Gifts to nonprofit healthcare institutions in the United States and Canada during the 2014 fiscal year totaled $11.1 billion, up $378 million from the previous year, a report from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy finds.

Based on survey data, the FY 2014 AHP Report on Giving found that total funds raised in support of nonprofit hospitals grew some 4.5 percent in the U.S., to $9.632 billion, but fell 2.4 percent in Canada, to $1.491 billion. The report also found that fundraising efficiency improved substantially in both countries, with the cost to raise a dollar falling 3 cents, to 25 cents in the U.S. and 23 cents in Canada, while return on investment for every dollar spent on philanthropic activities increased 50 cents, to $4.05 (up 14 percent) in the U.S. and $4.33 (up 13 percent) in Canada.

"The overall trend lines are very encouraging," said AHP president and CEO Steven W. Churchill. "In both the United States and Canada, donations to healthcare institutions have made impressive recoveries since the lows of the recession. Philanthropic giving is up 26 percent in the U.S. and almost 33 percent in Canada since 2009."