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Less people in Germany donate money to charity than in the Netherlands and UK, but Germans are more likely than others to be volunteers, according to the findings of a new survey.
For its Nonprofit Experience Index, Salesforce.Org asked 4,900 adult donors, volunteers and beneficiaries in seven countries about their most recent interactions with nonprofits this year.
Surveying adults in Australia, Canada, Germany, France, the Netherlands, UK, and US, Salesforce found that overall, 60% of respondents had given to a nonprofit, volunteered, and/or benefitted from charitable services in the first half of 2021. The vast majority (around 90% of these respondents) were positive about the experience, saying that the organisation met or exceeded their expectations.
Across all countries surveyed, Salesforce found that charitable giving is most common in the US with 65% of respondents having given during this time followed by 60% in the UK at 63%. However, the proportion of volunteers and beneficiaries were highest in Germany at 28% and 21% respectively, contrasting with just 16% and 10% in Australia.
% of people in European countries who have donated, volunteered or benefitted from charitable services since 1 January 2021
| Country | Donors | Volunteers | Beneficiaries | Total |
| Netherlands | 60% | 26% | 15% | 68% |
| UK | 63% | 19% | 16% | 67% |
| France | 43% | 25% | 14% | 52% |
| Germany | 41% | 28% | 21% | 51% |
| Global | 54% | 22% | 14% | 61% |
*Total (% donated, volunteered or service-users)
Salesforce also asked those who had volunteered or donated whether they would support the same organisation again. Among the countries surveyed, the large majority said they would do so. However, 1 in 6 donors and 1 in 7 volunteers globally don’t recall receiving a meaningful thank you message for their support.
% of people who would support the same organisation again
| Country | Donors | Volunteers |
| UK | 85% | 81% |
| France | 82% | 78% |
| Netherlands | 80% | 71% |
| Germany | 77% | 66% |
| Global | 84% | 79% |
Across all seven countries, almost 1 in 5 survey participants feel that they are asked too often to donate (19%) and yet almost the same proportion (18%) say they would like to be asked to give more often. The report states:
“Donors, volunteers and beneficiaries have their own unique relationships with the organisations they support, making it all the more important that nonprofits get to know their supporters, tailoring communications and helping them feel truly valued.”
In terms of how people are contacted, the survey revealed that only 40% of donors, volunteers and beneficiaries say that they receive personalised nonprofit communications, rising to 45% in the UK. Email is the preferred channel for supporters, volunteers and beneficiaries to be contacted by nonprofits in every nation except for France where the telephone tops the list and messenger apps are also gaining ground.
Data privacy remains high on the agenda in Europe. While 1 in 5 globally are concerned about whether nonprofits will keep their details safe, respondents in Europe are more concerned that those in the US and Australia.
Picture by Joel Muniz on Unsplash
