Swedish surveys point to positivity around public donations despite COVID

Recent figures from Sweden show some positivity around public donations with just over half of the respondents in a survey conducted among Giva Sverige members estimating that donations will rise this year compared to 2019, despite COVID.

Ongoing surveys among Giva Sverige’s members show that public donations have not been as affected by the pandemic as was feared earlier this spring but have remained largely stable. In fact, although 30% of members think public donations will fall this year, Giva Sverige’s figures show that both one-off gifts and monthly gifts have increased slightly in recent months, both in volume and value. The average regular donation stayed at SEK 140 for most of the first half of the year, with one-off gifts rising from SEK 229 in March to over SEK 260 for the same time period.

The surveys also reveal some positive expectations for other sources of income. 60% of members think legacy income will increase or remain unchanged this year, while 40% think it will fall. In addition, the majority expect income from foundations to remain unchanged with roughly equal proportions (around a quarter) expecting them to increase as well as decrease.

More doubt surrounds corporate donations however, with 59% expecting these to fall this year, and only 14% thinking they will increase.  Last year, these accounted for about 10% of all gifts, at close to SEK 1 billion.

Charlotte Rydh, Giva Sverige Secretary General commented:

“Our member organisations have so far into the crisis been incredibly flexible and adapted their activities. It is clear that the public continues to be generous, but at the same time we see a great and growing concern for corporate giving.”