"Statistically speaking, overall, there are more individual republicans that give more to charity year after year than democrats. However, when a Democrat is in charge, they tend to raise taxes in way that will help increase the amount of funds they can give to charity. Which way is better and why?
Although I am a Democrat, I personally believe it is better to do it the way Republicans do it. That way, a individual can research their favorite charities and foundations and give directly to them based on thier own beliefs. Democrats using the forced donation practice is very successful in actually getting more contributions even though the taxpayer might not want to donate (or can't afford to donate) to a specific cause.
It's better for individual citizens to decide if they will donate and what charity they will donate to, because it is their money and not the government's.
For example, I have decided to donate money this year to a charity. I decided this of my own free will and since I'm making the money I intend to donate, that's my right. However, just because I think the cause is worthy doesn't mean I have the right to decide that you will donate to the same cause, because I obviously have no right to dictate what you do with your own money."