Giving Has Climbed; Trust Is Strong
Monetary gifts in the fourth quarter of 2024 were up 21 percent, compared with the third quarter, according to the latest GivingPulse survey. Conducted by GivingTuesday, the research asks respondents about a broad range of giving behaviors — including monetary and nonmonetary donations — and sentiments.
The fourth quarter data noted that 13 percent of people were asked to give and responded by doing so. This share is higher than it was in the third quarter of 2024 but the same as the fourth quarter of 2023.
Nonprofits have found themselves in the political crosshairs recently, but trust in nonprofits was strong among people who took the survey in the fourth quarter of 2024. The survey broke out results based on community type. Trust was highest in the “middle suburbs,” with 95 percent agreeing they trust nonprofits. While still high, fewer respondents, 85 percent, in “aging farmlands and evangelical hubs” agreed they trust nonprofits.
DAF Sponsoring Organizations Can Encourage More Giving
The sponsoring organizations of donor-advised funds can take action to improve giving from the funds, according to a new report released by the DAF Research Collaborative.
The National Survey of Donor Advised Fund Managers asked DAF sponsoring organizations about their policies and practices. DAFs can be sponsored by community foundations, national organizations (like Fidelity Charitable or the National Philanthropic Trust), or religiously affiliated organizations (like Jewish Federations or foundations). Of the 128 sponsoring organizations that responded, 86 percent were community foundations.
More than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) said their procedures and policies that were related to inactive accounts “successfully reactivated grant making.” Additionally, 75 percent of sponsors said “helping donors be active in their grant making was a very or extremely important priority.”
The report noted that while almost all sponsoring organizations (96 percent) said they provide advising services to donors, what the report describes as the “typical” or “median” sponsor said only 50 percent of donors used those services.
A common complaint among nonprofits is that the name of the DAF donor does not come through with the gift. According to the report, only 36 percent of responding DAF sponsors provide full donor information by default — fund name, donor name, and donor address. Roughly a quarter (24 percent) provide the fund name and donor name by default. A fund name is what the donor calls a fund, so it might be the I Love Seals Fund or it could the Smith Family Fund.
Walks and Bike Rides Are Up
Revenue among the Top 30 fundraising events like walks or bike rides was up 3 percent in 2024, according to the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum. The data was not adjusted for inflation.
The events collectively raised $11.4 billion last year. The top event was the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, which raised $110 million. Other events in the Top 30 included: Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, $103 million; the Pan-Mass Challenge, $87 million; the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night, $68 million; and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Bike MS, $51 million.
These types of events faced a stark decline during the pandemic and saw somewhat of a rebound as people stopped social distancing. The latest numbers are a sign that the programs are finding a steady rhythm again, Marcie Maxwell, managing director of the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, said in a press release.
“While we didn’t see the big spikes of previous years, many top programs still held strong, even with the changing economic landscape,” she said. “Their success came from staying focused on community and relationships while fine-tuning strategies to keep up with shifting donor behaviors.”
