Fewer Swedes giving but those who do are donating more, reports show

Fewer people in Sweden are giving, but perception of nonprofits is high, and those who do give are giving more, and to more organisations, reports show.

Swedish fundraising association Giva Sverige released reports in May and June, providing insights into giving and on the public’s view of nonprofit organizations, engagement and giving.

Giva Sverige’s Giving in numbers 2022 report analyses reported income from different donor categories from its approximately 180 member organizations. The second report, The public view of non-profit organizations, engagement and giving is a survey sent out annually to about 1000 respondents among the Swedish population.

Fundraising income rose 34% in a year

The data shows that fundraising income among Giva Sverige members increased 34% year on year in 2022, primarily driven by a strong public response against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

13.1 billion Swedish kronor (approximately €1.1 billion) was raised during 2022, up from 9.7 billion in 2021. The increased giving came through several different donor categories, with the corporation donor category growing 69% year on year, after remaining at the same level for a long period of time.

Public giving grew 21% while giving from other organizations grew by 113%. This was in a large part driven by The Akelius Foundation, which chose to match donations from the public to two of Sweden’s largest nonprofits: Sweden for UNHCR and UNICEF Sweden for a month soon after the invasion of Ukraine. The Foundation gave a total of 700 million Swedish kronor, according to the Giving in numbers report.

Trust up but share of people giving down

Giva Sverige’s second report reveals that trust is high in nonprofit organizations, but that the share of people giving in the population is on a downwards trend.

53% of the Swedish population stated that they had given money to a nonprofit organization sometime during the last six months when asked in January 2023, down from 63% in 2016. The share of givers also briefly reached 63% in conjunction with the Russian invasion of Ukraine but has since returned to lower levels. The decline is primarily shown among women and in the age group 18-29.

However, the lower share of givers within these groups and among the general population is not due to lower trust in nonprofit organizations – 76% said that they view them positively: a number that has been stable since 2016. Among 18-29-year-olds, it is even higher at 87%.

People gave more, & to more organizations

According to Giva Sverige, the higher level of giving seen during 2022 is partly because more people donated in connection to the invasion of Ukraine. The research also shows that those that do give are giving more, and to more organizations.

The average self-proclaimed amount of money given during the last six months of 2022 to nonprofit organizations rose about 50% compared to the previous year. Those that give each month to at least one organization – around 1 in 4 Swedes – also give to more organizations now than compared to the pandemic years.

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