Dutch nonprofits increase annual charitable spend by 9%

Nonprofits in The Netherlands have increased their annual expenditure on social causes by 9%, according to a tracking survey by Goede Doelen Nederland. The rise amounts to an additional 241 million euros spent on the cause between 2018 and 2019.

The survey, which reports on the income and expenditure of members of Goede Doelen Nederland and Nederland Filantropieland (NLFL), finds that the large majority of charitable expenditure (71%) is spent on delivering direct services and assistance, although there is some differentiation between causes.

While organisations in the field of international aid, human rights and welfare spent more than 85% of charitable expenditure on services and assistance, health organisations spent the most on facilitating scientific research. Other key areas of nonprofit spend include purchasing and management, information and lobbying.

Total revenues for nonprofits in the study (including income from individuals, companies, lotteries and subsidies) amounted to €3.1 billion in 2019, an increase of €117 million on figures from 2018. Income from individuals increased by 4% over the year, with more than half of that income raised through gifts and donations. Charitable bequests (legacies) is the next most significant area of income from private individuals, contributing a quarter of the total income from private individuals.

The number of nonprofit supporters and members decreased slightly (by 2%) from 2018 to 2019, but this decrease was only evident in large organisations. In small and medium-sized nonprofits, the number of supporters rose by 6% and 1% respectively.

Image credit: Photo by Vishwas Katti on Unsplash