My friends at BBS & Associates published their Donor Confidence Report a few months back in July 2020. The report draws upon an online poll of nearly 650 givers conducted in late July by research firm Campbell Rinker, which also posted a summary.

Granted, the results are now a bit dated (took me awhile to get around to this post). But I still find value in this snapshot of donor sentiment, even from three months back.

Here are a few of the highlights:

• 54% of donors will continue giving, albeit more carefully, whereas only 17% said they would stop giving until the economy is on track.
• 28% said they would keep giving regardless of the pandemic. That commitment was especially strong among those donors who attend religious services at least weekly, with 41% of those donors planning to maintain their giving. That contrasts with the 19% of those who never attend religious services who plan to keep giving.
• When comparing their giving to 2019, 58% of donors expected to give the same amount while 13% expected to give more.
• In total, 71% of donors expect to give the same or more compared to their 2019 giving levels. In general, BBS notes that donor confidence remains strong.
• On the other hand, 23% of donors say they will give less than their 2019 levels and generally hold a negative sentiment that their giving will return to pre-pandemic levels.
• Overall, 52% of donors believe the economy will stay the same or improve. 41% believe that the economy will decline over the coming year.
• And finally, in the midst of the pandemic donors indicated a willingness to support new causes, particularly if tied to those affected by the pandemic or the poor. Other new areas of giving that earned slightly positive results: racial healing, protecting religious freedoms, protecting unborn lives.

How do these findings match your own experiences? As a giver, do you expect to give more this year compared to last year, or less?

If you’re in a nonprofit fundraising role, have you seen donors increase or decrease giving through the challenges we’ve experienced this year? And what do you see as contributing to the change?

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published October 16, 2020

Topics: Giving Trends | Nonprofit Development

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