Donations remain steady in Spain despite coronavirus

Just over a third (37%) of Spaniards gave to a nonprofit organisation last year, with 13% of the overall population giving to a Covid-related cause, according to Spanish Fundraising Association AEFr’s 2020 Donor Profile study.

The study, from AEFr in collaboration with Kantar, analyses the relationships between Spaniards and nonprofits, and how the profile of the Spanish donor is changing.

2020’s findings reveals that donations held up last year, despite the coronavirus, with the proportion of donors broadly in line with figures from the previous AEFr study (last conducted in 2018).

In total, 15 million people gave money to a nonprofit organisation during 2020, up from 14.3 million in 2018. Of these, almost one quarter (24%) did so regularly.

What’s more, 7 out of 10 donors intend to continue their support at the same level this year, and 3 out of 10 expect to give more to Covid-related causes.

However, while giving figures remain stable compared to the 2018 study, they are still lower than in countries such as the UK, Germany or France, according to AEFr.

Fernando Morón, managing director of AEFr, commented:

“The good news is that the Spanish commitment to nonprofits continued in a very complicated year. Once again, Spaniards have responded to the difficulties, collaborating with Third Sector entities that have tried to minimise the impact of Covid-19, and their contribution will continue to be essential during 2021 to reduce the consequences of the economic and social crisis.”

AEFr and Kantar conducted 1,200 interviews for the study, and also found that overall, 9 out of 10 Spaniards have collaborated with a nonprofit in some form at some time in their life. 60% (24.3 million people) have given financially on some occasion: a figure that has risen 5% compared to 2018, when it was 55%.

The study indicates that the pandemic may also have helped to make the population more sensitive than it was two years ago, with 26% of those supporting nonprofits doing so out of empathy with others, and 24% because they like to see things change and improve.

Other key findings:

–Loyalty also remains high, with supporters continuing to donate for an average of nine years.

–Half of donors declare that they make periodic contributions such as membership fees or sponsorships.

–The average age of the Spanish donor is 48 years, with an equal proportion of men and women donating

–Just over a third (34%) of donors are upper-middle class and one half (51%) have a university level education.

–Financial limitations are the main reason for not supporting nonprofits, at 41%.

–The most popular causes remain the same as in the 2018 edition of the study: childhood (56%), elderly (48%) and sick (46%) with a focus on meeting their basic needs of food and health. Epidemic control also stands out.