Hawaii households increased their charitable giving by 35 percent in the past seven years, but sent more of those donations out of state.

Cash contributions amounted to nearly $600 million in 2014, up from $443 million in 2008, according to the Hawaii Community Foundation’s latest Hawaii Giving Study, which will be released Thursday at the Advancing Nonprofit Excellence conference.

The report, conducted by SMS Research, was based on a telephone survey of 900 households statewide.

Of the cash donated to charities and nonprofits, $418 million, or 70 percent, stayed in state and $179 million, or 30 percent, went to out-of-state organizations.

In 2008, when the survey was last conducted, only 16 percent of Hawaii’s donations went out of state.

With a larger share of donations leaving the state, the total given to Hawaii charities increased only 2 percent adjusted for inflation since 2008.

The Hawaii Community Foundation hopes to reverse the trend of more donations leaving the state.

"We are absolutely interested in making sure that not only is there a bigger pie, but that a bigger share of the pie is contributed here in Hawaii," said Tom Kelly, the foundation’s vice president of knowledge, evaluation and learning. "It is a challenge then for nonprofits in Hawaii to think about the many interests that their donors have and recognize they’re competing."

The survey found that newer residents to the state were more inclined to give to charities outside Hawaii. In addition, one possible reason that more donations left the islands last year is some Filipino households may have given to outside organizations, following a number of devastating typhoons that hit the Philippines, Kelly said.

More than ever, nonprofits are in a competitive fundraising environment, with people being asked for donations via direct mail, text, Internet, email and social media sites, he said.

"There’s a much faster response to a request for donations than we’ve seen in the past," he added. "The good news is people are giving again and in bigger amounts."

Ninety-three percent of households gave cash, goods or services in 2014, up slightly from 92 percent in 2008, the report said.

Average total annual cash contributions rose to $2,024 in 2014, compared with $1,446 in 2008. The U.S. average in 2013 was $2,974, up from $2,333 in 2009.

Cash contributions also were lower on the neighbor islands compared with Oahu, where families gave an average of $2,392 last year, the survey showed. Annual charitable donations totaled $1,085 on Hawaii island, $1,294 on Maui and $1,273 on Kauai.

The study also reported on the level of giving based on income. Residents with $150,000-plus in annual household income more than tripled their donations to $5,262 last year, compared with $1,700 in 2008, the start of the Great Recession.

Those with an annual household income below $25,000 more than doubled the amount of money they gave to $610 from $238, the report said.

Most households contributed to human services agencies, though donors gave the largest average gifts to religious institutions, which amounted to 38 percent of all cash giving.