Spanish support for charities continues to grow

The average amount given by regular donors to Spanish charities has grown by 3% in the past two years, data from the country’s Asociación Española de Fundraising (AEFr) shows.

The new Realidad del Socio y Donante 2023 report, prepared by AEFr and consultancy Sinergiacrm, shows an average annual contribution of €149 in 2022, up from €144.64 in 2020.

The report is based on data from 15 of the most active fundraising charities in Spain, who together have a total of four million members who account for €599m in annual fees, as well as 2.68m donors who contribute €89m in voluntary income.

This year’s report also shows that the average length of a member’s relationships with a charity is 9.38 years, up from 9.18 two years ago. Members are getting older – the mean average age is now 59 years, and 61% are aged 55 and upwards while only 19% are aged 45 and under, compared with 58% and 21% in the last report. Women are more likely to donate than men, with 60% of members being female.

The membership cancellation rate for last year was 7.6%, a similar figure to the previous report. The figure has never dropped below 6% in the report’s history. In 2012, it rose slightly above 10% for the only time.

Looking at geography, the report shows that the country’s two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, are slightly overrepresented among charities’ membership. Madrid has 14.2% of the country’s population and 18.6% of participating charities’ members, while Barcelona has 12.1% of population and 12.86% of members.

Fernando Morón, managing director of the AEFr, says that the report shows that Spanish society is “increasingly committed to social causes”.

He says:

“Since its first edition in 2012, which AEFr initiated to understand trends in fundraising, average annual subscriptions have increased by more than 20 euros. This growth and consolidation has coincided with the greater professionalisation among nonprofits, NGOs and foundation, and their adaptation to economic developments.”

The conclusion of Morón and AEFr is complemented by new data released by the Spanish Tax Administration Agency. It shows that the number of people making a donation which is eligible for tax relief increased by nearly 14% between 2017 and 2021, totalling more than four million donors in the 2021 financial year.

Picture: Setabia via Pixabay