Private donations increase by €300 million in Germany

Germans have donated an extra €300 million over the past 12 months compared to the previous year, bringing the total for private donations to €6.3 billion, excluding large donations of over 1,500 euros. Donors gave an average of €187 each over this period: an increase of over 7% on 2024’s figures. This is according to the German Donation Monitor 2025 from the German Fundraising Association (DFRV) and the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI), released for this year’s Giving Tuesday (2 December).

The donor rate has dropped just slightly from 50.2% to 49.2%. Nearly 50% of donors donated between €50 and €250, with disability / sickness / healthcare, and child / youth welfare the most popular causes, both areas supported by 30% of donors. Significantly less of a focus were immediate / emergency aid (17%) and development aid (11%), while just 9% donated to climate protection.

Key factors in donations are transparency, and trust in the charitable organisations. Overall, 41% of people in Germany are involved in volunteer work. Among donors, this figure rises to 53%. The report also shares that 80% of the population are in-kind donors.

The DZI and DFRV agreed in September 2024 to coordinate their respective surveys, analyses and publications on donation behaviour in order to strengthen clarity in donation statistics.

The DZI Donation Index estimates that overall, €12.5 billion was donated in Germany last year – including donations of over 1,500 euros.

According to DFRV, the country’s fundraising organisations awaited this year’s Donation Monitor figures with particular anticipation. Inflation, ongoing multiple crises, and economic uncertainty have created a more challenging psychological environment for donations than usual. This was exacerbated by negative media coverage of the allocation and use of grant funds by nonprofit organizations following a parliamentary inquiry by the CDU/CSU faction, leading to fears of a massive crisis of confidence.

Larissa Probst, DFRV managing director, said:

“We are pleased that trust in fundraising organisations remains high. Donors have stayed the course, demonstrated solidarity, and continued their commitment, in some cases with increased resources, despite uncertainties, multiple crises, and rising costs.”

Adding to this, Burkhard Wilke, managing director and scientific director of the DZI, commented:

“Donating is a matter of trust! The stable to slightly positive trend in donations, despite the difficult economic conditions, can therefore also be seen as a result of the significantly improved transparency of many charitable organisations. The increasingly used services of the independent DZI donation advisory service further support the willingness to donate, as does modern and responsible fundraising.”

The German Donation Monitor findings are based on an online survey of 5,008 respondents, aged 16-75, which took place between 15 October and 15 November this year.

Picture by Andres Siimon on Unsplash