Charitable donations Dutch public drop as prices rise

• Percentage of over-18s donating to charity remains virtually stable at 81%

• Rising inflation and high energy bills main factors squeezing people’s donation budgets

• Removing obstacles for donation is key for charities and civil society organisations

Significant fall in share of Dutch donors giving upwards of 50 euros

Nearly half of all Dutch donors indicate that when they need to economise, the first item they cut back on is the budget for donations to charities and civil society organisations. Accordingly, total donations from Dutch households took a serious hit in the past year, according to research into Dutch donation trends by ABN AMRO MeesPierson’s Philanthropy Advice team. Although the number of donors in the Netherlands was practically the same in 2023 as in 2022, the share of Dutch donors that give between 50 and 250 euros and the share that give over 250 euros shrunk by 8 and 7 percentage points respectively. The percentage of donors giving up to 50 euros did expand from 41% to 56% of total Dutch donors. Most cited reasons for cutting donations are rising inflation (50%), high energy bills (48%) and the threat of recession (45%). That said, nearly one in two respondents indicate they would love to give more if their budget permitted.

One-off donations more popular in 2023

Besides the decreasing size of donations, another trend the researchers identified is a reduction in the number of charities donated to. The share of donors that give to one charity only climbed from 13% in 2022 to 20% in 2023, while the share of donors giving to between two and five charities dropped from 59% to 45%. Intriguingly, though, the share of donors giving to between five and ten charities actually expanded from 6% to 11%. This may be linked to the increasing popularity of one-off donations (73%) compared to regular ones (38%) and fundraising campaigns (33%). The categories receiving the most donations remained unchanged. Like last year, the Dutch prefer giving to charities and civil society organisations related to Healthcare & Social Welfare, followed by Humanitarian Aid & Human Rights, with Nature, Environment & Animals in third place. Charities with an impact on a national or regional level are most favoured.

Efficient spending of donations and transparency key issues for non-donors

A large majority (72%) of Dutch donors indicate that charities and civil society organisations are vital to our society. Both donors and non-donors, however, point out obstacles on their path. “When giving to charities and civil society organisations, Dutch people are very particular about being able to determine how much they give, and for how long. When people are pressed to pledge a regular amount per month or year, they’re more likely to opt out altogether,” says Frank Aalderinks, Head of Philanthropy Advice at ABN AMRO MeesPierson. “While many people in the Netherlands have been forced to cut back on donations, willingness to donate is still surprisingly high in our country. Our research shows that many non-donors choose not to donate because they believe that charities spend too much on overhead, or because they don’t trust them to spend their money wisely. Better coordination between organisations, as well as better communication about how donations are spent, might therefore help to get more donors to commit to charities and civil society organisations.”