Nearly 3 out of 5 People Plan to Participate in Charitable Activities at Year-End
A new data brief released today by Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity and the nation’s largest grantmaker, shows that nearly 3 out of 5 people plan to participate in charitable activities in all forms at year-end—a participation rate similar to 2021, when economic indicators were particularly strong. In addition, after shrinking during the pandemic, volunteerism and other in-person acts of generosity are expected to be on the rise.
Outlook 2023: Perspectives on End-of-Year Giving surveyed just over 1,000 Americans, including 661 givers, defined as anyone who had participated in a range of giving activities within the past year: financial donations to nonprofits or individuals, donations of products or goods to nonprofits or individuals, and volunteering. Several questions from a similar Fidelity Charitable study conducted in 2021 were repeated to understand if attitudes toward the economy, personal financial outlook, and giving had changed.
For those who are making monetary gifts in 2023, 87% plan to give the same amount or more than last year, with 30% planning to give more and 57% planning to give the same amount; 13% plan to give less. Those planning to increase their giving most frequently cited positive changes to their income or interest in a charitable cause as the rationale.
Aside from financial donations, people are planning to expand the ways they demonstrate generosity at year’s end. Among many charitable activities, givers plan to engage in:
- 31%: Faith-based community activities (a 12-point increase from 2021)
- 34%: Random acts of kindness (a 9-point increase from 2021)
- 29%: Volunteerism (a 9-point increase from 2021)
The strong participation in giving is continuing in spite of economic concerns: 80% of givers say they’ve thought about how the economy may impact their ability to give, including 42% who have thought about this a fair bit.
“Given the impact of inflation and the economy, many nonprofits have been struggling,” says Amy Pirozzolo, head of marketing at Fidelity Charitable. “It’s heartening to see that people are not only continuing to give back, they’re increasing their efforts—especially important face-to-face efforts like volunteering.”
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.
