America’s largest charities recorded an 11.6% increase in donations last year, rebounding after a 1.2% decline in 2003.The outlook for 2005 is also strong, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports today in its annual “Philanthropy 400” survey, which analyzes the 400 charities that receive the most money.

The healthy economy drove performance, with significant increases seen at donor-advised funds and at universities and museums embarking on capital campaigns, the publication reports. Big gifts are also coming from affluent donors, many of whom are starting to give at younger ages, in their 40s and 50s.

At the top of the list of 400 charities is United Way of America, whose affiliates raised $3.9 billion in 2004.The Salvation Army was at no. 2, with $1.5 billion raised.

National Public Radio’s ranking skyrocketed to no. 32 from no. 219 on the strength of a single bequest from Joan B. Kroc.

The list demonstrates the power of the haves versus the have-nots in the nonprofit world. More than 25% of the total amount of money donated to charities last year went to the groups listed among the top 400, which make up only 0.03% of the total number of charities in America.

“It’s revealing some pretty deep patterns of giving. The concern is that major charities are very large and are sucking up a lot of the available philanthropic capital, and making it harder for smaller, local nonprofits to survive and to quickly respond to immediate need,” the assistant director of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Eugene Miller, said.

While large groups have the fundraising muscle, the smaller groups are often the direct providers of social services. The needs of local charities on the Gulf Coast are particularly pressing.

New York City has 10,000 active nonprofit organizations, the New York Nonprofit Coordinating Committee estimates, with 48 of them making the Philanthropy 400, more than any other city.

The New York groups on the list include Columbia University (no. 30), New York University (no. 52), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (no. 54), the Museum of Modern Art (no. 128), and New York-Presbyterian Hospital (no.163).Making big gains in 2004 were Yeshiva University (a 109.9% increase in contributions) and the Metropolitan Opera Association (29.7%).

The United Jewish Communities would have settled into the no. 2 slot, with $2 billion raised, if it consolidated the money raised by affiliates, as did the United Way of America. As it was, 12 local United Jewish Communities federations ranked on the list, topped by the United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York at no. 83.

The UJA-Federation’s fund-raising executive, Paul Kane, attributed the success to “building a stronger and more intensive relationship with our donor base.” He also said public confidence was an important factor.

“When the tsunami hit, people gave to us because they knew they trusted us. We heard it over and over again,” Mr. Kane said.

The American Red Cross fell out of the top 10 for the first time in the survey’s 15-year history, to No. 11. With $532 million raised for the tsunami and $1.2 billion raised since Hurricane Katrina, it will likely regain its top 10 position in 2005 and 2006.

Gains in 2005 are likely, taking into account the response to natural disasters in Asia, the Gulf Coast, and Pakistan, and a new law allowing taxpayers to write off up to 100% of their income for gifts made between August 28 and January 1.

Some fund raisers expressed concern about the rising costs of fuel and postage.