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Allyson Kapin 6 min read

New Study: 60% of Americans Donate Money to Charity

Even though the U.S. economy is still recovering, the majority of Americans (60%) still give to charity, according to the Next Generation of American Giving study by Blackbaud. The study looked at giving habits and trends across four generations of donors – Matures (68+), Boomers (49-67), Gen X (33-48) and Gen Y (18-32). Unfortunately the economy has taken its toll on charitable giving as donations have remained flat. This trend is not expected to change anytime in the near future, said the survey. 

Can you guess which generation is responsible for the most charitable donations? Not surprisingly Boomers Give 43% of all dollars donated.

  • 60% of Gen X and Y give to charity.
  • 72% of Boomers donate to charity.
  • 88% of Matures donate to charity.
  • As we mentioned above Boomers dominate charitable giving and will do so for the foreseeable future.
  • Gen Y demands the most accountability from nonprofits. About 60% said it’s important for them to see how their donation made a direct impact on a nonprofit. Interestingly accountability is not as important to older generations. 

 

Social service charities, religious, and health organizations are supported by the largest percentage of donors across all generations. It’s important to note the following data emerged across the generations.

  • Gen Y is the least likely to support local social services.
  • Gen X and Gen Y are more likely to support children’s charities.
  • Boomers and Matures are more likely to support veterans’ causes.
  • Gen Y are less likely to support environmental causes.    
  • Gen X and Gen Y are more likely to support human rights and international causes. 
  • About 50% of Boomers and Matures feel that monetary donations make the biggest difference.
  • Only 36% of Gen X and 25% of Gen Y feel the financial donations has a significant impact. It will be interesting to see if this trend changes as Gen X and Gen Y age.

 

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Allyson Kapin

Allyson has been named one of "Top Tech Titans" by the Washingtonian, one of the Most Influential Women In Tech by Fast Company, and one of the top 30 women entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter by Forbes for her leadership role in technology and social media. As Founding Partner of Rad Campaign, she leads the firm's client and online strategic services. For over a decade Allyson has helped non-profit organizations and political campaigns create dynamic and award-winning websites and online marketing and recruitment campaigns. She works side-by-side with her clients to meet their web needs and maximize their online effectiveness to create real world impact.

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