And they want their answer now. Another significant factor about giving here is that a good chunk of charitable money leaves the area. About 40 percent of Silicon Valley giving goes to organizations outside the region, according to the Community Foundation, reflecting the transient nature of this place and residents' broader interests. Other areas such as Boston and Kansas City see as little as 10 percent leave their home turf. Thirty-five percent of donors give to education, compared with 25 percent nationally.
Corporate donations tend also to be for education.
Across the nation, companies typically give only 4 percent to their local K-12 schools. For example, the Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara has been a primary service provider for homeless and runaway youths for the past quarter-century. Harlan thinks the problem is not with the donors of Silicon Valley but the way United Way has gone after them for contributions for things like runaway teens. But I personally have faith that if the people who are donating really knew my story, they'd give me money. The Mercury News.