Inflation weakening generosity in France, research indicates

France saw just a 1% increase in income from donations last year as inflation weakened giving, according to the 2022 France générosités Generosity Barometer. This is the lowest annual growth for 10 years.

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).