The outlook for philanthropy is good for the next two years, when giving is expected to far outpace the increases seen in the past decade, according to a report issued Thursday.

U.S. charitable giving will increase 3.6 percent this year and 3.8 percent next year, according to the new report “The Philanthropy Outlook 2017 & 2018” compiled by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and Marts & Lundy, a fund-raising and philanthropic consulting firm based in Lyndhurst, N.J.

The average total increases for the past 10 years have only been 0.5 percent, however. That figure is low because of the effects of the 2008 to 2009 recession, says Phil Hills, president and CEO of Marts & Lundy. The total amount of philanthropic donations for 2015 was $349 billion, according to Giving USA, a research organization.

But donations are increasing each year because of improvements in the overall economy and in the stock market, and increases in gross domestic product and in household incomes, says Hills.

Dr. Amir Pasic, a dean at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a contributor to the research, said in a statement: “Our research indicates that all types of donors, individuals, foundations, corporations and estates are likely to increase their giving in each of the next two years. Nonprofit organizations and the people they serve can find encouragement in the anticipated expansion of giving.”

Charitable organizations need to communicate with potential donors to show what their needs are and to explain how they are positively impacting society in order to take advantage of these increases in giving, Hills says.

Growth in giving by foundations, which will be about 6 percent in each of the next two years, will lead the way. Donations from estates will be a close second. Increases by individuals will be next and increases in giving by corporations will be the smallest, the report says.

Giving to health causes is predicted to grow the most at 8.5 percent in 2017 and 7.9 percent in 2018. Donations to education are projected to rise 6.3 percent in 2017 and 6 percent in 2018, continuing the strong growth trends realized in recent years, according to the report.

“It may take another three to five years to reach pre-recession levels of growth in giving, but philanthropic organizations have reason to be very optimistic about the future,” Hills says.