The charity sector is seeing decreasing numbers of donors despite a growing population, and the potential for a recession in the near future complicates this further. To better understand this landscape, we turned to our Globe Insiders panel for insights on how they give back to charities, both financially and in other ways.
In this article, we analyze the results, which explore topics such as financial donations, reasons for giving, the organizations readers choose to support, and more.
Generosity in action
Within the last three years, an astounding 98% of Globe readers made monetary donations to charitable causes. By far, one-time donations (88%) were the most popular form of support, while recurring donations and matching gifts represented 59% and 30%, respectively. A significant portion of Globe readers (44%) provided both monetary donations and volunteered, while 21% gave back through planned giving, such as bequests, charitable trusts, or donor-advised funds.
Big donations, big impact
Among Globe readers who donated in the past twelve months, there’s a clear trend toward more significant contributions, with over half (53%) donating over $1,000. Impressively, 21% gave more than $5,000. This pattern seems likely to continue, with 53% of readers planning to make four-figure donations in the next year. This commitment isn’t new for Globe readers. Nearly 70% have donated for over twenty consecutive years, demonstrating a strong dedication to philanthropic causes.
Decision time: where Globe readers choose to give
Most readers spread their donations over several causes rather than choosing just one. Forty percent supported between four and six causes, while 37% supported two to three. The most popular causes were health & hospital foundations (64%), followed by international aid (43%), famine/hunger relief (39%), arts & culture (39%), welfare/service (38%), children’s charities (37%), and environment/conservation (36%).
When deciding who to support, most were influenced by trust in the organization (82%) and the impact of the charity’s work (81%). This points to the importance of established charities with a proven track record of making a real difference.
Beyond tax breaks: what’s really driving giving
Readers donated for a diverse set of reasons, including a sense of responsibility (79%), wanting to make a difference (69%), feeling gratitude or wanting to give back (67%), and personal satisfaction (62%). While donations do result in a tax break, only 39% of respondents listed that as a contributing factor to their choice to donate.
Donors: doing their homework before supporting
88% of Globe readers took more than one action before supporting an organization. Just over half visited an organization’s website, 42% read articles related to them, and 31% read through reviews (how they spend funds, how they rank among similar charities, etc.). Fewer readers chose forms of direct action, such as engaging with a member of the organization, in person or over the phone (28%), volunteering their time (27%), attending or participating in events (26%), or signing petitions (11%).
After donating, nearly seventy percent of readers became regular donors, with many continuing to participate in other ways, like reading newsletters (44%), visiting the charity’s website (34%), and talking about the charity with family/friends (31%). They also participated in direct actions like attending events or fundraisers (24%), donor events (18%), or volunteering their time to promote or fundraise (17%).
Summary
Most Globe readers contribute to charitable causes, with many supporting multiple organizations. In the past year alone, more than half donated over $1,000, with health and hospital foundations emerging as the most popular causes to support. Beyond their financial generosity, our readers also give back in other ways, such as volunteer work.
