Swiss charities see first drop in crowdfunding income

The amount raised for charities through crowdfunding decreased for the first time in Switzerland last year, despite an overall growth in money raised through this channel, according to figures from The Institute for Financial Services Zug IFZ of the Lucerne School of Business and Swissfundraising.

The 2019 Crowdfunding Monitor shows that overall, the market (including crowdinvesting, and crowdlending in the profit sector) grew by 38% in 2018: around CHF 517 million, with 37 platforms now active in Switzerland.

In comparison, there were 1,644 successful non-profit projects, which raised CHF 25.6 million. While there was a 7% growth in the number of campaigns, the amount raised fell by 12% year on year, from 2017’s figure of just under CHF 26 million. The average amount raised per campaign also fell – from CHF 19,100 in 2017 to CHF 16,000.

According to the Monitor, the decline was strongly influenced by the elimination of two major campaigns that raised CHF 5.6 million in the previous year. Even taking the loss of these two campaigns into account however, growth was below that of previous years.

Non-profit crowdfunding campaign success rates are greater in Switzerland than elsewhere however, with 68% of crowdfunding campaigns for non-profit organisations in Switzerland funded last year. This compares with around 56% for non-profit campaigns in Germany, and around 40% in the UK.