In Second Quarter of 2010, Big Charities Struggle to Build on Recovery

America’s biggest charities are on a slow-moving path to recovery from fund-raising losses in 2009, according to a new Chronicle survey of giving in April, May, and June.

Cash giving to big charities in the second three months of 2010 grew by a median of 3.1 percent compared with 2009.

That means that half the charities in the survey achieved a bigger increase than 3.1 percent and half a smaller gain or a decline compared with 2009. Giving in the second quarter of 2009 fell by a median of nearly 18 percent.