The Covid-19 pandemic has not spoiled charitable giving, and in some cases has even inspired bigger gifts, according to findings from two new surveys.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they intended to make a contribution this year, and nearly 20 percent said they would make even bigger gifts to charity than they did last year. That’s according to a survey from the nonprofit technology company FrontStream, which polled 1,005 American adults who had made a charitable donation in the previous three years. Another survey by technology company Data Axle polled 1,215 American adults who gave to a nonprofit aside from their place of worship last year and found a majority of donors — 51 percent — gave as usual, despite the pandemic. Among donors who changed how much they gave after the public-health crisis emerged, 28 percent said their contributions were larger, while 21 percent said they were smaller.
The two studies also dive into generational differences in charitable engagement. FrontStream found that 55 percent of millennial donors expect to contribute $500 or more this year, compared with just 26 percent of baby boomers who plan to give that much.
It’s important to note, however, that 61 percent of respondents in the FrontStream survey were millennials compared with just 17 percent baby boomers, which could have affected the findings. Just over a quarter of respondents to the Data Axle survey were ages 18 to 29, and just under a quarter were ages 30 to 44. People ages 45 to 60 made up 31 percent of respondents, and 19.4 percent were over age 60.
Donors 18 to 29 years old were most likely to act as a megaphone for nonprofits, according to Data Axle. Roughly half of respondents in this age group said they volunteered with nonprofits, and 60 percent said they spread the word about nonprofits among their peers. By comparison, just over 23 percent of respondents ages 45 to 60 said they volunteered, and nearly 43 percent said they talked with friends and family about nonprofits’ missions.
In-person volunteering, however, has become more complicated due to the health risks of the pandemic. In response, many charities have found savvy ways to connect with supporters online. Nearly 40 percent of respondents to the FrontStream survey said they favored virtual fundraising events based on an activity. Another 38 percent said they preferred simply making an online donation, while 34 percent said they liked watching livestreamed fundraising appeals best. Virtual galas were the least popular form of online fundraising, with just 22 percent of respondents ranking them first.
Online donations were the preferred way to give among all respondents in the Data Axle survey. More than 43 percent said they preferred visiting a nonprofit’s website and donating on their own accord, while roughly 29 percent said they liked having a nudge from an email, letter, or other communication to get them online. The FrontStream survey, however, found respondents were split between making online and in-person contributions, even during this time of social distancing. Responding to a question about their giving tendencies, participants didn’t show that the pandemic had moved their engagement fully online. Most respondents — 46 percent — said they were most likely to give to an online fundraiser run by a peer, while 38 percent said they typically made donations on a nonprofit’s website. However, 36 percent said they made in-person donations at fundraising events to which they didn’t have a personal connection, and 36 percent said they made in-person gifts to fundraising efforts run by a peer.
Among the other findings:
- Nearly 45 of millennial respondents said they make quarterly gifts to charity, according to the FrontStream survey, making them the most frequent donors of any age group.
- Donors tended to stick with charities they had previously supported, according to Data Axle. Just 7 percent of respondents said they stopped giving to charities or began giving to new groups in 2020.
- Health charities and children’s groups were the most popular among respondents to the FrontStream survey, earning 43 percent and 42 percent of respondents’ top choices of where to give.
- Planned giving was most popular among donors ages 18 to 29, with 21 percent of the 299 people in that age group who answered the question affirming in the Data Axle survey that they had included a nonprofit in their will. By comparison, 17 percent of respondents age 30 to 44 and 10 percent of respondents age 45 to 60 said they had a charitable bequest in their will.
