According to Giving USA, religious organizations receive about a third of all philanthropic dollars. This is almost double that of the next largest sector, education, which received 16% of charitable contributions in 2013.

According to The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the average contribution per U.S. household is $2,213. That is an impressive 4.4% of income!

The Girl Scouts, Central Park and the NFL are all run by nonprofit organizations. The NFL is a tax-exempt organization classified as a trade or industry association, but can’t receive tax-deductible contributions like the Girl Scouts and Central Park Conservancy.

However, Google's philanthropic organization, Google.org, isn't a nonprofit. That is why Google.org is able to fund startup companies, partner with venture capitalists, as well as invest in nonprofit initiatives.

According to a 2012 report by the Center for Civil Society Studies at Johns Hopkins University, nonprofit employment represents 10.1% of total employment in the United States in 2010. The nonprofit workforce was the third largest of all U.S. industries behind retail trade and manufacturing, and was larger than the finance, insurance and real estate industries combined!

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Philanthropy 400, the American Cancer Society was the sixteenth largest organization by donations in 2013. United Way Worldwide was the largest, followed by Fidelity Charitable at #2, and Salvation Army at #3.

Fidelity Charitable is a public charity that provides and administers donor advised fund programs. Fidelity Investments created the organization in 1992 and provides various investment management services to Fidelity Charitable.

Although known for their philanthropic spirit, only Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt did not make the list of the top givers in 2012. According to the 30 Most Generous Celebrities List compiled by the The Giving Back Fund organization, George Lucas ($4.25m), Nora Roberts ($3.0m), Meryl Streep ($2.0m) were among the top celebrity givers in 2012.