Beaufort County was ranked most generous in SC. Local nonprofits aren’t surprised
Beaufort County is the most generous county in South Carolina, according to a newly released study.
Local nonprofits say that isn’t news.
“That is the least surprising thing I’ve ever heard,” said Sandy Gillis, executive director of The Deep Well Project on Hilton Head Island. “When this community knows there’s a need, they respond, and they respond very generously.
“One time we were almost completely out of dry pasta, which is a major staple in any food pantry, so we did a quick social media post asking for oodles of noodles,” she said. “For the next three days, people came pouring in the door with oodles of noodles.”
The area is filled with generous spirits who give, whether it’s money to a charity, canned goods to a well organized food drive by the Boy Scouts, or simply an extra bag of food bought during a regular grocery run and dropped in a donation box.
SmartAsset, a New York-based personal finance technology company, used two factors to determine which counties were most generous: how much people donate as a percentage of their net income, and the proportion of people who made charitable donations. Both factors were equally weighted to find the county’s “most generous places index.”
Beaufort County’s donation index was 33, with the contributor index at 67.1, for a score of 61.7.
Of South Carolina’s 46 counties, Beaufort had the fourth-highest donation index, closely following Spartanburg (35.8), Greenville (35.4), and Richland (34.8) respectively. Beaufort had the highest contributor index, with the next closest being York at 62.
The top 10 counties and their overall “most generous places index,” according to the ranking:
- Beaufort - 61.7
- Greenville - 56.2
- York - 55.9
- Richland - 55.5
- Charleston - 55.4
- Lancaster - 53.6
- Lexington - 52.8
- Georgetown - 52.6
- Aiken - 51.8
- Spartanburg - 48.5
Dale Douthat, president and CEO of United Way of the Lowcountry, which helps Beaufort and Jasper counties, agreed that the high ranking was not surprising.
“We have always known that our community is a special place, as it is filled with lots of generous people who give of their time, talents and treasures to make a difference,” he said. “We are grateful for our caring donors who see the needs in our community and take action to lend a helping hand to our neighbors.”
So far, United Way has raised 42% of its $2.5 million annual campaign goal, according to Jaime Dailey-Vergara, director of marketing and communications. The campaign runs through March.
Bluffton Self Help sees that generosity of spirit regularly. “On many occasions, we’ve supported someone in crisis, and they’ve returned to volunteer or donate,” said Kimberly Hall, the organization’s executive director. “Bluffton Self Help is grateful for all the support to allow us to continue to serve those who need us most.”
Whenever the nonprofit has a need, she said, it can always count on residents’ help.
“This community does not disappoint,” she said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 4:00 AM.
