Annual Report Indicates Strong Preference for Online Giving Among Donors Worldwide and Demographic Subgroups
By: Jim LeFevre, Senior Director of Marketing, Public Interest Registry
When it comes to philanthropic giving around the world, giving online is the top choice for donors. In fact, more than half (54 percent) of the global donor community prefers to give online via credit or debit cards as opposed to direct mail/post (11 percent), cash (11 percent), bank/wire transfer (10 percent) or other methods.
This sentiment – and much more – can be found in the second annual “Global Trends in Giving Report,” sponsored by Public Interest Registry and in collaboration with Nonprofit Tech for Good. This report analyzes global giving through cultural, technological and geographical filters to understand how and why donors worldwide are giving to and engaging with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and charities. In the report, you’ll also find metrics sliced by donor demographics, including age, sex, ideology, religion and donation size, as well as breakdowns on giving in country regions of Africa, Asia, Australia & Oceania, Europe, North America and South America. New to this year’s report is a look at why non-donors do not ultimately make a charitable contribution.
The following are a few high-level findings from the 2018 Global Trends in Giving Report. Additional global and regional findings can be reviewed here.
- Thirty-one percent of donors worldwide give to organizations outside of their country of residence, which is likely supported by the ease of global connectivity through digital mediums and underscores the worldwide preference toward online giving.
- The global donor community skews female (65 percent). Of these donors, 53 percent report holding a liberal ideology and 72 percent report religious affiliations.
- Donors around the world provide the most support for causes involving children and youth (15 percent), health and wellness (11 percent), and animals and wildlife (11 percent). Forty-one percent of donors worldwide give in response to natural disasters.
- Forty-three percent of non-donors cite financial hardship for the reason they do not provide monetary support to organizations. In lieu of giving money, 20 percent of non-donors volunteer their time and 17 percent donate goods and/or services.
Public Interest Registry has been the steward of the .org domain for over 15 years, which is why we feel a strong responsibility to maintain .org’s legacy as a trustworthy domain. To this end, it was no surprise that the majority of donor survey respondents (68 percent) trust websites and email addresses that use the .org domain extension when giving online.
With advancements in technology, it’s easier than ever for mission-based organizations to connect with donors. Increased access to the internet and online tools is making it much easier for donors – no matter where they are in the world – to provide support in times of need. Growing preference for online giving means that everyone in the internet and domain industries has a responsibility to keep the internet safe and secure. A whopping 92 percent of donors in this year’s report stress the importance that NGOs, NPOs and charities make a concentrated effort to protect contact and financial information submitted via online giving.
With this top of mind, Public Interest Registry remains committed to providing resources and education to .org registrants through our blog and by working with partners like Nonprofit Tech for Good. Using the Giving Report, mission-based organizations around the world can garner clear insight and data on best ways to approach potential donors, and we hope this information helps to continue the good work taking place around the world.
The 2018 Global Trends in Giving Report reflects findings from a survey of more than 6,000 donors in 119 countries and sentiment from more than 1,000 non-donors. The 2018 report is available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. We encourage you to download and read the full report here.