jewish organizational bequest give considerably less to Jewish organizations than planned givers who do have a Jewish bequest.

The complete report, Connected to Give: Jewish Legacies, is available here (free registration required).

For the initial Connected to Give  findings see, U.S. Jewish Giving: Who is Giving What to Whom.

chart courtesy Jumpstart