Fewer Germans are donating to charity — but why?
March 3, 2020
A million fewer Germans gave to charity in 2019 than the year before, according to a survey by the German Donations Council.
A falling number of donors means a shrinking pot for charities — Germans gave away €5.1 billion ($5.7 billion) in 2019 compared to €5.3 billion the year before. December has traditionally been a month of charitable giving in the country but giving in this month was down by 15% too.
The survey found that elderly people donated the most, with just under 41% of all charitable donations coming from the over-70 age group. They gave away on average €344 each — making them both the most numerous and generous donors on average.
Humanitarian aid charities received the most money, accounting for around 75% of all donations, but they still received €58 million less than in 2018.
Environment and conservation charities bucked the downward trend, reporting a €4 million increase in donations in a year where environmental issues topped the political and social agenda.
Changing attitudes, changing demographics
The German Donations Council quoted its chair Max Mälzer as saying that the falling number of donors was part of a long term trend which was getting "ever more dramatic."
A total of 19.5 million people donated money to charities and church organizations in Germany in 2019 — that's nearly 10 million fewer charity donors than in 2006 when the survey first began.
Mälzer also warned that matters appeared unlikely to improve.
"The over-70 age group is set apart from other groups in almost every analysis," he said. "This is a clear indication for the future development of donations."
Bianca Corcoran from market research company Growth from Knowledge (GfK) that helped conduct the survey told news agencies that an increase in ways to donate could explain the decrease in financial donors. People might give up their time or belongings, or buy fair trade products instead.
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kmm/msh (epd, dpa, KNA)