Rhode Islanders don’t embarrass easily, but it is time to take a longer look in the mirror following another report calling into question the state’s charitable giving.
The state, as it has the past five years, came in near the bottom (second to last) in WalletHub’s 2017 ranking of least-charitable states.
The study focused on volunteering and service, and charitable giving and relied on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and a host of other private and government sources.
It’s not that Rhode Islanders don’t give to those in need. The state ranked No. 4 in percent of population that donates money to charities.
Dragging down Rhode Island’s score was a dead-last ranking in volunteering and service. The state tied for third worst (No. 47) for percent of population who donate their time to others.
There may be good reasons why many of us have less time to volunteer than others, but none that applies to the entire state.
The value of such rankings is to give kudos to those at the top – Utah in 2017 – and a nudge to those at the bottom.
Let’s hope 2018 is the year we finally get the message.
