(12/22/10) -

Nearly Half of Americans Report Giving Less to Charity in 2010

Outlook for charitable donations in 2011 remains tepid, driven primarily by ongoing personal financial concerns.

Nearly two thirds of U.S. adults (65%) have supported a non-profit organization in the last 12 months with money, time or goods, according to a recent survey conducted by Vision Critical. This number tracks below the 70% to 75% that was typical of non-profit giving earlier in the decade and is indicative of the anemic economic recovery, high unemployment, and economic turmoil still facing much of America.

When asked directly about their financial gifts, nearly one half of Americans (46%) say they are giving less money compared to last year while the same proportion (46%) say their giving is unchanged. Only eight per cent of Americans say they are giving more in 2010.

Among those providing a financial donation, giving most commonly occurs through direct collection at a church, temple or place of worship (36%), followed by direct mail (23%). However, online giving through a charity’s website is now the third most popular way to give (15%) and giving through social networking/media (5%), banner ads (4%) and text messaging (4%) are now statistically meaningful and will likely grow as Americans look for more and easier ways to give.

The giving picture for 2011 doesn’t look much better. The plurality of survey respondents say they will be able to give about the same (40%) as they did in 2010. While one fifth (21%) say they will be able to give more in the coming year, 15 per cent say they will give less, and yet another fifth of respondents (21%) say they will not be able to give at all in 2011. “These findings make it clear that the giving recovery won’t begin until Americans feel more financially secure and in a position to help others,” remarked Justin Greeves, leader of Vision Critical’s U.S. Public Affairs practice.

When asked to review a list of things that might encourage Americans to give more financial support to charities in 2011, the one thing that stands out as most impactful is being in a better personal financial position (56%). However, there are things non-profits can do to encourage giving, including giving a better understanding of what their organizations actually do to help people (16%) and explaining that more people are in need and would benefit from the help of donors (14%).

Americans believe the greatest need for charitable giving in 2011 will rest with hunger/food relief organizations (70%) and housing and sheltering organizations (45%), followed by health care (33%) and children’s (32%) organizations. “Although these are tough times for non-profits, marketers and fundraisers need to find even more ways of telling their story and making a personal connection between those that are in need and those that can help,” said Greeves. “The need for organizations to step up and make a difference is increasing and shows no signs of slowing down based on these survey findings. Americans know that people in their own neighborhoods are hurting—charities need to spread the word about how even a small donation can have an impact and what their organization does to make a difference.”

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

Methodology: From December 14 to December 15, 2010, Vision Critical conducted an online survey among 1,005 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States.