A new report by sector body FAIR shows that in 2024, €2bn was held in ‘l’épargne de partage’ (shared savings), a special type of savings product in which at least 25% of interest received is donated to good causes.

Payments made to charity had been between €3.9m and €4.8m every year between 2018 and 2022, before nearly doubling to €8.5m in 2023, and again growing significantly in 2024. The total savings held in such accounts grew by 13% between 2023 and 2024.

L’épargne de partage is a small section of France’s wider ‘finance solidaire’ (solidarity finance) category, comprising savings invested in a range of organisations and projects that support the wider public interest.

Total ‘finance solidaire’ funds in 2024 grew 7% to €29.4bn. This represents 0.5% of all savings in France – a significant figure for a sector which has only existed in earnest since the mid-1990s.

A total of 2m people out of France’s 69m population use a ‘finance solidaire’ account, according to Patrick Sapy, director general of FAIR. He comments:

“Enthusiasm for solidarity products continues unabated and today, nearly 2m savers understand that solidarity finance is not only finance based on strong values but also finance offering concrete and useful solutions for all French people.”

Philippe Pailliart, president of EFA member France générosités, notes that 67% of French people do not have enough knowledge of the sector. He says:

“This lack of cultural awareness is the main obstacle to its development. To address this, it is essential that certain banks expand and further promote their offering of shared products. In addition, public awareness must continue to be raised through major campaigns such as the Semaine de la Finance Solidaire (Solidarity Finance Week) organised by FAIR. Community networks and France générosités also have a key role to play in relaying these messages to citizens.”

The 2025 Semaine de la Finance Solidaire takes place from 10 to 16 November.

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RCS technology has been available since 2023. Compared to SMS, it offers richer, interactive, and more engaging messaging experiences through the inclusion of high-resolution photos, videos, GIFs, and interactive elements, making it useful for marketing purposes. Unlike SMS however, which uses cellular networks, it requires WiFi or mobile data to work.

RCS technology already offers numerous advantages for nonprofits, such as an enhanced experience in conversations with donors. However, until now it had not been possible to integrate a payment component into the conversational channel to simplify the process for donors making one-off donations or committing to long-term support for charities.

France générosités first raised this issue with Google and mobile operators in 2023, leading Orange to put forward the idea of combining Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) with the RCS channel.

France générosités, and member organisations SPA, French Red Cross, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale and Sidaction have been working with Orange, SFR, and HighConnexion to develop the system since March 2024.

Successful first trials

The first trials took place in France in July and will continue until the end of 2025. The first campaigns saw nearly 80% of donors’ phones compatible with RCS. They received an enriched message offering more information about the donation and tax reductions, and integrating official visuals, multiple choices regarding donation amounts, and sharing the identity of the message sender – verified and secured by the operators and Google. France générosités is currently working to expand these initial experiments.

France générosités says the innovation offers significant added value for the fundraising sector. It is primarily available to member associations and foundations, offering the option of requesting a one-off donation or a monthly commitment, with confirmation also integrated into the same conversational channel.

Together with HighConnexion and the operators, France générosités is now working on developing the system to make it available to all operators and so it can be offered in pull marketing (at the initiative of donors).

This is the lowest growth figure since the first report in 2005, with the exception of 2018, which was due to a reform of the country’s tax regime.

The study of donations to 57 organizations excludes donations of more than €250,000, those made to online event ZEvent, and emergency media appeals. Adding emergency media appeals into account and donations grew by 3%, in part as a result of the response to the December 2024 cyclone in Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean.

In 2024, income from regular direct debit donations rose by 4.4%. Such gifts now represent 45% of those organizations’ income, more than double the 20% of 2004.

One-off donations of less than €150 were less common in 2024, declining 3.6% year-on-year. They now represent 39% of total income, nearly half the 69% of 2004.

The only other size of donation in decline last year was gifts of €10,000 or more, dropping by 0.3% between 2023 and 2024.

Weak November

The 1.9% growth figure may be considered a disappointment given that donations in the first half of 2024 were 3.1% higher than the same period in 2023.

The second half of the year witnessed a slowdown, including a 3.1% year-on-year drop in donations in November 2024, followed by 0.3% in December. These two months are a key time in the fundraising calendar, accounting for a third of all giving.

The study also demonstrates the rapid, ongoing growth of digital giving. In 2019, 20% of gifts were online, a figure which has risen to 33%.

Separate research released earlier this year by France générosités, and the Fondation de France’s Observatoire Philanthropie & Société, showed that corporate giving in France was growing faster than individual giving. It also highlighted particular growth in donations from SMEs and very small enterprises (VSEs).

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This is according to a new study by France générosités based on 228 respondents, a fifth of whom are fundraising specialists, working at 102 different nonprofits.

While 83% of survey respondents are already using AI, three quarters of those are doing so on an individual basis, rather than through a team- or organisation-wide initiative or policy.

And just 10% of those already using AI are doing so as part of a fundraising strategy – compared with 82% using it in writing newsletters, articles and other documents; 48% using it for research and monitoring; and 44% using it for communications.

However, 66% of respondents said they could imagine using AI for fundraising strategies – such as donor analysis or target identification – in future.

The survey also asks what nonprofits should do to ensure that any use of AI is consistent with their organization’s values. Nearly a quarter (23%) said that donors should be able to request that there be no use of AI in their relationship with the organization.

More common answers to this question were:

• 88% said that the use of AI must always be complemented by human input
• 84% said that the organization should only authorise the use of AI tools which meet certain criteria such as data protection controls, or minimization of their environmental impact
• 60% said that the use of such tools should be made transparent, internally as well as externally

Lack of policies

However, the majority of respondents said their nonprofit was still in the early stages of their relationship with AI.

Most said their organization was either considering its position and strategy towards AI (37%) or keeping an eye on it (28%). Few (20%) said that AI had been deployed internally, but no respondent said that their organization had specifically taken a position against AI.

Larger organizations were slightly more likely than smaller organizations to be advanced in their AI thinking.

In addition, the majority of respondents (65%) said their company did not have any sort of ethical charter governing their use of AI. Others said they did not know if such a document existed (14%), that it was currently being developed (17%) or that they already had one (4%).

Among those with a charter, or with one being developed, half (47%) said that this could be a useful way of ensuring transparency and building trust with donors.

Among current AI users, 61% say they are using it every week, with a quarter of those using it every day. ChatGPT is by far the most common tool being used, indicated by 84% of respondents, followed by Microsoft Copilot (26%) and then Gemini (10%).

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Of that €9.2bn, 58% came from members of the public and the remainder from businesses – figures practically unchanged since the 59%/41% split seen in the previous Panorama, which covered 2019.

The report is primarily based on tax declaration data from the country’s Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP).

It shows that while public giving has grown by an annual average of 6% since 2006, corporate giving has increased by an average of 9% annually, with total gifts growing from €969m in 2010 to €2.65bn in 2022.

Corporate generosity has shown particular growth from SMEs and very small enterprises (VSEs) – their gifts accounted for 15% of all business income at the start of last decade, rising to 35% in the most recent survey. VSEs now make up 62% of those making gifts: an increase from 47% in 2010.

• SMEs are defined as those with less than 250 people; turnover of less than €50m; or balance sheet of less than €43m.
• VSEs are those with fewer than 10 employees; and an annual turnover of balance sheet of less than €2m.

Overall, 142,500 firms – or 6% of all those liable to pay corporate tax in the country gave money to charity last year. In 2010, the figures were 27,600 firms, representing 2% of businesses.

A total of 5.5m households (as defined by the tax authorities) made a donation to charity in 2022 – equating to 14% of all French households, a figure that had been 13% in the years 2019-2021, but was 15% prior to that.

The report finds that more regular donors are the most likely to give larger amounts – the average amount given by households declaring a donation in only one of the last 11 years was €265, while for those declaring donations every year, it was €834.

It also shows that 51% of total public donations came from the 10% of wealthiest households, while 53% came from households whose principal taxpayer was 60 years or older.

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The rioting followed a knife attack in the town of Stockport where three young girls were killed and nine injured, including two adults. As well as some premises being damaged, including a Citizens Advice office that was set alight, UK nonprofits reported being fearful for staff, volunteers and service users who had suffered abuse and been left traumatised.

Groups and individuals speak out in UK

Individuals and organisations across the sector have spoken out against the rioting and violence, including the Civil Society Group, which numbers more than 60 charities, voluntary and faith groups, community organisations, membership and other sector organisations, including EFA member the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. In a statement, the group said:

“As a group of civil society leaders, we reject and condemn the actions of those involved in the recent wave of violence.  This violent and vociferous minority, fuelled by hatred, Islamophobia and misinformation, act in direct contrast to the values of a fair, just and inclusive society.

“Staff and volunteers working in civil society organisations will be feeling the same sense of shock and horror at the events of the past week that we are all experiencing, particularly those who are working with Muslim communities, or with migrants and refugees.”

They added:

“Civil society exists to make the world a better place – championing the voices of those who experience disadvantage and exclusion, providing lifeline services, and working to achieve social justice and cohesion.

“Civil society leaders will play a leading role in the community response to this violent unrest – supporting those most affected, redoubling their efforts to maintain continuity, and playing their part in healing the harms caused by this lawless minority.”

AFF president calls far right ‘a risk for the whole sector’

In France, the president of the Association Française des Fundraisers  warned earlier this summer that the far right poses a “threat” to French society as a whole and that a far right government presents a “clear risk” for many charities.

Jonathan Hude-Dufossé was speaking at an AFF event on Tuesday 25 June, ahead of the first round of voting in elections to the French Parliament on Sunday 30 June. His speech was published on the AFF website on 4 July, ahead of the second round of voting.

AFF has also released data showing that supporters of the Rally National (RN) are less likely than other voters to give to charity – and that non-donors are the most likely to support the far-right party led by Jordan Bardella.

In his speech, Hude-Dufossé cited an example from the North-Eastern town of Hayange, saying that after voters gave the far-right RN control of its town hall, the local premises of anti-poverty charity Secours populaire français had its gas and electricity cut off for “more than a year”.

He said that this particular charity had “lost food destined for the 1,000 beneficiaries of its work”, and that an RN administration at a national level would pose “a clear risk for all associations that make a difference for the most vulnerable, precarious, minority or minoritised populations” – saying that the risk was particularly strong for women and gender minorities, and migrants.

Noting that 3,105 people had died in the Mediterranean last year, while 2,299 had been saved by the NGO SOS Méditerranée in the same period, he asked: “How many more deaths would we have to count if the far right had already been in power and further hindered the vital, humanitarian work of this association?”

The AFF president acknowledged that he was making “a more political statement than usual for an organisation in the philanthropy sector in France”, warning that “silences are noisy and endorse, by omission, the risks to come” amid the RN’s increased popularity.

The AFF’s data on voting and donating follows data from Germany reported by Fundraising Europe earlier this year, which also showed that voters for far-right AfD were the least generous.

Donors were almost twice as likely to vote for left-wing parties than non-donors, according to the AFF survey of 1,400 people, carried out in partnership with the agency LIMITE. The agency’s founder Laurent Terrisse said that RN’s ‘base’ of supporters had never been big givers, but that the sector faced a challenge retaining the generosity of those who had recently switched their support to the party. He commented:

“More than ever, it will be necessary in messaging, in evidence and in the way charities offer engagement with these groups, to prove to them that your organisations can address their concerns and support their aspirations.”

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The organisation’s Baromètre de la générosité 2023 is based on data from 56 associations and foundations. It does not include legacies, donations exceeding €250,000 and donations following emergency appeals.

It finds that total donations to those charities grew by 2.1% from 2022 to 2023 – although adds that this actually represents a real-terms decrease of 2.4%.

Despite the overall rise, the proportion of one-off donations of less than €150 decreased by 2.7% to 41.8% over the past year. Donations under €150 had represented 71.7% of donations in 2004, the report’s first year.

France générosités says in its announcement that the ongoing decline in lower donation brackets “can be explained by the context of increasing living costs”. It also says:

“From year to year, the constant decline in smaller donations indicates a progressive structural change in generosity in France, driven by wealthier households.

At the same time, the number of new donors recruited to France générosités’ members each year has dropped by 12.4% between 2012 and 2023, although there was an increase in 2020 and 2021, around the start of the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The report also shows that in 2023, the number of donations received as regular gifts, as opposed to one-off donations, is 45%. This figure has steadily grown from just 16% in 2004. France générosités says that this is a sign of donors’ “growing confidence and loyalty” in the charities they support.

The move towards fewer donors making larger donations has been taking place in other European countries. This includes the UK, as reported earlier this year by Fundraising Europe, and Sweden as reported earlier this month.

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Pierre Siquier says:

“I’ve been extremely proud to be the president of France générosités for all these years. We’ve been through many storms, tax problems and health crises, but we’ve always faced them together and acted to raise awareness and recognition of the undeniable role of generosity in our society. Philippe Pailliart has the ideal experience to enable France générosités to carry out its mission and ensure its development. As a man of values and convictions, Philippe will be able to face the many challenges that are coming up.”

New president Philippe Pailliart comments:

“Honoured by the confidence of France générosités’ Board, I am proud to succeed Pierre Siquier, whose efficient presidency will be a great source of inspiration for me. My roadmap is clear: to deploy our 2023-2028 strategic plan, which includes institutionalizing a more regular dialogue with public authorities, promoting generosity in all its forms, and raising public awareness and educating children about generosity. These are collective challenges that we will take up with our partners of the Coalition Générosité. We will also need to take our full place within ESS France and the European Fundraising Association, in order to influence French and European debates.”

Pailliart is now president of the Union Council of France générosités, which is made up of 15 organizations and led by a Board composed of:

– Vice-presidents: Fondation de France (represented by Axelle Davezac, CEO) and French Red Cross (represented by Laurent Amiand, Director of Communications and Public Affairs)

– Treasurers: Aides (represented by Marc Dixneuf, CEO) and Le Fonds Social Juif Unifié (represented by Richard Odier, CEO)

– Secretaries: La Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale-FRM (represented by Benjamin Pruvost, President) and La Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires (represented by Laurence Champier, Federal Director)

As Pierre Siquier before him, Philippe Pailliart comes from the communication sector. He was the president of major corporate communications agency Burson-Marsteller for almost 20 years, leading its transformation into Burson-Marsteller I&E in 2012 following the acquisition of the I&E agency, and then, in 2018, into BCW following the merger with Cohn&Wolfe. Prior to this, he was director of communications in the private sector, and spent the first 15 years of his professional life in public service and in politics.

#SuperPouvoirDuDon (#SuperPowerOfDonation) launched on 5 February 2024, for an initial two-week period, across a range of channels including outdoor advertising, television and online.

Its central concept was the idea that generosity is a super power, with a France générosités announcement saying that #SuperPouvoirDuDon “carries a positive message by highlighting the generosity which, alongside associations and foundations, allows us to act concretely and positively for all causes of general interest”.

“Each individual can, in their own way, activate this super power in different ways,” the announcement continues.

The campaign encouraged people to visit a #SuperPouvoirDuDon microsite, on which they could take part in a short quiz to ‘discover your super power’ – for example, empathic generosity, as well as find more information about causes that might be relevant to them, and how to support them.

The campaign microsite is part of Infodon.fr, which is the public-facing resource maintained by France générosités.

According to France générosités, there were 16 media partners of the campaign include JC Decaux, which is the world’s largest outdoor advertising agency and is based in Paris, telecoms provider Orange, as well as media groups WarnerBros Média, TF1+ and Médiawan.

A range of campaign assets were made available via Google Drive.

Nadège Rodrigues, director of research and communication at France générosités, told Fundraising Europe that 99 of the organisation’s 143 members got involved in the campaign, and that #SuperPouvoirDuDon will run again next year, with new features. She added:

“It was a great collective moment to promote, together and with one voice, the importance and usefulness of everyone’s generosity!”

Picture by Belle & Co

Produced by Novos for France générosités and supported by La Banque Postale, the 2022 Generosity Barometer reveals an unprecedented slowdown in the growth of donation value. This, France générosités notes, leaves associations and foundations facing the double challenge of an increase in beneficiary needs, and a decrease in resources. It also comes on top of a decline in new donors seen over the last ten years.

Pierre Siquier, president of France générosités says:

“The 1% increase in donations from the French in 2022 does not compensate for the effect of inflation on associations and foundations, which are also suffering the full force of rising energy prices and are facing growing needs for solidarity.”

Smaller donations dropping

The barometer also shows that fewer smaller donations were given last year. The smallest (donations up to €150) saw a 6.9% drop compared to 2021’s figures. At the same time, those over €1,500 increased by 5.5%.

This continues a steady decline in donations under €150 that began in 2004. Donations below this figure represented 73% of the total in 2004, compared to just 41.7% in 2022. This, France générosités says, indicates a gradual change in generosity in France driven by wealthier households who are more resistant to successive crises.

France is also seeing a drop in the number of new donors per organisation (-11.2% between 2012 and 2022), with this year accentuating this trend.

Giving in response to emergencies

The barometer also looks at donations given to emergencies including emergency donations for Ukraine, finding that these increased by 4.7% in 2022. 92% of the money raised for Ukraine came in the first half of 2022, showing the strong emotional and compassionate response of the French at the start of the conflict.

Rise of digital donations

This was particularly expressed via digital channels with 60% of the funds raised for Ukraine emergency last year provided by one-off online donations.

This trend towards the digitization of giving is also seen in overall fundraising with online donations accounting for 26.8% of all one-off donations in 2022 (compared to 18.8% in 2019). In fact, the barometer notes, one-off online donations have increased by 60% in 3 years.

The study is based on collection data from 56 member associations and foundations of France générosités from 2004 to 2022, representing more than 1 billion euros in donations from individuals in 2022 (nearly a third of the annual national total).